Pazer Explained

Pazer (Hebrew: פָּזֵר) is a cantillation mark found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books of the Hebrew Bible. The pazer is generally followed by a Telisha ketana or gedola; on rare occasions when it is followed by another Pazer.

The Pazer is used to prolong a word significantly during the reading.^[1] This places strong emphasis on the meaning of the particular word.^[2]

The Hebrew word Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּזֵר translates into English as distribute or disseminate. This relates to the high number of notes in its melody. In a mystical interpretation, it shows the distribution of divinity.^[3]

Total occurrences

Book	Number of appearances
Torah	154^[4]
Genesis	29
Exodus	29
Leviticus	27
Numbers	36
Deuteronomy	33
Nevi'im	177^[5]
Ketuvim	284

Notes and References

1. Tuning the Soul: Music As a Spiritual Process in the Teachings of Rabbi ... By Chani Haran Smith, page 29
2. Tit'haru! By Avigdor Nebentsal, page 162
3. A river flows from Eden: the language of mystical experience in the Zohar By Melila Hellner-Eshed, page 264-65
4. Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6
5. Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5