Shalshelet
{{Short description|Cantillation mark found in the Torah}}
{{Hebrew cantillation|name_en=shalshelet|name_he=שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת|smbl=֓|smpl=וַיֹּאמַ֓ר}}
The Shalshelet ({{langx|he|שַלְשֶלֶת}}) is a cantillation mark found in the Torah. It is one of the rarest used, occurring just four times in the entire Torah,{{cite book|title=Chanting the Hebrew Bible|author=Jacobson, J.R.|date=2005|publisher=Jewish Publication Society|isbn=9780827610484|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cAhkCXAEy6kC|page=60|accessdate=2015-04-08|edition=Student }} 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.{{cite book|title=The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary|author1=Kelley, P.H.|author2=Mynatt, D.S.|author3=Crawford, T.G.|date=1998|publisher=Eerdmans Publishing Company|isbn=9780802843630|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh6OHYcIZgkC|page=147|accessdate=2015-04-08}}
The Hebrew word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת}} translates into English as chain.{{cite book|title=Circle in the Square: Studies in the Use of Gender in Kabbalistic Symbolism|author=Wolfson, E.R.|date=1995|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=9780791424056|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eCQeKubRziYC|page=211|accessdate=2015-04-08}} Kabbalistic authors have held that this shows the connection of the worlds by the links of a chain.{{cite book|title=Understanding the Tanya: Volume Three in the Definitive Commentary on a Classic Work of Kabbalah by the World's Foremost Authority|author=Steinsaltz, R.A.|date=2007|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780787988265|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ylvMsMBvPbEC|page=302|accessdate=2015-04-08}}{{cite book|title=The Kabbalah Handbook: A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism|author=Samuel, G.|date=2007|publisher=Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin|isbn=9781585425600|url=https://archive.org/details/kabbala_sam_2007_00_6707|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/kabbala_sam_2007_00_6707/page/2 2]–327|accessdate=2015-04-08}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://jewishboston.com/Dan-Brosgol/blogs/1108-under-duress-in-vayeshev-the-shalshelet|title=Under Duress in VaYeshev: The Shalshelet | Jewish Boston Blogs|publisher=jewishboston.com|accessdate=2015-04-08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2498494/jewish/On-Not-Trying-to-Be-What-You-Are-Not.htm|title=On Not Trying to Be What You Are Not - Covenant & Conversation - Parsha|publisher=chabad.org|accessdate=2015-04-08}}
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 {{bibleverse||Genesis|19:16|HE}}, 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.{{cite book|title=The Jewish Religion: A Companion|author=Jacobs, L.|date=1995|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780198264637|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l1u-_VMDM80C|page=65|accessdate=2015-04-08}}{{cite book|title=The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions|author=Goldstein, E.|date=2008|publisher=Jewish Lights Publishing|isbn=9781580233705|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Z1TeANpQ4wC|page=64|accessdate=2015-04-08}}
- In {{bibleverse||Genesis|24:12|HE}}, it is used on the word "Vayomer" (and he said), when Abraham's servant is trying to find a woman to marry Abraham's son Isaac, to indicate the hesitation the servant shows.{{cite book|title=A Taste of Torah: An Introduction to Thirteen Challenging Bible Stories|author=Isaacs, R.H.|date=2006|publisher=URJ Press|isbn=9780807408131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liBaiHoL8e4C|page=73|accessdate=2015-04-08}}
- In {{bibleverse||Genesis|39:8|HE}}, it is used on the word "VaY'maen" (and he refused), during Joseph's attempted seduction by Potiphar's wife, to indicate Joseph's struggle against temptation.{{cite book|title=Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History|author=Telushkin, J.|date=1991|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=9780688085063|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yzewmitzYgEC|page=24|accessdate=2015-04-08}}
- In {{bibleverse||Leviticus|8:23|HE}}, the Shalshelet is used on the word "Vayishchat" (and he slaughtered), because Moses was slaughtering an animal in preparation for the anointment of his brother and nephews as priests, 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 to Pashta.
Total occurrences
| class="wikitable"
!Book !Number of appearances |
| Torah |
| Genesis |
| Exodus |
| Leviticus |
| Numbers |
| Deuteronomy |
| Nevi'im |
| Ketuvim |
The shalshelet note occurs a total of 7 times in Tanakh outside of the Sifrei Emet. 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
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|ויתמהמה}} {{bibleverse||Genesis|19:16|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|ויאמר}} {{bibleverse||Genesis|24:12|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|וימאן}} {{bibleverse||Genesis|39:8|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|וישחט}} {{bibleverse||Leviticus|8:23|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|ונבהלו}} {{bibleverse||Isaiah|13:8|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|ויאמר}} {{bibleverse||Amos|1:2|HE}}
- {{lang|he|rtl=yes|ואמר-לה}} {{bibleverse||Ezra|5:15|HE}}
Additionally, the note occurs{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 39 times in Psalms, Proverbs, and Job.
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
- [http://www.ellietorah.com/rare.html Site providing audio recordings of the Shalshelet]
- [http://www.divreinavon.com/pdf/Shalshelet1.pdf Mois Navon, "The Shalshelet: Mark Of Ambivelence", Jewish Thought, OU Publications, Vol.4, Num.1 (5755-6)] shalshelet is only 3 ups