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How is God's name pronounced when there is a prefix?
The 4 letter name for Hashem is replaced with the word a/d-/nai (3 syllables). But my siddur doesn't put vowels under each instance, so I'm not sure how to say the word when it is preceded b a prefix lake a vav, a lamed or a beit.
The word "e/l-/kei" becomes vei/l-/kei with the addition of the preceding vav -- the vowels under the aleph disappear and the word stays 3 syllables. Is the same true for Hashem's name? Does it become
va/d-/nai
or
va/a/d-/nai and become 4 syllables?
1 answer
There is a popular mnemonic to remember this (a brief search for its origin was not successful):
מש"ה מוציא וכל"ב מכניס
Moshe “takes out” but Kalev “brings in”
That is, if the prefix is one of the letters mem, shin or heh, then the aleph of G-d's name retains its vowel and is pronounced (“taken out”).
However, if the prefix is vav, kaf, lamed or bet, then the aleph loses its vowel and is not pronounced (“brought in”).
So, in your specific question, the pronunciation would be va/do/nai.
Of course, like with all rules, this one also has its exceptions (one of which appears in the haftarah for the morning of Tish’ah BeAv, in Yirmiyahu 8:19).
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