Telisha () is a cantillation mark found in the
Torah,
Haftarah, and other books of the
Hebrew Bible. There are two versions of the Telisha:
Telisha ketana (תְּלִישָא קְטַנָּה) and
Telisha gedola (תְּלִישָא גְּדוֹלָה), the latter of which has a longer melody. The Telisha trope can occur independently or can follow a
Pazer or one of several other trope sounds. The Telisha ketana must be followed by a Kadma.
[A compendious grammar of the Hebrew language By G. F. R. Weidemann, page 49]
The Hebrew word תְּלִישָא translates into English as detached. This is because they are never linked to the following note as a single phrase. קְטַנָּה refers to little (the shorter note) and גְדוֹלָה to great (the longer note).
The Telisha gedola can be found in the Torah 266 times.[Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 241] The Telisha ketana occurs 451 times.
Total occurrences
|
| Torah | 451[Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6] | 266 |
| Genesis | 92 | 51 |
| Exodus | 87 | 42 |
| Leviticus | 71 | 56 |
| Numbers | 88 | 50 |
| Deuteronomy | 113 | 67 |
| Nevi'im | 413[Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5] | 238 |
| Ketuvim | 350 | 335 |
Melody
While the names "Telisha Ketana" and "Telisha Gedola" are 6 syllables each, they are usually applied to words with far fewer syllables, often just one. In one-syllable words, only the notes leading to and from the peak are included. In multiple-syllable words, the additional syllables are recited at the level of the first note leading to the peak.
Telisha Ketana
Telisha Gedola
