To the Editor:
At the first yahrtzeit of the beloved Gateshead Rov
zt"l (20 Tammuz), one feels more intensely the great
loss we have all suffered. Over the past year, a number of
collective mitzvos including siyumim were dedicated
le'iluy nishmoso, and perhaps now is an appropriate
time to mention another opportunity for each individual to
join forces in an additional dvar mitzvah.
Amongst the many shaalos that the Rov zt"l
ruled on, is a matter regarding a word we say throughout
davening yet often mispronounce. One sometimes worries
about that fateful time when our rendition of Hashem's name
will be scrutinized. Was the Daled of "Adonoi"
said with a cholem, each according to his minhag
(e.g. "doi" or "doe"), or with a
chirik?
Perhaps it is not so universally known, that Rav Y. Weiss (in
a letter to Rabbi Margolin ylct"a, Bayit Vegan), Rav
B. Rakow and other poskim, ruled that by saying A-
dee- noy, one is not yotzei! What a shame for all
that toil (for which there must be some reward) in
kavonoh, sometimes with dikduk, if the actual
tefilloh or brochoh did not count chas
vesholom to one's credit.
Indeed, this was one of the many areas that one saw how the
Gateshead Rov zt"l was no'eh doresh veno'eh
mekayeim (which has prompted this long overdue letter of
publicity). In the almost twenty years since I have heard his
unequivocal psak, it became increasingly noticeable
how much this needs chizuk.Too many precious Yidden,
men women and children, seemed to be saying, sometimes or
frequently, either a chirik which is posul, or
a shevoh which is bedi'eved, or other unclear
combinations. However, the Rov zt"l always pronounced
a clear cholem, whether during davening or
officiating at a simcha.
Being a ba'al keriya I appreciate that a reading
habit can be gradually improved to become automatic. I humbly
suggest that we begin by correctly pronouncing the
"doy" of Hashem in the first parshah of
Krias Shema. There are just three in total (twice a
day) which could make all the difference to a Torah-based
mitzvah! Maybe after a month or so, this change will have
become second nature (as in mashiv horu'ach) and with
the kind permission of the editor, we could take this matter
further.
If interested readers of the chosheve public would
kindly be matri'ach themselves to reply to the address
below, perhaps we could combine talents to find a long-term
solution for people of all ages. Imagine the zchus
hatzibuur if we could raise our tefillos to the
rung of lechatchiloh, and how much Klal Yisroel
would benefit thereby!
Yeyasheir kochachem,
Yours sincerely,
(Rabbi) C. Lauer
30 Windermere St.
Gateshead NE8 1TQ
P.S. This letter is the combined effort of several
talmidei chachomim.
