Shofetim

We were discussing a pasuk from the beginning of last week's parasha, Perek Yud Aleph, Pasuk Lamed, in which we have a yitiv followed by a pashta.

Halo ha-ema be-ever ha-yarden acharei derech mivo ha-shemesh.

I mentioned to him that it happens a lot that we have two pashtas in a row.

In this case, it's a pashta yitiv, where the yitiv is a switch for the pashta.

A pashta becomes a yitiv when the stress is on the first letter of the word.

This is an odd challenge to give someone because pashta followed by a pashta happens all the time.

For example, in Rivi E, Perek Yudchet, Pasuk Tet Zayin.

Kechol asher sha-alta mim-adona yelohecha bechorayiv, biyom hako-ol lemor, lo oseiv, lishmoa es kol adona yelohai, v'es hoish hagedola hazos, lo ere-od v'lo amus.

Here's another one in Shishi, Perek Chaf, Pasuk Aleph.

Ki setze lamilchama al oyevecha, v'ra-isa sus v'rechev am rav mimcha, lo sira mehem.

The second one is a bit more interesting because the reason why we have a pashta followed by a pashta is because the first one should have been a rivi E, but it's too close to a rivi E before it.

In the first example, the rivi E is right next to that first pashta, and you couldn't possibly have a rivi E right after a rivi E. Musically, that just does not work.

Even in our music today, you can hear that.

Lo oseiv, lishmoa.

The second example is a little bit more interesting because the space to the rivi E is a little bit more, but it's still not enough, in terms of the way the Mesora looked at the music, to give us another rivi E.

Although arguably in our music today, it would work perfectly well.

Here's what it should have been.

Ki setze lamilchama al oyevecha, v'ra-isa sus v'rechev am rav mimcha, lo sira mehem.

That doesn't sound too bad, but the Mesora says that's not enough space.

If you want an example where there is just enough space, you can look in Rishon, Perek Yud Zayin, Pasuk Chet.

Ki yipolei mimcha davar lamishpat, bein dam lidam, bein din lidin, uvenegha lonegha.

In this case, after the rivi E, lamishpat, we are deemed to have enough room with bein dam lidam, bein din, in order to have another rivi E on lidin.

The pashta followed by a pashta is so common, in fact, that one class of mistakes that we talk about is when instead of having a pashta followed by a pashta, we actually have the kadma mapach followed by a pashta.

That's actually a very different parsing because the kadma is a mesharet, it goes with what's next, and the pashta is a mafsik.

For example, also in Rishon, Perek Yud Zayin, Pasuk Yud Bet, here we have a kadma mapach on livilti shemoa, which would be very different than a pashta mapach.