The Munach (, also spelled Munah or Munakh), translating to English as "to rest," is a common cantillation sound. In Sephardi and Oriental traditions it is often called Shofar holekh. It is marked with a right angle below the corresponding word.The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot ... By Marshall Portnoy, Josée Wolff, page 26
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 is so great that an extra note is required to accommodate all the syllables.Outlines of Hebrew Accentuation By A. B. Davidson, page 39
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 ().
Appearances The munach has the following appearances in the following sequences:
Katan group: Mahpach-Pashta-Munach-Zakef katan Etnachta group: Mercha-Tipcha-Munach-Etnachta Segol group: Munach-Zarka-Munach-Segol Rivia group: Munach-Munach-Rivia * Pazer/Telisha: Munach-Munach-Pazer (sometimes)-Telisha ketana or gedola
* 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.Outlines of Hebrew Accentuation By A. B. Davidson, page 58
Munach occurs in the Torah 8777 times. Legarmeh occurs 283 times.
Total occurrences BookMunachLegarmehTorah8777Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6283 Genesis227160 Exodus183562 Leviticus127045 Numbers174860 Deuteronomy165356Nevi'im8624Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5337Ketuvim6150203
Melody Note that the melody for trope is different in Torah, Haftarah, and Megillot. Different Jewish communities also use different Torah tropes. The following should not be considered an exhaustive list of all possible cantillations.
Katon group
Etnachta group
Rivia group The Munach preceding another Munach before a Rivia:
The Munach immediately preceding a Rivia:
Segol group Before a Zarka: Before a Segol:
Telisha group
References