[HANASHIR:4665] Rabbi Yoffie's comments about music

[Rachelle and Howard Shubert <notfranz...>]

 Someone on this list who missed seeing Rabbi Yoffie's talk asked for a copy.  
I had already copied his comments about music for my choir members and so 
thought I would paste  them below this e-mail message for anyone who hadn't 
read or heard the sermon.  

Rachelle

"And what will be the single most important key to the success or failure of 
our revolution? Music. Every congregation that has revived its worship has 
begun with music that is participatory, warm, and accessible. Our wisest 
synagogues invite their members to sing, because they know that Jews feel 
welcomed, accepted, and empowered when they sing. Because ritual music is a 
deeply sensual experience that touches people in a way that words cannot. Music 
converts the ordinary into the miraculous, and individuals into a community of 
prayer. And music enables overly-intellectual Jews to rest their minds and open 
their hearts.
There is nothing new in this. At the very moment of Israel's liberation, Miriam 
led her people in song on the far shore of the Red Sea. But somehow, many of us 
have lost our voices. The music of prayer has become what it was never meant to 
be: a spectator sport.
That is why our cantors, soloists, and choirs are working so hard to sing with 
us, and not for us.

In many instances this work is just beginning. It is not easy for a 
congregation that has never sung to begin to sing. And let's be honest: it's 
not always easy for cantors and soloists either. Because East European 
melodies-soaring and rich-are often difficult to sing; a simpler, American 
nusach is only now being developed. And this too: when the congregation finds 
its voice and lets go with singing, the prayer leader-whether cantor or 
soloist, rabbi or lay person-is no longer completely in control.

Still, despite these challenges, I am convinced that music will be the 
foundation upon which our worship revolution will be built. And this means that 
Jews will return to our sanctuaries only when we offer them music that is 
vibrant, spiritual, and community-building; music that speaks directly to their 
soul."

Rachelle Shubert
Music Educator:  Hebrew Foundation School, West Island Women's Centre, Kirkland 
Library
Choir Director and Cantorial Soloist:  Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom

notfranz (at) total(dot)net