6071 -Why the Siddur Spells “Sheva” as Shin–Beis–Alef (שבא)

In the holy letters of the Rebbe, volume 16, letter number 6,071, Baruch Hashem, the 22nd day of Shvat, Brooklyn, Mr. Moshe Sheyikhya Kipness in Yerushalayim. Uh, most of the time you expect a Rav, this is a Mister, a Mister Moshe Sheyikhya Kipness. Shalom u-vracha. 

The Rebbe says, "I want to respond to your question." You found in the davening in Tehillat Hashem, that's the Lubavitch siddur, it's called Tehillat Hashem, "The Praise of Hashem". So over there, you found, uh, that over there the vowelization, uh, is a Shva. In the siddur, in the beginning, there is a chart that has the vowels, the names and the, uh, the picture of the vowel, what a vowel looks like. So over there, when it talks about the vowel which is called a Shva, it's with a 'beiz', shin-beiz-aleph. But in his opinion, it should be with a 'vav', it should be shin-vav-aleph. So he challenged the way it's written in the siddur. 

And the Rebbe says, "Actually, the way it's printed in the siddur is accurate, because that is based on what has been explained in many places, and the correct is with a 'beiz'." And the Rebbe references here in the bottom of the letter several of them. The Rebbe brings from the Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 69, Tikunei Zohar Chadash, Mo'rei Or, these are mostly Kabbalah seforim. So over there it is clear that the Shva is written with a 'beiz' and not with a 'vav'. The Rebbe concludes with honor and with blessing by the Rebbe's secretary. 

So, he was pretty strong saying that this was a mistake in the siddur, and the Rebbe says "No, that's the correct way". This actual letter is from the Rebbe's secretary, the Rebbe looked it over, so the, uh, it's authentic, like when the Rebbe looks something over that becomes authentic, that becomes of the same value. So the Rebbe tells him that the way it's written is actually the correct way, and with a 'beiz', that's the way the Shva is. Okay.