Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Te’amim
טעמים
The cantillation notes (te’amim)
The cantillation notes of the Written Torah, its song and melody, drawn from the supernal delight; the highest of the four levels te’amim, nekudos, tagin, osiyos.
The word טעם / טעמים also means “taste” (of food, as in חיך אוכל יטעם) and “reason” (טעמי המצות, the reasons of the Talmud, “above reason,” למעלה מן הטעם). The cantillation notes are meant when the word stands beside nekudos, tagin and osiyos (טנת״א), names the notes (זרקא מקף שופר), or is called song and melody. The text itself plays on the senses: Shir HaShirim 1:5 links the notes to “good taste and sweetness.”
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1, ¶5The te’amim (zarka, makaf, shofar) are the “song” of the Torah. Like letters they are drawings-down, but from the supernal delight, above even Chochmah Ila’ah, and from there they clothe themselves in Chochmah Ila’ah; ta’am also means good taste and sweetness. The melodies are a drawing of sovev kol almin itself.
והיינו שהם אותיות והמשכות תענוג עליון מבחי׳ שעשוע המלך בעצמותו
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶12Te’amim, nekudos, tagin and osiyos correspond to the four Names Av, Sag, Mah and Ban; te’amim are the Name Av, Chochmah of Atzilus, “the palate that tastes.” As one delights in tasting sweet food, in the te’amim of Chochmah there is a revelation of Atik.
כנודע שיש ד׳ בחי׳ טנת״א כנגד ד׳ שמות ע״ב ס״ג מ״ה ב״ן
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 5, ¶10The te’amim are song and melody, from great joy and delight. They are in the Written Torah and not in the Oral Torah, which gives no explanation of what this song is; the Oral Torah explains the mitzvos and their root (with LT Emor 5:9: this is what the Written Torah has that the Oral Torah lacks).
שהטעמים הן בבחי׳ שיר וניגון לנגן בשירה וזמרה מרוב שמחה ותענוג
- Likkutei Torah, Vezos Haberachah 3, ¶2The Written Torah is Chochmah; the Oral Torah reveals only its outer aspect, the body of the mitzvos. Its inner aspect, the te’amim, nekudos, tagin and osiyos, does not come to revelation in the Oral Torah at all.
אבל פנימית תשב״כ שהם טנת״א אינם באים לידי גילוי כלל
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2, ¶7In a person’s service, te’amim are the melody and delight (sha’ashuim) in the study of Torah, “at night His song is with me.” Without them, even one whose prayer reveals G‑dliness has only a small point above the letters, shining on him from without, not clothed within (with TO Miketz 2:8: the te’amim draw a new love from above, which lasts when the feelings of prayer fade).
אינו בבחי׳ טעמים שהם בחי׳ הנגון ושעשועים הנ״ל כ״א בבחי׳ נקודה ברישי אתוון
Stated differently
Which Sefirah the te’amim are in, among the four levels te’amim, nekudos, tagin, osiyos
טעמים בחכמה ונקודות בבינה ותגין בז״א ואותיות במלכותTe’amim are in Chochmah, nekudos in Binah, tagin in Z”A, osiyos in Malchus (so too TO Vayechi 5:12, TO Shemot 4:12 and LT Shir HaShirim 25:8).
ובענין טנת״א הטעמים בכתר ונקודות בחכמהTe’amim are in Keser and nekudos in Chochmah; the world of Akudim is the level of te’amim, and Tohu comes from Nekudim.
מבחי׳ תענוג עליון בחי׳ כי עמך מקור חיים מה שלמעלה אפי׳ מבחי׳ ח״עThe te’amim are letters of the supernal delight, above even Chochmah Ila’ah, which from there clothe themselves in Chochmah Ila’ah.
Whether the Oral Torah has the level of te’amim
שהטעמים אלו הם בתשב״כ ולא בתשבע״פCiting “at night His song is with me,” the te’amim are in the Written Torah, not in the Oral Torah, which has no explanation of them (so too LT V’Zot HaBerachah 3:2).
והנה בתורה יש בחי׳ טנת״א ובחי׳ טעמים שבתורה שבע״פ הוא כמ״שCiting the same verse, it speaks of “the level of te’amim in the Oral Torah,” the song and melody, which the following paragraphs place in the study of Torah.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Emor 5, ¶9Likkutei Torah, Emor 5, ¶10Likkutei Torah, Vezos Haberachah 3, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2, ¶2Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5, ¶12Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2, ¶7Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2, ¶8
Where it appears
In 136 paragraphs of 89 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 11 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 8 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶5 ¶6 ¶8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶21 ¶24 ¶38 ¶49
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 1 ¶5 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶2 ¶3 ¶5 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Korach 1 ¶42
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 25 ¶8 ¶9 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 3 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3 ¶3 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2 ¶1 ¶2 ¶7 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayakhel 1 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19 ¶2 ¶4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶2 ¶15 ¶17 ¶22
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 6 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 5 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 2 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶7 ¶11 ¶15 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶12 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 3 ¶5 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 5 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶7 ¶9 ¶31 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶4 ¶25 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶7 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 5 ¶10 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 5 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 4 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1 ¶19 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 12 ¶5 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 3 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 4 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 2 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 5 ¶3 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 9 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 13 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶31 ¶32 ¶33
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 2 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 4 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Bo 2 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Noach 2 ¶2 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶19 ¶23
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 3 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 5 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 1 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 11 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 6 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 9 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 3 ¶11 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶17
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.