לבוש – 139:11 “הקורא בתורה צריך שיאחז בספר תורה בשעת ברכה וקריאה כאילו קבלו עכשיו מהר סיני” – “One who reads from the Torah should hold the Sefer Torah in his hands at the time he makes the Brocha and during the time that the Parsha is Lained, as if he is receiving the Torah at that moment.”
שלחן ערוך הרב – 494 – 8,10,11 “בעשרת הדברות יש ב' מיני נגינות” – There are two different tunes that can be used to say the Aseres Hadibros. The first tune (Ta’am Elyon) is organized based upon the Ksav, each Posuk is written based upon each of the Aseres Hadibros, each one receiving its own Posuk. The second tune (Ta’am Tachton) is organized according to the Kri, the way it is generally Lained from the Torah, and that means following all of the rules of Halacha L’Moshe Misinai regarding Krias Hatorah. As the Gemara says in Megilah 22a – “כל פסוקא דלא פסקיה משה, אנן לא פסקינן ליה” – “Any Posuk which Moshe did not divide, we may not divide it.” Therefore we cannot rearrange the Pesukim based upon the Dibros. On Shavuos, we have the Minhag to Lain with the Tzibur the Ta’am Elyon, to make each Dibbur its own Posuk, for on that very day we received the Torah, and we want to Lain the way it was given to us. (We do not need to follow the rules of the regular reading, for the purpose of this Torah reading is to reenact the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai). There are those who have the Minhag to always Lain the Aseres Hadibros with the Ta’am Elyon when read with a Tzibur, meaning on Shavuos, Parshas Yisro, and Parshas Va’eschanan. However, any time an individual reads the Aseres Hadibros, he does so using the Ta’am Tachton.
שערי תפלה – Sof HaSefer – “טעם עליון וטעם תחתון” – The term Ta’am Elyon refers to Hakodosh Boruch Hu giving over the Aseres Hadibros to Moshe Rabbeinu – this is “Elyon”. The term Ta’am Tachton refers to Moshe Rabbeinu giving over the Aseres Hadibros to Klal Yisroel.
לוח ארש – “טעם עליון” – We know that there are two readings of the Aseres Hadibros; one is called Ta’am Elyon and one is called Ta’am Tachton. It is called Ta’am Elyon because the Trop of that reading is “stronger” (more melodious), higher, while the Trop of the Ta’am Tachton has primarily weaker Trop. Additionally, the Trop of the Ta’am Elyon is mostly “above” the words, while the Trop of the Ta’am Tachton is mostly below the words.
קב הישר – 2:35 “עשרת הדברות” – The Aseres Hadibros of Parshas Yisro, in which it says, “זכור” corresponds to the day, while the Aseres Hadibros of Parshas Va’eschanan, which says, “שמור” corresponds to the night. A person has two crowns upon his head: one when his Neshama goes up to Shomayim, when he goes to sleep, and another that accompanies him when his Neshama returns to him down here in this world. This is also the reason that there are two Ta’amim for the Aseres Hadibros, one for above (Elyon) and one for below (Tachton).
Examples:
Ta’am Tachton Ta’am Elyon
אֲחֵרִִ֖ים עַּל־פ נ ָֽי׃ ג לָֹֽא־תַּעֲשֶֶׂ֨ ה לְךָ֥ פֶֶׂ֨סֶל֙ וְכ ל־תְמוּנ ָ֔ה
אֲשֶֶׁ֤ר בַּש מֶַּׂ֨יִם֙ מִמַָּ֔עַּל וַָּֽאֲשֶָ֥ר ב א ִ֖רֶץ מִת ָּ֑חַּת וַָּֽאֲשֶָ֥ר
בַּמִַּ֖יִם מִתַָּ֥חַּת ל א ָֽרֶץ׃ ד לָֹֽא־תִשְתַּחֲוֶָ֥ה ל הִֶ֖ם וְלֹֹ֣א ת ָֽע בְדֵָּ֑ם
Chapter 20 Portion of verses 2-4
Notice the last word in each pasuk has a “suf hapasuk” under it
אֲחֵרִִ֜ים עַּל־פ נַַּ֗י [ג ]לֹֹ֣א תַּעֲשֶָֽה־לְךֹ֣ פֶֹ֣סֶל ׀ וְכ ל־תְמוּנ ָ֡ה
אֲשֶֹ֣ר בַּש מַֹּ֣יִם ׀ מִמַָּ֡עַּל וַָּֽאֲשֶר֩ ב א ֶׂ֨רֶץ מִתִַּ֜ חַּת וַָּֽאֲשֶָ֥ר
בַּמַֹּ֣יִם ׀ מִתַֹּ֣חַּת ל א ַ֗רֶץ [ד ]לָֹֽא־תִשְתַּחֲוֶֹ֣ה ל הֶ ם֮ וְלֹֹ֣א ת ָֽע בְדֵם
No division by pasukim (letters ג and ד indicate where the pasuk traditionally would ends, but no “suf hapasuk” note); one long reading within one pasuk
יב לָֹ֥א תִרְ צ ִ֖ח {ס }לֹֹ֣א תִנְא ָּ֑ף {ס }לֹֹ֣א תִגְנָֹ֔ב {ס }לָֹֽא־תַּעֲנֶָ֥ה בְרֵָֽעֲךִ֖ עֵָ֥ד ש ָֽקֶר׃ {ס}
This is Chapter 20, pasuk 12. Only one “sof hapasuk” note since one verse
ז לִֹ֖א תִרְ צ ָֽח׃ {ס }ח לִֹ֖א תִנְא ָֽף׃ {ס }ט לִֹ֖א תִגְנָֹֽב׃ {ס}י לָֹֽא־תַּעֲנֶָ֥ה בְרֵָֽעֲךִ֖ עֵָ֥ד ש ָֽקֶר׃ {ס }
Four “suf hapasuk” notes; one after each Divra
