Spelling of Hanukkah

Asked Dec 22 '19 at 02:45

Active Dec 22 '19 at 02:45

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The word Hanukkah in Hebrew is written חֲנֻכָּה or חֲנוּכָּה -- with or without a vav. Why two spellings? Do they entail different things?

(Delete the question if the answer is purely a grammatical matter and does not enhance our understanding of Judaism.)

asked Dec 22 '19 at 02:45

Maurice Mizrahi

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ktiv_hasar_niqqud – Double AA Dec 22 '19 at 03:01
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@DoubleAA -- So the vav is sometimes added to make sure the reader understands it is preceded by a (fairly rare) kubutz? – Maurice Mizrahi Dec 22 '19 at 03:12
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Those who expound חנו כה need that vav – Dr. Shmuel Dec 22 '19 at 03:25
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@Maurice exactly. Same with מגילה vs מגלה, and כתובה vs כתבה and many others – Double AA Dec 22 '19 at 12:32
Does that mean you can add letters at will for clarity, or is this flexibility reserved for specific words? – Maurice Mizrahi Dec 27 '19 at 09:02

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