Shalshelet

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, 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.

shalshelet
שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת ֓ וַיֹּאמַ֓ר
cantillation
Sof passuk׃  paseq׀
etnakhta/atnakh֑  segol֒
shalshelet֓  zaqef qaton֔
zaqef gadol֕  tifcha/tarkha֖
rivia/ravia’֗  zarqa֘
pashta֙  yetiv֚
tevir֛  geresh/gerish֜
geresh muqdam֝  gershayim/shenei gerishin֞
karnei pharah֟  telisha gedola/talsha֠
pazer (gadol)֡  atnah hafukh֢
munakh/shofar holekh֣  mahapakh/shofar mehupakh֤
merkha/ma’arikh֥  merkha kefula/terei ta’amei֦
darga֧  qadma֨
telisha qetana/tarsa֩  yerah ben yomo֪
ole֫  illuy֬
dehi֭  zinor֮

The Hebrew word שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת translates into English as chain. 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.

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