Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
This week we get a bit of a fancier note. First of all, it looks fancier! Zakeif gadol (a big zakeif) features a zakeif katon (a little zakeif) on the right and then a straight line to its left. This looks bigger than a zakeif katon, and it sounds bigger too. People sing this one lots of different ways, but it usually goes up strongly and boldly before coming down in steps. Zakeif gadol means a “big, standing up” note. You usually get a bunch in each parashah, and they give the words they are on a special feel, designed to make you pay attention. Sometimes, like in our parashah, they help structure long lists. So, when we hear about all the heads of families in the counting of Benei Yisrael, we get lots of phrases like this:
(ו) לְחֶצְרֹ֕ן מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַֽחֶצְרוֹנִ֑י
Of Hetzron, the family of Hetzronites…
This line is part of a long list of families, but the zakeif gadol is meant to help break it up and keep it special. Listen up!
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