Telisha

Telisha (Hebrew: תְּלִישָא) 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.[1]

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.[2] The Telisha ketana occurs 451 times.[3]

Total occurrences

Book	Telisha ketana	Telisha gedola
Torah	451[3]	266[3]
Genesis	92[3]	51[3]
Exodus	87[3]	42[3]
Leviticus	71[3]	56[3]
Numbers	88[3]	50[3]
Deuteronomy	113[3]	67[3]
Nevi'im	413[4]	238[4]
Ketuvim	350[4]	335[4]

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

References

1. A compendious grammar of the Hebrew language By G. F. R. Weidemann, page 49
2. Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 241
3. Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6
4. Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5