[Mesorah] Tizku vs Tizki

[Micha Berger]

Aside from the fact that in the Galicianisher *havarah* the feminine
singular and the plural are homophones....

There is also the question of adapting the accepted coinage for the
singular when speaking to one person. "*Leshanah tovah teikhaseiv*" or "*
teikhaseivu*"? "*HaMaqom* *yenacheim osekha*/-*akh*" or "*eskhem*" and if
all the *aveilim* are women, should it be "*eskhen*"? (The latter has other
arguments for staying in the plural; the *baqashah* might also include *
nechamah* for the *niftar*'s *neshamah*, meaning there is always at least
two being referred to.) AFAIK, everyone says "*shalom aleikhem*" even to
one person, but the gemara's discussion of *tokh kedei dibur* has "*shalom
alekha rebbe *[*umori*]."

Similarly here. The coinage is usually quoted in the plural, "*tizku
lemitzvos*". Does one stick with the coinage, or customize the *diqduq* for
the recipient?

Personally, I go with the latter, for two reasons:

1- My natural tendency not to conform.

2- I prefer actions that provoke thought. Someone surprised to hear "*tiskeh/i
lemitzvos*" is likely to pause and register what the words mean. Rather
than just an empty greeting ritual. How seriously does *shamayim* take a *
berakhah* rattled off ritually with no *kavanah* content?


On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 12:38 AM, Michael Kopinsky <mkopinsky at _gmail.com>wrote:

> Of course, what I meant is that tizku is plural, and tizki is singular
> feminine. The singular masculine form would be tizkeh.
>
> Lesson: I should not send emails past bedtime.
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 12:26 AM, Michael Kopinsky <mkopinsky at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Tizku is masculine. Tizki is feminine or for people who don't know
>> grammar (e.g. chassidim).
>>
>> (Yeah, you'll tell me chassidim aren't wrong, they're just different. But
>> u and i r betr than spelin or sayn things rong. :-) )
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 11:33 PM, Yosef Skolnick <yskolnick at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Hi-
>>>
>>> I have heard people saying tizku limitzvos and some saying tizki
>>> limitzvos, anyone know the difference or why there seems to be a split, is
>>> one just a mistake?
>>>
>>

-- 
*Shetir'u Batov*!
-Micha

--
Micha Berger             You cannot propel yourself forward
micha at aishdas.org        by patting yourself on the back.
http://www.aishdas.org                   -Anonymous
Fax: (270) 514-1507
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