[HANASHIR:12143] Cantor Rishon??

[Cantor Brad Hyman <cantorb...>]

Wow! This is a term I have never had the displeasure of hearing before.
Cantor Rishon? Let's break it down, shall we?
-"Cantor" is of course a borrowed word, that is to say it is not Hebrew and
not entirely English, and was not heard of until Sulzer. It has a Hebrew
equivalent, which is known more exclusively to the Jews, and when used among
them, it usually tells which seminary they attended. (Explanation: A long
standing feud between JTS and HUC deals with the fact that JTS calls its
graduates "Chazzan" and refers to soloists in the Conservative movement as
"Cantor." Of course, this enrages the HUC graduates who call them selves
"Cantor," have both denotations as Cantor and "Chazzan" on their graduation
certificates, and who refer to their Reform movements' soloists as
"Cantorial Soloist" so as not to forget that they had some sort of formal
training).
-"Rishon" is pure Hebrew, implying (as others have already stated) "first,"
or "head." In the spirit of pure American "let's do whatever the heck we
want," someone has mashed these two unsuspecting words together to form a
lousy s'michut expression. Not only does it do nothing for the title it is
trying so hard to covet, it creates an air of dominance among the co-clergy.
If I have offended anyone who carries this title, please forgive me if you
can (being so close to Yom Kippur and all).  But please think about what
makes for our selves a "good name," and what is knowingly or unknowingly
fraudulent. Let's face it... no one would get on a plane with anyone who
"dabbles in flying" at the controls. We all expect to see the word "Pilot"
by their job description. In the same fashion, no one would call himself or
herself  "Rabbi" unless they have obtained s'micha...or would they? Why do
we insist on letting people call themselves "Cantor" when they have not been
through some kind of recognized study program? By employing or supporting
such behavior, we do nothing but water down the title we are trying so hard
to make significant through our good works.  When we are praying or leading
others in prayer this holiday season, please try and remember that we need
to be honest with our selves and our congregations if we are to expect the
same in return. This is not the warm fuzzy that perhaps most expect to hear
right now, but rather the cleansing medicine that tastes bad and still has
the power to heal in some way.
Shanah Tova Um'tukah,

>From The Home Office Of:
Cantor Brad Hyman
215 S. Madison Avenue #207
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 396-9612


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