The Shalshelet () is a
cantillation
Cantillation is the ritual chanting of prayers and responses. It often specifically refers to Jewish Hebrew cantillation. Cantillation sometimes refers to diacritics used in texts that are to be chanted in liturgy.
Cantillation includes:
* Chant ...
mark found in the
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
. It is one of the rarest used, occurring just four times in the entire Torah,
in
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
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.
The Hebrew word translates into English as ''chain''.
Kabbalistic authors have held that this shows the connection of the worlds by the links of a chain.
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.
It is rendered musically by a long and elaborate string of notes, giving a strong emphasis to the word on which it occurs.
Purpose
The Shalshelet mark is said to be used for various purposes:
*In , it is used on the word ''"VaYitmah'maH"'' (''and he lingered''), when
Lot is lingering in
Sodom as it is marked for destruction, to show Lot's uncertainty.
*In , it is used on the word ''"Vayomer"'' (''and he said''), when
Abraham
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
's servant is trying to find a woman to marry Abraham's son
Isaac
Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
, to indicate the hesitation the servant shows.
*In , it is used on the word ''"VaY'maen"'' (''and he refused''), during
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
's attempted seduction by
Potiphar
Potiphar ( ; ; ) is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. His name possibly indicates the same figure as Potiphera ().
Potiphar is the captain of the guard for a pharaoh who is said to have purchased Joseph as a slave and, impressed by hi ...
's wife, to indicate Joseph's struggle against temptation.
*In , the Shalshelet is used on the word "Vayishchat" (and he slaughtered), because
Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
was slaughtering an animal in preparation for the anointment of his brother and nephews as
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
, a position he coveted for himself. He is therefore sad he was not given this honor.
[
Grammatically it is equivalent to ''segolta'', but is never preceded by a conjunctive accent or a disjunctive of a lower class. It is thus related to ''segolta'' in the same way as '' Zakef gadol'' is related to '' zakef katan'', or '']Yetiv
Yetiv () is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (; '' to '' Pashta''.
Total occurrences
The shalshelet note occurs a total of 7 times in Tanakh outside of the Sifrei Emet
The (; ) is the third and final section of the Hebrew Bible, after the ("instruction") and the "Prophets". In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually titled "Writings" or "Hagiographa".
In the Ketuvim, 1–2 Chron ...
. They are:[Weisberg, David. “The Rare Accents of the Twenty-One Books.” The Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 56, no. 4, ser. 2, 1966, p. 320]
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Additionally, the note occurs 39 times in Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
, Proverbs
A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial ...
, and Job
Work, labor (labour in Commonwealth English), occupation or job is the intentional activity people perform to support the needs and desires of themselves, other people, or organizations. In the context of economics, work can be seen as the huma ...
.
Melody
The Shalshelet has a melody similar to that of 3 Pazers.
According to Chabad tradition, it is equivalent to 2 Pazers and one Tlisha Gedolah. Rabbi Stolik of Chabad Caltech disputes this "Chabad" tradition.
It is approximately 30 notes, though this number varies depending on the word on which it is used.
External links
Site providing audio recordings of the ShalsheletMois Navon, "The Shalshelet: Mark Of Ambivelence", Jewish Thought, OU Publications, Vol.4, Num.1 (5755-6)
shalshelet is only 3 ups
References
{{Torah reading
Cantillation marks