Munach
Encyclopedia
The Munach translating to English as "to rest," is a common cantillation
sound. It is marked with a right angle
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, Etnachta
, Rivia
, Zarka
, Segol
, and Pazer
. It is normally used when the number of syllables in a phrase are so long that an extra note is required to accommodate all the syllables.
The munach is normally a short note. But when it is the first of two munachs followed by a Rivia
, it has a longer melody. In this case it may also be called legarmeh (מוּנַח לְגַרְמֵ֣הּ׀).
* 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.
Munach occurs in the Torah 8777 times. Legarmeh occurs 283 times.
The Munach immediately preceding a Rivia:
Before a Segol:
Cantillation
Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible to complement the letters and vowel points...
sound. It is marked with a right angle
Right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle that bisects the angle formed by two halves of a straight line. More precisely, if a ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the adjacent angles are equal, then they are right angles...
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, Etnachta
Etnachta
Etnachta is one of the most common cantillation marks in the Torah and Haftarah. It is the anchor for the Etnachta group, which in full consists of four different trope sounds, not all of which are always present...
, Rivia
Rivia
The Rivia is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts....
, Zarka
Zarka (trope)
Zarka is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. It is usually found together with the Segol, with a Munach preceding either or both. The symbol for a Zarka is an inverted S.Zarka is part of the Segol group...
, Segol
Segol (trope)
Segol , is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The Segol occurs together with a preceding Zarka, sometimes with a Munach preceding one or both.The Segol group is considered to be a disjunctive. It occurs in place of the Katan group or a Zakef gadol...
, and Pazer
Pazer
Pazer is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The pazer is generally followed by a Telisha ketana or gedola; on rare occasions when it is followed by another Pazer....
. It is normally used when the number of syllables in a phrase are so long that an extra note is required to accommodate all the syllables.
The munach is normally a short note. But when it is the first of two munachs followed by a Rivia
Rivia
The Rivia is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts....
, it has a longer melody. In this case it may also be called legarmeh (מוּנַח לְגַרְמֵ֣הּ׀).
Appearances
The munach has the following appearances in the following sequences:- Katan group: MahpachMahpachMahpach 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...
-PashtaPashtaPashta is a common cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. It is part of the Katan group. Its mark symbol is identical to that of the Kadma....
-Munach-Zakef katanZakef katanThe Zakef katan , 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 anchor and final one of the Katon group, which also can include the Mapach, Pashta, Munach, or Yetiv. It is one of the most... - Etnachta group: MerchaMerchaMercha is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books that are chanted.The mercha is found in several trope groups, though the melody varies from one use to the next...
-TipchaTipchaTipcha is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books that are chanted.The Tipcha is found in both the Etnachta group as the second member of that group, and in the Sof passuk group, though the melody varies slightly in each...
-Munach-EtnachtaEtnachtaEtnachta is one of the most common cantillation marks in the Torah and Haftarah. It is the anchor for the Etnachta group, which in full consists of four different trope sounds, not all of which are always present... - Segol group: Munach-ZarkaZarka (trope)Zarka is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. It is usually found together with the Segol, with a Munach preceding either or both. The symbol for a Zarka is an inverted S.Zarka is part of the Segol group...
-Munach-SegolSegol (trope)Segol , is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The Segol occurs together with a preceding Zarka, sometimes with a Munach preceding one or both.The Segol group is considered to be a disjunctive. It occurs in place of the Katan group or a Zakef gadol... - Rivia group: Munach-Munach-RiviaRiviaThe Rivia is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other biblical texts....
* - Pazer/Telisha: Munach-Munach-Pazer (sometimes)PazerPazer is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The pazer is generally followed by a Telisha ketana or gedola; on rare occasions when it is followed by another Pazer....
-Telisha ketana or gedolaTelishaTelisha is one of two cantillation marks found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. There are two versions of the Telisha: Telisha ketana and Telisha gedola , the latter of which has a longer melody and higher peak...
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.
Munach occurs in the Torah 8777 times. Legarmeh occurs 283 times.
Total occurrences
| Book | Munach | Legarmeh |
|---|---|---|
| Torah Torah Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five... |
8777 | 283 |
| Genesis | 2271 | 60 |
| Exodus | 1835 | 62 |
| Leviticus | 1270 | 45 |
| Numbers Book of Numbers The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch.... |
1748 | 60 |
| Deuteronomy | 1653 | 56 |
| Nevi'im Nevi'im Nevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:... |
8624 | 337 |
| Ketuvim Ketuvim Ketuvim or Kəṯûḇîm in actual Biblical Hebrew is the third and final section of the Tanak , after Torah and Nevi'im . In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually entitled "Writings" or "Hagiographa"... |
6150 | 203 |
Rivia group
The Munach preceding another Munach before a Rivia:The Munach immediately preceding a Rivia:
Segol group
Before a Zarka:Before a Segol: