It is interesting to note that although we are used to calling this Parasha - Bamidbar, the correct pronounciation is B'midbar.

This Parashah is made up of lists. It starts with a list of the heads of tribes, then a list of the tribes themselves and their summary amounts, and on to three small lists of the leviites and what they carried.

Lists are especially a problem for two reasons - First, most of the items have the same trope, but one or two items are different. Second, there is no way to know where the sentence starts and where it finishes.

In the first Aliyah, we have a list of the names of the heads of tribes. The sentences start with the name of the person, and on the name there is a zakef gadol, except for Binyamin and Naftali. The way to remember Binyamin is that the sentence before it has two names instead of one, and to remember Naftali just remember that it is the last one in the list.

Tips from subscribers:

1. According to the Keter Aram Zova on CD there are over 700 instances of a Tvir followed by a Tipcha. In most cases, the Tvir should be read together with the Tipcha. Often, the Baal Koray incorrectly pauses after the Tvir because of improper breathing. He then reads the Tipcha together with the Mercha Sof Pasuk or Etnachta. For example, in our Parasha, the Baal Koray may incorrectly read echad v'shivim, then pause because of the Tvir, and then read elef v'chamesh ma'ot. However, the Tvir should have been connected to the Tipcha, after which the Baal Koray may pause. The correct reading should be Echad V'shivim Elef V'chamesh Me'ot. The Tipcha has a bigger pause than the Tvir. See another example of this problem in Parashat Ekev.

   Submitted by Nachum Chernofsky

Haftara for Parashat Bamidbar