The Munach (Hebrew: , also spelled ''Munah'' or ''Munakh''), translating to English as ''"to rest,"'' is a common
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
...
sound. In Sephardi and Oriental traditions it is often called Shofar holekh. It is marked with a
right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle of exactly 90 Degree (angle), degrees or radians corresponding to a quarter turn (geometry), turn. If a Line (mathematics)#Ray, ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the ad ...
below the corresponding word.
The munach is found in various groups, including the Katon, Etnachta, and Segol groups. One or more munachs can be followed by many different trope sounds, including
Zakef katon
Zakef Katan ( he, זָקֵף קָטָ֔ן literally 'upright small'; various romanizations), often referred to simply as ''katan'', is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The note is the a ...
,
Etnachta,
Rivia
The Rivia (, []) is a Hebrew cantillation, cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts. The Aram word ) has its Hebrew counter part Rivi'i, with other variant English spellings. Its meaning is 'the fourth'.
...
,
Zarka
Zarqa ( ar, الزرقاء) is the capital of Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. Its name means "the blue (city)". It had a population of 635,160 inhabitants in 2015, and is the most populous city in Jordan after Amman.
Geography
Zarqa is located in t ...
,
Segol
Segol (modern he, סֶגּוֹל, ; formerly , ''səḡôl'') is a Hebrew niqqud vowel sign that is represented by three dots forming an upside down equilateral triangle "ֶ ". As such, it resembles an upside down therefore sign (a becaus ...
, and
Pazer
Pazer (Hebrew: ) is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (; , it has a longer melody. In this case it may also be called ''legarmeh'' (מֻנַּח לְגַרְמֵ֣הּ׀).
Appearances
The munach has the following appearances in the following sequences:
*Katan group:
Mahpach
Mahpach (Hebrew מַהְפַּ֤ך, with variant English spellings) is a common cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. It is part of the Katan group, and it frequently begins the group. The symbol for ...
-
Pashta
Pashta (Hebrew: ) is a common Hebrew cantillation, cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. It is part of the Zakef katan, Katan group. Its mark symbol is identical to that of the Kadma (trope), Kadma.
W ...
-Munach-
Zakef katan
Zakef Katan ( he, זָקֵף קָטָ֔ן literally 'upright small'; various romanizations), often referred to simply as ''katan'', is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The note is the a ...
*Etnachta group:
Mercha
Mercha (Hebrew: , also spelled Merkha and other variant English spellings) is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books that are chanted.
Mercha is found in several trope groups, though the melody varies from one u ...
-
Tipcha
Tifcha ( he, טִפְחָ֖א, also spelled ''Tifkha'', ''Tipcha'' and other variant English spellings) is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books that are chanted. In Sephardic and Oriental traditions, it is cal ...
-Munach-
Etnachta
*Segol group: Munach-
Zarka
Zarqa ( ar, الزرقاء) is the capital of Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. Its name means "the blue (city)". It had a population of 635,160 inhabitants in 2015, and is the most populous city in Jordan after Amman.
Geography
Zarqa is located in t ...
-Munach-
Segol
Segol (modern he, סֶגּוֹל, ; formerly , ''səḡôl'') is a Hebrew niqqud vowel sign that is represented by three dots forming an upside down equilateral triangle "ֶ ". As such, it resembles an upside down therefore sign (a becaus ...
*Rivia group: Munach-Munach-
Rivia
The Rivia (, []) is a Hebrew cantillation, cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts. The Aram word ) has its Hebrew counter part Rivi'i, with other variant English spellings. Its meaning is 'the fourth'.
...
*
*Pazer/Telisha: Munach-Munach-
Pazer (sometimes)-
Telisha ketana or gedola
* When there are two Munachs before a Rivia (''legarmeh''), there is generally a vertical line
(, ) drawn between the words to indicate this.
The munach as shown is not always present in all cases.
Occasionally, in the Katon group, a second Munach will be inserted. This occurs when the words have more syllables, and cannot be accommodated by a single munach.
[Outlines of Hebrew Accentuation By A. B. Davidson, page 58]
Munach occurs in the Torah 8777 times. Legarmeh occurs 283 times.
Total occurrences
Melody
Note that the melody for trope is different in Torah, Haftarah, and Megillot. Different Jewish communities also use different Torah tropes. The following should not be considered an exhaustive list of all possible cantillations.
Katon group
Etnachta group
Rivia group
The Munach preceding another Munach before a Rivia:
The Munach immediately preceding a Rivia:
Segol group
Before a Zarka:
Before a Segol:
Telisha group
References
{{Torah reading
Cantillation marks