Dear Rabbi Kornfeld, Could you please explain to me why some Baalei Kriah on Shabbas Zochor, read the word ZAYCHER then ZECHER in the Maftir.? Since it is not a KRI or KSIV how did this originate.?
Wishing you a Happy Purim
Stuart
In Bava Basra 21b we find that Yoav almost killed (or actually killed) his childhood teacher for mistakenly reading to him the verse as "Timcheh Zachar Amalek" (obliterate the males of Amalek) rather than "Zecher Amalek" (any trace of Amalek). We only had to face Haman in a later generation because of this mistake in Yoav schooling.
Because of this we are unusually sensitive to the correct pronunciation of this word, and we read it as both "Zeicher" (Tzeirei, Segol - the way the word is voweled throughout Tanach) and "Zecher," (Segol, Segol - as in "Mecher," Nechemyah 13:16 and "Secher," Yeshayah 19:10, Mishlei 11:18), just in case that is the true pronunciation -- even though there is no difference in meaning at all between the two.
Note also that in the Ashrei psalm, all Sidurim vowel the word as "Zeicher" (Tzerei, Segol), which is the way it appears in the Navi. However, the Vilna Ga'on, as cited by Ma'aseh Rav (and as appears in the Ashrei Tefilah in Sidur Sha'arei Rachamim), makes it "Zecher" (Segol, Segol). Likutei Maharich writes that this is also the pronunciation chosen by the Radak, and that the same pronunciation would apply to the word in the verse in Parshas Zachor.
M. Kornfeld
Dear Rabbi Kornfeld,
In the Haskama of Rabbi Haim Voloziner to Maaseh Rav repporting the minhagim of the Vilna Gaon, he writes [translated by me]:
... As far as you wrote that one should read in Parashat Zahor ZHR with 6 dots' I heard from the Peh Kadosh that he read with 5 dots. I do not know if those who heard [and reported with 6 dots] mis-heard and mistakenly reported with 6 dots or perhaps [the Gaon] changed his mind in his old age, Please do research this issue and find the truth."
Thus there is no reliable tradition for the reading with "Segol, Segol".
When I was young this minhag was NOT observed neither where Rabbi Herzog - First Ashkanazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, nor where Rabbi Unterman - a later Chief Rabbi of Israel - heard the Megilla.
I, for one, think it is very sad that we do not trust our clear traditions of the reading of any word in the Tanach.
Yeshayahu Hakohen Hollander