Hayom Yom 7 Elul - The word דכא should be written with an alef at the end
The daily Hayom Yom with Rabbi Yosef Katzman · Rabbi Yosef Katzman
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Show Notes
אַדְמוּ"ר הַזָּקֵן הוֹרָה לִכְתּוֹב פְּצוּעַ דַכָּא בְּאָלֶף לִבְסוֹף וְלֹא בְּהֵא
The Alter Rebbe directed that the word דכא in the phrase פצוע דכא be written with an alef at the end, not with a hei.
בִּפְראַג יֵשׁ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁקַּבָּלָה בְּיָדָם שֶׁהִגִי-הַּ עֶזְרָא הַסּוֹפֵר
In Prague, there is a Torah scroll which according to local tradition was checked by Ezra the Scribe.
אֵין קוֹרִין בּוֹ אֶלָּא בְּשִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה וְגוֹלְלִין אוֹתוֹ תָּמִיד בְּפָרָשַׁת שְׁמַע
They read from it only on Simchas Torah and always roll it closed at the passage beginning Shema [Yisrael].
כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי בִּפְראַג בִּשְׁנַת תרס"ח רְאִיתִיו וְכָתוּב בּוֹ דַכָּא בְּאָלֶף
When I was in Prague in 5668 (1908) I saw this scroll, and דכא was spelled there with an alef.
כֵּן כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי בְּואָרְמס בִּשְׁנַת תרס"ז
Similarly, when I was in Worms in 5667 (1907),
רָאִיתִי שָׁם סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר מְקוּבָּל בְּיָדָם שֶׁכְּתָבוֹ מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב ר' מֵאִיר מֵרוֹטֶנְבוּרְג
I saw a Torah scroll which according to the tradition of that community was written by Maharam of Rothenburg.
וְגַם בּוֹ כָּתוּב דַכָּא בְּאָלֶף
There, too, the word דכא is written with an alef.
וְעַיֵּין בִּשְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָא (יוֹרֶה דֵעָה סִימָן ט"ז) וְדִבְרֵי נְחֶמְיָה (יוֹרֶה דֵעָה סִימָן כ"ב)
See Sheiris Yehuda (Yore Deah ch. 16), and Divrei Nechemia (Yore Deah ch. 22),
וּבְסֵפֶר מִשְׁנַת אַבְרָהָם (סִימָן ל"ב) מְצַיֵּן כַּמָּה סְפָרִים הַדָּנִים בָּזֶה
and in Sefer Mishnas Avraham (ch. 32) he references several Seforim that discuss this matter.
Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English
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