Halakhah for Berakhot 30:29
א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא כל הקורא ק"ש ומדקדק באותיותיה מצננין לו גיהנם שנאמר (תהלים סח, טו) בפרש שדי מלכים בה תשלג בצלמון אל תקרי בפרש אלא בפרש אל תקרי בצלמון אלא בצלמות:
R. Hamma b. R. Hannina said : Whoever reads the Shema' with distinct pronunciation of its letters, Gehinnom is cooled for him ; as it is said, "When the Almighty scattereth kings therein, it snoweth in Zalmon" (Ps. Ixviii. 15). Read not bephares "[When the Almighty] scattereth," but read bepharesh "When one uttereth [the name of the Almighty] distinctly" ; and read not beZalmon "in Zalmon," but besalmawet "in the shadow of death."
Peninei Halakhah, Women's Prayer
In addition to kavana, one must pronounce the words of Shema precisely, taking care not to slur any letter, harden soft sounds, or soften hard ones. Therefore, le-khatḥila, one should distinguish between an alef and an ayin, a khaf and a ḥet, a kamatz and a pataḥ, and a tzeirei and a segol (SA 61:14-23). The Sages say, “If one recites Shema and is careful to pronounce its letters exactly, Hell is cooled for him” (Berakhot 15b). Be-di’avad, if she did not recite Shema meticulously, she nevertheless fulfilled her obligation as long as she did not miss a word or a full syllable (SA 62:1; MB 1).
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