shalshelet | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
cantillation | |||||||
Sof passuk | ׃ | paseq | ׀ | ||||
etnakhta/atnakh | ֑ | segol | ֒ | ||||
shalshelet | ֓ | zaqef qaton | ֔ | ||||
zaqef gadol | ֕ | tifcha/tarkha | ֖ | ||||
rivia/ravia’ | ֗ | zarqa | ֘ | ||||
pashta | ֙ | yetiv | ֚ | ||||
tevir | ֛ | geresh/gerish | ֜ | ||||
geresh muqdam | ֝ | gershayim/shenei gerishin | ֞ | ||||
karnei pharah | ֟ | telisha gedola/talsha | ֠ | ||||
pazer (gadol) | ֡ | atnah hafukh | ֢ | ||||
munakh/shofar holekh | ֣ | mahapakh/shofar mehupakh | ֤ | ||||
merkha/ma’arikh | ֥ | merkha kefula/terei ta’amei | ֦ | ||||
darga | ֧ | qadma | ֨ | ||||
telisha qetana/tarsa | ֩ | yerah ben yomo | ֪ | ||||
ole | ֫ | illuy | ֬ | ||||
dehi | ֭ | zinor | ֮ | ||||
The Shalshelet (Hebrew: שַלְשֶלֶת) is a cantillation mark found in the Torah. It is one of the rarest used, occurring just four times in the entire Torah,[1] in Genesis 19:16, 24:12, and 39:8, and in Leviticus 8:23. The four words accented with the shalshelet mark all occur at the beginning of the verse.[2]
The Hebrew word שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת translates into English as chain.[3] Kabbalistic authors have held that this shows the connection of the worlds by the links of a chain.[4][5] The symbolism of the Shalshelet is that the subject of the story is wrestling with his inner demons and is undergoing some hesitation in his actions.[6][7]
It is rendered musically by a long and elaborate string of notes, giving a strong emphasis to the word on which it occurs.