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מִקֶּ֟דֶם

קַרְנֵי פָרָה Karne Parah

Disjunctive · Once in the Torah

What it does

Karne Parah, sometimes called Pazer Gadol, is the strongest and rarest version of Pazer. It introduces an especially long, elaborate phrase, strong enough to warrant its own special name.

Where it appears

Only once in the entire Torah: Bamidbar 35:5, in the description of the boundaries of the Levite cities. The single appearance is so unusual that this trope has a small mystique attached to it among learners.

How to remember it

The name means "horns of a cow." Look at the mark and you'll see why: two curved hooks above the letter, splayed outward like a cow's horns. Once you've seen it once, you've seen it everywhere it appears in the Torah.

Example from the Torah

וּמַדֹּתֶ֞ם מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֗יר אֶת־פְּאַת־ קֵ֠דְמָה אַלְפַּ֨יִם בָּאַמָּ֜ה

Bamidbar 35:5

Karne Parah in Bamidbar 35:5 introduces a complex measurement-heavy description of the Levite city boundaries. The unusual trope flags the unusual content.

Hear the melody

A synthesized rendering of the melodic shape, not a vocal recording. For a baal koreh's voice on a full aliyah, PocketTorah is a great free resource.

Hand signal (simanim)

See the gabbai hand signal for Karne Parah →

Often confused with

פָּזֵר Pazer

Karne Parah is essentially Pazer with two hooks instead of one. Same function (introducing ornate phrase), but stronger and reserved for this single appearance.