The Baal Koreh Quick Reference
Yasher Koach on volunteering to be a baal koreh for our minyan. Without your effort we wouldn't be able to have leining. This page is intended to help make preparing a little bit easier for you.
1) Whenever there is a prefix, try to notice the vowel on it. For example:
áÀéåí = biyom ;áÈéåí ,áÇéåí = bayom
åÇéàîÆø = vayomer; åÀàÈîÇø = vi'amar. This can often change the meaning of the word.
2) Whenever there is a suffix, same thing. For example:
äÈéÄéúÀ= hayeet; äÈéÄéúÈ = hayeeta
ìÈêÀ = lach; ìÀêÈ = lecha
3) Distinguish between Vayomer vs. Vayomar
Vayomer Hashem blah blah blah = Hashem said: "blah blah blah".
Vayomar Hashem blah blah blah = somebody said: "Hashem, blah blah blah".
4) Notice which syllable is stressed. Often it is not the same as in spoken Hebrew, so you need to check. Whichever syllable the trop symbol appears on is the stressed one. This can change the meaning of a word.
Sometimes, the same symbol appears twice on the same word. In that case, follow these rules:
 | The First Symbol |
 | The First Symbol |
 | The First Symbol |
 | The First Symbol |
 | The Second Symbol |
 | The Second Symbol |
5) Read names as they are written,
not as we say them today. For instance:
ah-ha-RON, not AH-ron
yah-ah-KOV, not YAH-kov
mo-SHE not MO-she, etc.
*Only exception is yi-sa-CHAR, which you can say like that, not yi-sas-CHAR.
6) Pick either Ashkenaz or Sfard pronunciation and go all the way with it. Ashkenaz pronounces Tav without a dot (ú) as 'S' and kamatz (àÈ) as 'AW'. Sfard pronouces Tav without a dot as 'T', and kamatz as 'AH'. Here's an example:
åàìä ùîåú áðé éùøàì
Ve'eleh shemos b'nai yisrawel - OK
Ve'eleh shemot b'nai yisrahel - OK
Ve'eleh shemos b'nai yisrahel - mixes Ashkenaz and Sfard
Ve'eleh shemot b'nai yisrawel - mixes Ashkenaz and Sfard
7) Read the writing in the Torah. This may sound obvious, but it isn't. Sometimes people work so hard to memorize that they end up reading by heart, and saying a totally different word than what's written. This is especially common when there are 2 similar psukim. 2 examples from Parshas Pinchas:
Sometimes it says åðñëä = 'venisca', and sometimes åðñëéä = 'unesacheha'.
Sometimes it says ùðé ëáùéí = shnei chevasim, and other times it says ùáòä ëáùéí, shiva chevasim.
8) When preparing, try listening to the mp3 of the leining from Shiur.net (go to 'Browse by Category' and choose the category 'Torah Laining'). That is a very precise recording that you can go by when in doubt. You can also always ask Rabbi Frazer in person or by email.
9) If you have the choice, use the "Simanim" tikun in the Beit Midrash to prepare. It is much more clear than most other tikuns, and bolds the stressed syllables for you.
10) Say Amen immediately after the Bracha is said, and then find your place in the Torah. Amen pertains to the Bracha, not to the beginning of the reading, so it should be said immediately after the Bracha. Also, if you are the one getting the Aliya, don't say Amen to your own Bracha.
Even though it's hard, try to relax. If you make a mistake it's not a big deal, everyone in shul knows it's not easy and that you put a lot of work into it. Nobody is mad at you. Just remembering this will make it easier to do it naturally. If while you are leining you forget what's next, pause for a second and the gabai will feed you the next word.