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

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.