RE: Sephardi Sh'ma (was Re: Governess, one last time)

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

Dear Jewish Music subscribers,

I received a very interesting private reply to my posting about the
Sephardi Sh'ma from Gary Kober who has kindly agreed to sharing our
discussion with the list.  You will find it in chronological order below.

>From: Joe Kurland
>To: Kober, Gary
>Subject: RE: Sephardi Sh'ma (was Re: Governess, one last time)
>Date: Tuesday, December 08, 1998 6:41PM
>
>>At 3:23 PM -0500 12/4/98, Joe Kurland wrote:
>>
>>>The Sh'ma wasn't performed by Ofra Haza.  It was chanted by the chazzan and
>>>congregation in the synagogue scene.  If it didn't make it onto the CD,
>>>it's a real shande (shame).  I was pleased that whoever was the musical
>>>advisor had the knowledge and derekh erets (respect) to use "adoshem
>>>elokeynu" instead of the actual name of God.
>
>At 10:00 AM -0500 12/8/98, Kober, Gary wrote:
>>
>>Without wanting to open up a halachic debate, most poskim (religious
>>authorities) do not consider it derekh eretz to use the term "Adoshem"
>>for the actual name of G-d. If I may quote from Rabbi Binyomin Forst's
>>classic "Laws of Brochos", Mesorah, 1990, p. 49:
>>
>>"If one wishes to make reference to Hashem without uttering His name in
>>vain, it is appropriate to substitute the word 'Hashem'. One should not,
>>however, use the appellation Adoshem (as is commonly done). The word
>>Adoshem is itself meaningless and thus disrespectful. In distinction,
>>Hashem means 'The Name' and clearly connotes that the speaker is
>>referring to the name of G-d. This usage as a substitute for the Divine
>>Name has its basis in the Mishna (Yoma 3:8)".
>>
>>Gary
>
>Gary,
>
>May I forward your response to the list?  I, for one would be very
>interested to hear the halachic debate as this is an important issue for
>Jewish singers.  Use of "Adoshem Elokeynu" is what I was taught in
>Hebrew
>School back in the 1950's, and it carries the weight of mihhag (custom).
>It is used in recordings since the turn of the century by just about
>every
>chazzan I've ever listened to.  It has the right rhythm when one wants
>to
>sing liturgical music at someplace other than services. And it's not
>meaningless.  Most people (at least in my generation) who are familiar
>with
>Hebrew prayer know exactly what it means.
>
>I'm no religious authority, but I would love to hear the religious
>authorities debate this.
>
>Zayt gezunt (be healthy),
>
>Yosl (Joe) Kurland
>The Wholesale Klezmer Band
>Colrain, MA 01340
>voice/fax: 413-624-3204
>http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn



>Hi Joe:
>
>Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you. I certainly don't mind
>you forwarding this to the list. By the way, I must have deleted the
>addresses for this discussion list and its listserve from my address
>file. Would you mind e-mailing them to me?
>
>As for my comments, I didn't mean to sound like an halachic authority
>(which I'm not), although in rereading my posting I see that I may have
>come across that way. I apologize for sounding somewhat abrupt and
>dismissive.  In any case, I too was taught the use of the term "Adoshem
>Elokeynu" in afternoon Hebrew school in the late 50's early 60's and it
>certainly seems to be an established minhag. And there's no doubt that
>those who use the term know exactly what they mean. However, since
>becoming Torah-observant and moving into a black-hat community over 10
>years ago, I recall this topic being raised several times in shiurim
>that I've attended.  In each case the rabbi leading the shiur expressed
>a position similar to that of R' Forst, in the halacha work that I
>originally quoted, without going into any detail. Since your response to
>me, I raised the issue with the chassidic rebbe of a shtiebl I daven in
>Friday nights (I don't know what group he's from since he doesn't
>advertise these things; however, the shul itself is called Szomber and
>there once was a Szomberer Rebbe). He didn't have much time to go into
>the  background of the matter, but he did explain that there is a
>makhloket (between whom I don't know), and that, generally speaking,
>Chassidim accept and use  the term "Adoshem" pretty much along the lines
>you described. Litvacks, on the other hand, object to its use. I know
>this sounds very simplistic, so I will try to ask a posek about it to
>get a little more background. Once again, excuse me for a rather
>one-sided, knee-jerk response.
>
>Be well and have a freilichen Chanukah.
>
>Gary
> ----------

On 12/15/98 at 12:15 pm, Joe replies:

Dear Gary,

Although I was taken aback by your first reply, I didn't take it as being
off-hand or dismissive at all.  Judaism is strengthened by halachic debate,
and I welcome learning more.

It is an important issue to me because much of the music I perform, even on
the concert stage, as opposed to the bima (pulpit) is of a spiritual
nature, and I find it important to put as much kavannah (intention) into it
as when davening.  Although some of what I write might seem a bit "radical"
for some in your community, the intention is not to be "radical" for its
own sake, but to make some sense of my relationship to G-d and my
responsibility for helping bring the coming of Moshiakh (the Messiah) by
Tikkun Olom (repairing the world.)  You'll see a little more of what I mean
on this part of our website:
        http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn/tfile.html




khag sameakh.

Zayt gezunt (be healthy),

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn