November 18, 2019 ~
אֶת־פְּאַת־קֵ֣דְמָה אַלְפַּ֪יִם בָּֽאַמָּ֟ה - The Yerah Ben Yomo and Qarnei Fara are a pair of two rare cantillation notes found only once in the Torah (Numbers 35:5), and only 15 other times in the Tanakh (excluding Tehillim, Mishlei and Iyob where they appear often). The Yerah Ben Yomo, translated as "day old moon" is a note that resembles an upside down Atnah, but instead of acting like a stop (ta'am mafsiq), it serves as a conjunctive (ta'am mehaber). The Qarnei Fara, translated as "cow horns" and which looks like a Talsa adjacent to a Talsha, acts like a Pazer, a note that often appears before the Gerish or Shenei Gerishin. The melody of the Yerah Ben Yomo is similar to a Shofar Holekh, whereas the melody of the Qarnei Fara is similar to a Pazer. Based on the context of Numbers 35:5 (discussing Levite land allotment), commentators provide no explanation for the usage of these rare cantillation notes. Tiqqun Highlights, Beth Torah Bulletin, August 3, 2019.
