Shalshelet: Music with a deep message
Words have the power to express ideas. But, as expressive as words can be, they can sometimes be limiting. Often, music can give soul and meaning to ideas that words cannot.
This concept is also true with respect to the trop (melody or cantillation) used to read the Torah. The tune actually acts as a commentary on the text itself.
The highest and most prolonged trop is called the shalshelet. The word shalshelet is from the word shalosh (three). The sound of this cantillation curves upward and then down three successive times. Commentators suggest that a shalshelet indicates a feeling of hesitation by a character in the text.
For example, in Parashat Vayeshev, when Mrs. Potiphar attempts to seduce Joseph, Joseph refuses: “Va’yema’en” (Genesis 39:8). Although he says no, Joseph may momentarily have considered giving in to temptation, thus hesitating on the language of refusal. The word va’yema’en is read with the shalshelet trop.
Similarly, in Parashat Vayera, the angels instruct Lot and his family to leave Sodom. The Torah tells us that Lot lingered: “Va’yitmahmah” (19:16). After all, Lot and his family were leaving their home, which could not have been easy. And so, even as they left, they hesitated. In the end, Lot’s wife looks back and is overtaken by the brimstone and fire, turning into a pillar of salt. Atop va’yitmahmah is the shalshelet, a trop that itself forces readers to linger on the word.
Parashat Chayei Sarah, however, contains a shalshelet with a less obvious rationale. Eliezer, Abraham’s steward, is at the well, seeking a wife for his master’s son, Isaac. The Torah states, “And he said [va’yomar],” the woman who will not only give me water, but also give my camels to drink is kind and hence suitable for Isaac. Rebecca passes this test (24:12–15). Atop the word va’yomar is the shalshelet. One wonders why. What type of hesitation takes place in this moment?
Perhaps, as some suggest, deep down, Eliezer did hesitate. In his heart of hearts, he may not have wanted to succeed. Failure would mean Isaac would not marry, and Eliezer, as the closest aide to Abraham, would be the next in line to carry on the covenant. Alternatively, as the Midrash suggests, Eliezer may have hoped that Isaac would end up marrying Eliezer’s own daughter (Bereishit Rabbah 59:9). Either way, lack of success on this mission could have personally benefitted Eliezer.
No wonder Eliezer’s name never appears in the chapter. When he identifies himself to Rebecca’s family, Eliezer declares, “Eved Avraham anochi” (I am Abraham’s servant; 24:34). It is extraordinary that Eliezer does not identify himself by name, privileging his role in Abraham’s family above his personal identity. But this omission makes sense, as Eliezer works selflessly for Abraham, even at the risk of sacrificing his own personal gain.
Most often, when people become involved in an endeavor, they ask, “What’s in it for me?” Eliezer may have asked this most human question, but the message of the shalshelet is clear. There are times when we are called upon to complete tasks that may not be in our best self-interest, but we nonetheless must do them. In a world of selfishness, this musical note teaches the importance of selflessness.
Interestingly, the shalshelet looks like a crooked line that begins on the ground and reaches upward. Its shape reminds us that personal feelings are real and human, coming from our inner, deeper selves. When a given action is not in our best interest, hesitation is understandable. But the shalshelet also teaches that we should do all we can to abandon those natural human inclinations, as Eliezer does, and reach high, beyond ourselves, to do what is right. Then we will be able to reach the heavens.
Candle lighting:
Chayei Sarah parsha
November 10 at 5:17 p.m.