Cantors

[Alex Jacobowitz <Alex_Jacobowitz...>]

B"H Luzern, Switzerland

For those who may be in doubt, please allow me to clarify my position a
final time:

I have nothing against cantors per se. I have nothing against rabbis per
se.
Yet, they are not the same.

There is an obligation in Jewish Law - as in many religions - to pray. This
prayer is
to come directly from the heart of the praying person at all times. When a
person
doesn't know how to pray in Hebrew, he/she should use the words that are
closest
to his/her heart, and provision is made for ignorant people, in that they
may elect
someone to pray on their behalf on condition that the ignorant people
listen to the 
Sheliach Tsibur's (community messenger's) prayer and respond "Amen".
However, using someone else to say one's prayers is considered the least
desirable
alternative.

Jewish mysticism mentions that song is the highest level of prayer. And
just as each
person is obligated to pray, each person is obligated to sing. The melody
of each may be 
different, just as the prayer may be different, but each must - MUST find
his or her
personal tefilla (prayer) and his or her personal nigun (melody).

However, the more we relegate our religious and musical responsibilities to
others,
such as cantors and/or rabbis, the less WE benefit from what prayer and
music have to offer us. 
And the opportunity for the learned to abuse their office is greatly
magnified.

There are Jews -- many of them non-believers -- who go to the Reform
services 
simply to enjoy the beauty of the musical service; yet these Jews don't
realize that
they are the poorer for it. The more we take responsibility for our
religious/musical/social
obligations -- i.e., the less we depend on 'the professionals' to do the
job -- the greater
our reward, and deservedly so. 

Let's help each other study and ultimately find the melody and prayer in
each of us, hm?

After all, why settle for listening to a soloist when you can add your
voice to the whole choir?

Happy Hanuka,

Alex Jacobowitz