[Mesorah] "...echa" or "...eka"?

[Akiva Miller]

During my learning of Va'eschanan a few days ago, I came across a word (in
Devarim 6:2) which seemed difficult to pronounce: "m'tzavecha". (That "e"
is a segol, not a shva.) For reasons that I could not explain even to
myself (my knowledge of dikduk is very weak, as some of you may have
figured out) it seemed to me that the final chaf ought to have a dagesh,
and be pronounced "m'tzaveka".

I was pleasantly surprised to hear a very similar word at mincha, which
does have that dagesh: "m'yasreka" in Devarim 8:5.

After maariv, my friend listmember R' Michael Poppers pointed out two more
examples where the final kaf does have a degesh: "v'ya'z'reka" and
"veevaracheka", both in Bereshis 49:25.

I'm sure there are many other examples. "Veechuneka" (in Birkas Kohanim)
just came to mind. Can anyone suggest why "m'tzavecha" is different and has
no dagesh?

(Coincidence or not, in all 5 of these examples, the vowel immediately
preceding this final kaf is a segol. Two of the 5 examples are at a sof
pasuk, and none are at an esnachta.)

Akiva Miller
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