Kohelet 5:17

[Art Roth]

Kohelet is read this Shabbat, which starts tomorrow night, so if there are any comments, I'd appreciate an almost immediate response.

There appear to be two slightly different versions of the trope on לאכול ולשתות.  The second word has a ת"ג, but it's unclear whether לאכול has a munax (which would be the third consecutive munax) or no trope at all (i.e., connected to the next word with a maqeif).

The maqeif is found in Breuer and Tiqun Simanim.

The munax is found in Koren.

Other (less reliable) sources are also mixed.

The Steinsaltz Ketuvim, Soncino, and the Artscroll Stone Xumash have a munax.

The Artscroll Sukkot maxzor and the one-volume Artscroll Mesorah Kohelet have a maqeif.

This obviously means that Artscroll is not internally consistent between its publications.

Logically, it would seem that לאכול ולשתות is too long for a single trope.  But on the other hand, this seems pretty analogous to ועבדך-ואצתך in the Aseret Hadibrot, where a ת"ג appears on two fairly long words (connected by a maqeif) following two munaxs.  The analogy becomes even stronger after noting that the two long words are connected not only by a maqeif, but also by a vav haxibur.  This analogy lends some plausibility to the version that seems illogical on the surface.

Any thoughts?

Mo`eid Tov,

Art

[jaybr...@gmail.com]

For a distinction like this that is relatively minor, I would simply lein according to the volume that most people are following.

There are more significant differences between Koren and editions that follow the Aleppo Codex (e.g., Breuer and Bar-Ilan's HaKeter series).

In 12:4, Koren has וֽיָקוֹם while just about all other editions, including the Art Scroll that most people use to follow, has וֽיָקוּם.  I will be reverting to the latter, having just learned that it is the variant that appear in the Aleppo Codex.

In 4:8, Koren agrees with most popular editions with גַּם־זֶ֥ה הֶ֛בֶל but the Aleppo-based editions have גַּם־זֶ֛ה הֶ֛בֶל (two instances of t'vir).  Here, too, I'm simply going to read what most people see when they follow, which is Art Scroll for my shul, and go according to Koren.

In the instances where Art Scroll shows incorrect pronunciation or trope that is incorrect (especially if theoretically impossible), then I will overrule what people see, and they trust me.  Otherwise, I will follow the authority that conforms to what most people see.

Shabbat Shalom.