far closer to the original community than our own. According to this ancient interpretation, the stars are joined to the lesser light and implicitly share in the rule of the night. If the intention were to separate the stars from the two great lights, we might expect atnakh on הַלַּיְלָה (“the night”). This interpretation comports with Psalm 136:9a, “the moon and stars to govern the night.” Zaqeph gadol ◌◌֕ is a substitute for zaqeph qaton. If you encounter zaqeph gadol, think of
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