"In ancient days it was customary to study and recite poetry, prayers, and laws with the aid of melody. For through the medium of melody, the meaning of the word became clearer and the text itself was more easily remembered.
"Moses admonishes the Children of Israel in Deut. 31:19: "Write ye this song for you and teach it." All reading and study of the Torah among Jews, and later the Koran among Mohammedans, were done with a speech melody, known as cantillation. This cantillation is today read with the aid of ancient neumes or musically endowed signs known amongst Jews as: neginoth ([נגינות]); t'a-amin ([טעמים]); t'a-ame haneginoth ([טעמי-הנגינות]) neimoth ([נעימות]) as well as accents and tropes.
"Neginoth, from the word nigun ([ניגון]) meaning tune; t'a-main, from the word ta-am ([טעם]) meaning sense (revealing the sense of the word); neimoth from the word na-im ([נעים]) meaning sweet (adding sweetness to the words of the Torah). Neimoth has also been traced to the Greek word "Neume" meaning musical sign.
...
"When expertly chanted, the whole strikes one with its singular effectiveness in making clearer the meaning of the text and impressing it on the mind of the listener. The most reliable specimens of traditional cantillation afford us a fair idea of the character of Jewish chanting in Biblical days."
- Biblical Chant, A.W. Binder
"Moses admonishes the Children of Israel in Deut. 31:19: "Write ye this song for you and teach it." All reading and study of the Torah among Jews, and later the Koran among Mohammedans, were done with a speech melody, known as cantillation. This cantillation is today read with the aid of ancient neumes or musically endowed signs known amongst Jews as: neginoth ([נגינות]); t'a-amin ([טעמים]); t'a-ame haneginoth ([טעמי-הנגינות]) neimoth ([נעימות]) as well as accents and tropes.
"Neginoth, from the word nigun ([ניגון]) meaning tune; t'a-main, from the word ta-am ([טעם]) meaning sense (revealing the sense of the word); neimoth from the word na-im ([נעים]) meaning sweet (adding sweetness to the words of the Torah). Neimoth has also been traced to the Greek word "Neume" meaning musical sign.
...
"When expertly chanted, the whole strikes one with its singular effectiveness in making clearer the meaning of the text and impressing it on the mind of the listener. The most reliable specimens of traditional cantillation afford us a fair idea of the character of Jewish chanting in Biblical days."
- Biblical Chant, A.W. Binder
דָּרֵשׁ רָבָא, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיוֹתֵר שֶׁהָיָה קֹהֶלֶת חָכָם עוֹד לִימַּד דַּעַת אֶת הָעָם [וְ]אִיזֵּן וְחִקֵּר תִּיקֵּן מְשָׁלִים הַרְבֵּה״. ״לִימַּד דַּעַת אֶת הָעָם״ — דְּאַגְמְרַיהּ בְּסִימָנֵי טְעָמִים, וְאַסְבְּרַהּ בְּמַאי דְּדָמֵי לַיהּ.
Rava also taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And besides being wise, Koheleth also taught the people knowledge; and he weighed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs” (Ecclesiastes 12:9). Rava interpreted homiletically: He taught the people knowledge, meaning he taught it with the accentuation marks in the Torah, and he explained each matter by means of something similar to it.
כל פירוש שאיננו על פירוש הטעמים לא תאבה לו ולא תשמע לו.
All interpretations which are not according to the logic of the cantillation -- do not follow or listen to them.
Abraham Ibn Ezra: Moznaim, Offibach: 1791. pg. 4.
Abraham Ibn Ezra: Moznaim, Offibach: 1791. pg. 4.
Through the practice of chant, I engage in the kind of soulful, wholehearted, embodied text study that fulfills the expectation that the lessons of Torah will be applied to life. Through chant, I am studying with all my heart, with all the strength and grace of my body, as well as with my intellect. Then the perfection of God's Torah can truly restore me to wholeness.
The Magic of Hebrew Chant, Rabbi Shefa Gold
The Magic of Hebrew Chant, Rabbi Shefa Gold
(א) וַיֵּאָסְפ֤וּ כׇל־הָעָם֙ כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֔ד אֶל־הָ֣רְח֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֖ר לִפְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַמָּ֑יִם וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ לְעֶזְרָ֣א הַסֹּפֵ֔ר לְהָבִ֗יא אֶת־סֵ֙פֶר֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יי אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ב) וַיָּבִ֣יא עֶזְרָ֣א הַ֠כֹּהֵ֠ן אֶֽת־הַתּוֹרָ֞ה לִפְנֵ֤י הַקָּהָל֙ מֵאִ֣ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה וְכֹ֖ל מֵבִ֣ין לִשְׁמֹ֑עַ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָ֖ד לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃ (ג) וַיִּקְרָא־בוֹ֩ לִפְנֵ֨י הָרְח֜וֹב אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ לִפְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַמַּ֗יִם מִן־הָאוֹר֙ עַד־מַחֲצִ֣ית הַיּ֔וֹם נֶ֛גֶד הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְהַמְּבִינִ֑ים וְאׇזְנֵ֥י כׇל־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־סֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָֽה׃
...(ה) וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח עֶזְרָ֤א הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙ לְעֵינֵ֣י כׇל־הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־מֵעַ֥ל כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם הָיָ֑ה וּכְפִתְח֖וֹ עָֽמְד֥וּ כׇל־הָעָֽם׃
...
(ח) וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ בַסֵּ֛פֶר בְּתוֹרַ֥ת הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים מְפֹרָ֑שׁ וְשׂ֣וֹם שֶׂ֔כֶל וַיָּבִ֖ינוּ בַּמִּקְרָֽא׃ {פ}
...(ה) וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח עֶזְרָ֤א הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙ לְעֵינֵ֣י כׇל־הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־מֵעַ֥ל כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם הָיָ֑ה וּכְפִתְח֖וֹ עָֽמְד֥וּ כׇל־הָעָֽם׃
...
(ח) וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ בַסֵּ֛פֶר בְּתוֹרַ֥ת הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים מְפֹרָ֑שׁ וְשׂ֣וֹם שֶׂ֔כֶל וַיָּבִ֖ינוּ בַּמִּקְרָֽא׃ {פ}
(1) The entire nation assembled as one in the square before the Water Gate; they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Teaching of Moses which the LORD had bestowed upon Israel. (2) On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the congregation, men and women and all who could listen with understanding. (3) He read from it, facing the square in front of the Water Gate, from the first light until midday, to the men and the women and those who could understand; all the people turned their ears to the Torah Scroll...
(5) Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up...
(8) They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.
(5) Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up...
(8) They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.
דְּאָמַר רַב אִיקָא בַּר אָבִין אָמַר רַב חֲנַנְאֵל אָמַר רַב: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וַיִּקְרְאוּ בַסֵּפֶר בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹקִים מְפֹרָשׁ וְשׂוֹם שֶׂכֶל וַיָּבִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָא.״
״וַיִּקְרְאוּ בַסֵּפֶר בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים״ — זֶה מִקְרָא,
״מְפֹרָשׁ״ — זֶה תַּרְגּוּם,
״וְשׂוֹם שֶׂכֶל״ — אֵלּוּ הַפְּסוּקִים,
״וַיָּבִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָא״ — זֶה פִּיסּוּק טְעָמִים.
וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: אֵלּוּ הַמְּסוֹרוֹת.
״וַיִּקְרְאוּ בַסֵּפֶר בְּתוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים״ — זֶה מִקְרָא,
״מְפֹרָשׁ״ — זֶה תַּרְגּוּם,
״וְשׂוֹם שֶׂכֶל״ — אֵלּוּ הַפְּסוּקִים,
״וַיָּבִינוּ בַּמִּקְרָא״ — זֶה פִּיסּוּק טְעָמִים.
וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: אֵלּוּ הַמְּסוֹרוֹת.
This is as Rav Ika bar Avin said that Rav Ḥananel said that Rav said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And they read in the book, in the Torah of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8)? The Gemara explains: “They read in the book, in the Torah of God”; that is the Bible. “Distinctly”; that is the Aramaic translation. “And they gave the sense”; these are the division into verses. “And caused them to understand the reading”; this is punctuation of the text with cantillation notes, which facilitate the understanding of the verses. And some say: These are the traditions that determine the proper vocalization of the Bible. Rav holds that the cantillation notes are an integral part of Torah study.