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I will only say, from my point of view, what the Rambam says about all the funny-shaped letters, including the many that Ashenaz sofrim do not write: it is a tradition with no definitive reason, but an opportunity for rabbis to make d;rashos, as Rabbi ‘Aqiva
did for all the different tagim. But one should keep the tradition.<br>
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<div class="PlainText"><font size="3" face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt">Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel</span></font></div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Calibri, sans-serif" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> Mesorah <mesorah-bounces@lists.aishdas.org> on behalf of Aaron Gal via Mesorah <mesorah@lists.aishdas.org><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Saturday, March 12, 2022 10:15 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> mesorah@lists.aishdas.org <mesorah@lists.aishdas.org>; mesorah@aishdas.org <mesorah@aishdas.org>; akivagmiller@gmail.com <akivagmiller@gmail.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Mesorah] Vauikra - Alef Zeira</font>
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<div>What is the reason for the small Alef in "Vayikra"?</div>
<div>My question is not about Midrashim, like the one that the Ba'al Haturim brings up</div>
<div>or a midrash like the one here <span style="background-color:transparent; font-size:13.3333px"> </span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__drive.google.com_viewerng_viewer-3Furl-3Dhttps-3A__w2.chabad.org_media_pdf_892_dFRn8926416.pdf&d=DwMCaQ&c=VTwaeXjOsAHot2hQQ0nozrBJwyviuCtydNuGwYGfYiI&r=e6XbAQdGwcl_5FMtQ-t1eA&m=ZOobs3_aa1xGJgfzkF2vs44cU9z0FKJXc_VhbQvtRUmrtF_wh_mP6Qm5ZVyW7Fav&s=Bz6NQkna4vpwN8kxB5onx8tVvLIYoLG4OjuIFsM_ImA&e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color:transparent; text-decoration-line:underline; color:blue; font-size:13.3333px">https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://w2.chabad.org/media/pdf/892/dFRn8926416.pdf</a></div>
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<div>I read that the reason for the big letter Vav in the word "gachon", Sefer Vayikra 11:22 is because this letter here is half of the letters in the Torah.</div>
<div>Similarly, the word "Vehitgalach", Vayikra 13:33 is half of the verses, there the letter Gimel is large.</div>
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<div>What is the reason the the letter Yod in the word Pinchas at the beginning of P' Pinchas comes with is small?</div>
<div>Is this because in another place (indeed a different Pinchas) comes without Yod? (Shemuel Alef 1:3)?</div>
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<div>Shavua Tov,</div>
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<div>Aharon</div>
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