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I have read about the Dagesh Forte and how it doubles a letter in Tanach.
For example, הָלֵּלוּ has a dagesh forte in the לֵּ.
If this dagesh was not there would there really be two ל instead?
Also does the dagesh change the way you pronounce the ל when learning Torah and praying?
A Dagesh Forte indicates the consonant is to be geminated. If you want to call that "doubling" go ahead.
Yes, the pronunciation of a consonant that is marked with a dagesh hazak is doubled, so you read it as closing the previous syllable and then starting the next syllable.
This comes up in the daily mitzvah of reading Shma:
Mishneh Torah, Sefer Ahavah, Hilkhot Kriat Shma 2:9:
כיצד מדקדק--ייזהר שלא ירפה החזק, ולא יחזק הרפה
How do you [implement the requirement to] be precise [in reading the Shma]? You take care not to pronounce [a letter] marked [by a dagesh] as [if it were] not marked [by a dagesh] and to not pronounce an unmarked [letter] as if it were marked.
