Tag (Hebrew writing)

A tag (Aramaic: תג‎, plural tagin, תגין‎) is a decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in the Jewish scrolls of Sifrei Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzot and the Five Megillot. The Hebrew name for this Scribal feature is kether (כתר). Both tag and kether mean 'crown' in Aramaic and Hebrew respectively.

3 tagin on the ג‎.

The letters Beth, Daleth, He, Heth, Yud and Quf have one tag (Mnemonic: BeDeQ-ChaYaH בדק חיה). The letters Gimel, Zayin, Tet, Nun, Ayin, Tzadi and Shin have 3 tags (Mnemonic: Sha´ATNeZ-GaTz שעטנז גץ). In kabbalistic thought, each tagi has special significance and meaning. Some manuscripts feature embellished tagin on the top line of each column and some also on all occurrences of the Tetragrammaton other than those prefixed with a lamed (b. Seferot).

The Talmud states that tagin was originally added to the text by God at Mount Sinai, and that Rabbi Akiva would use their presence in order to derive laws.[1]

See also

References
  1. Menahot 29b
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