[HANASHIR:3001] Re: High Holiday music

[Daniel A. Singer <dasinger...>]

Amen, Rosalind!

At 01:43 PM 5/23/99 EDT, you wrote:
>Folks...
>
>I too appreciate the diversity of this list, as I do appreciate the
diversity 
>within the Jewish community and pray everyday that Jews everywhere should 
>learn to get along...
>
>I was, however, hurt by some of the responses to the YK H20 queery.
>
>It's important to remember that there is no one right way to be Jewish, or 
>the right way to be a shaliach tzibbur, as if Hashem grants favor to the
ones 
>who do things halakhically over ones who choose to modify their observance.  
>(And anyway we all have different theologies and understandings of the 
>Divine.)
>
>Halakha is a rabbinic system in which the rabbis grappled with teachings of 
>various generations of Jewish practice so as to instruct Jews on the proper 
>way to live and worship.  Contemporary Judaism strives to find a balance 
>among tradition, contemporary Jewish scholarship and the reality of life in 
>our generation.  (As we Reconstructionists say, tradition has a vote, not a 
>veto!)
>
>I am sure that few of the Jews on this list lead perfectly halkakhic lives, 
>in fact I doubt that any of us do, as most of us practice some form of 
>liberal Judaism--otherwise forget guitars at shul on Shabbat, forget new 
>melodies and forget adaptations in liturgy.  
>
>If some of us choose to drink water on Yom Kippur that is a personal
choice.  
>When I asked my question it was to find out what works best for folks, not
to 
>get slapped in the face for opening the door to what I think is a very 
>important discussion.  
>
>We should all be careful, especially as leaders, not to impose our own 
>religious attitudes on others, congregants etc., lest we become dogmatic and 
>closed minded and unconsciously caouse our constituents to leave our shuls. 
>(Remember that the remaking of the American shul, which began in the 60's
and 
>70's with the chavurah movement brought a lot of us back to Judaism!)
>
>Our tone and attitude is also important in regard to respect for our 
>colleageal relationships.
>Sometimes email makes expressing our proclivities in an imposing way too
darn 
>easy. Convenience and expediency is not worth the consequences being glib.  
>So, I suggest we all think twice about the tone of our emails before sending 
>them.
>
>Thank you.
>Rosalind Glazer
>Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
>
>


***********************************************************************
Daniel A. Singer        H: (810) 603-0860  W: (810) 238-1350 ext. 4253
9102  Thornridge Dr.    Flint Institute of Music, Voice Chairman
Grand Blanc, MI 48439   Bass Voice, Guitar, Cantorial Soloist
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"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
         If I am for myself alone, who am I?
                           If not now, when?"
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