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In Pereq קלז, the words יום ירושלים have an Oleh Veyored, but preceded by a normal Mehupach instead of the expected Galgal.

I understand that the above may be difficult to follow, so I’ll put some examples here.

Usual: עוֹלֶ֪ה וְיוֹ֫רֶ֥ד
Thus, we expect: י֪וֹם יְֽר֫וּשָׁלָ֥͏ִם.
But instead, we have: י֤וֹם יְֽר֫וּשָׁלָ֥͏ִם

With the tune I use to read Tehillim, the Galgal is a four-note rising tune, and the עולה־ויוֹ֫רֶ֥ד is a falling tune. The problem is, the grammatical functions and melodies of the first part are intricately connected with those of the latter, while the Mehuppach has no tune and a conjunctive function.

The Aleppo codex has this unexpected sequence of trope. Some modern Sefarim have this phrase apparently hypercorrected, with the trope of the word י֪וֹם being the expected Oleh.

How should I read this, cantillation-wise?

Side question: What is the grammatical function of this sequence as opposed to the expected one?

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  • Galgal and mercha have the same grammatical function: both are just regular connective trop. It just depends where on the word the note goes (like many other cases of conjunctive trop)
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented May 21 at 19:25
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    Overall this phenomenon isn't that rare: תּוֹדִיעֵנִי֮ אֹ֤רַח חַ֫יִּ֥ים or שָׁ֤וְא׀ יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת־רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ or חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלָ֫ל אָ֥נִי or מִ֤י ה֣וּא זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד so estimate once every 5 chapters tehillim?
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented May 21 at 20:17
  • @DoubleAA interesting. Many of the siddurim I use has all those examples with a galgal. I wonder why.
    – Qwertrl
    Commented May 21 at 20:44
  • The galgal-like symbol before oleh veyored is called atnaḥ hafukh. Additionally, the atnaḥ hafukh is not the "oleh" of oleh veyored, but a separate trope (the "oleh" is the symbol above on ר in your example [although it's usually over the ש, as שָ is an open syllable]).
    – magicker72
    Commented May 21 at 21:39
  • The conjuctive before oleh veyored can be a mehuppakh (when the accent is word-initial), an etnaḥ hafukh (when not), or a merkha (when a revi'a qatan precedes — only 5 such cases).
    – magicker72
    Commented May 21 at 21:41

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I don't know which tradition you use to read. But I have a book of Psalms put out by a very prominent Syrian community in Brooklyn. The book itself mentioned something quite surprising to me. They now know that their traditional way of reciting psalms is not always correct according to the Aleppo codex. In the introduction to this book they say the following:

"In general, the nekudot and te'amim....follow the as they appear in the Tanach compiled by Rabbi Modechai Breuer of Yerushalayim, which is based on keter Aram Soba. In numerous instances, however, the custom of the American-Haleb community is to read a word not as it appears in Rabbi Breuer's Tanakh... but as it appears in other contemporary editions of Tanakh....in rare instances our custom is not in agreement with any contemporary editions, but with editions of Tanakh published in earlier generations."

This book is called Tehillim Magen Abraham and your pasuq in question is rendered as you put it: י֤וֹם יְֽר֫וּשָׁלָ֥͏ִם

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  • Thank you. I checked the Aleppo; it’s the same there.
    – Qwertrl
    Commented May 21 at 21:04

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