[HANASHIR:9686] Re: Mi Chamocha grammar

[Eric Simon <erics...>]

At 10:41 AM 8/31/2001 -0400, H & R Shubert wrote: 
>>>>
> A choir I am working with asked me to clarify the reasons why we sing Mi Chamocha ba-elim A----, and then Mi Kamocha.  I have been told it is a fine point of Hebrew grammar but they would like a clear explanation.  Can anyone help?
<<<<

It's not a fine point of grammar, rather an exception to it!

The word starts as K'mocha, which means "like you".

However, after a vowel, such as "mi", we remove the dagesh from the first letter of the next word.  And so, instead of "Kamocha" we say "Chamocha".

(Just like "bereshit" becomes "ma'aseh v'reishit").

But what about the second time?  Shouldn't that, then, be Chamocha,  too?

Yes, it should.  However, (if I remember the explanation correctly), "Micha" was, at the time, the name of a pagan god, and they didn't want the syllables "micha" to immediately follow "Ad-nai".  Because, then it _could_ read:

Mi Chamocha ba'elim -- who is like you among the gods
Ad-nai micha -- G-d is Micha . . . 

(I hope I am remembering this correctly . . . )

So, restore the dagesh (violating the general rule) and avoid mentioning a pagan god adjacent to Ad-nai!

-- Eric



+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Eric Simon     | erics (at) radix(dot)net                      |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| proud daddy to Joshua Ari  4/18/93 - 27 Nissan 5753   |
|        and Eliana Rebekah  3/12/95 - 11 Adar-2 5755   |
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