Acappella for the Three Weeks

Back in May I wrote about the period of mourning (Sefira Part 1, Sefira Part 2)that corresponds with the Counting of the Omer and its traditional restrictions on instrumental music. We're now in the Three Weeks, starting July 3 and ending on July 24, the second major period of mourning in the Jewish year. It memorializes the destruction of the 2nd Temple and the beginning of the Diaspora and, by extension, symbolizes our longing for the time of the moshiach when the temple will be rebuilt and the Diaspora will end. In the traditional Jewish community, the Three Weeks has restrictions on instrumental music similar to those associated with the Counting of the Omer and has developed a similar tradition of acappella music.

In my Sefira posts I mention a number of Jewish acappella albums and link to some YouTube vidoes of acappella performances. Here are two more. The first is 8th Day, one of my favorite orthodox/chassid pop groups. The second is from Hassidic rapper Y-Love and beat-box artist Yuri Lane.

8th Day - Ayeh Mekom - Chabad Telethon


Y-Love & Yuri Lane Purim Beat Box Freestyle for Sefira

You can also listen to acappella group SIX13 recorded on the JM in the AM show, pickup lots of Jewish Sefira-friendly acappella albums at JewishJukebox.com, and check out these sites for more information on the Three Weeks:

1. Chabad.org "The Three Weeks and Tish Ba'Av"

2. OU.org "A Chronology of Destruction: The Three Weeks"

3. Aish.com "Tish B'av and the Three Weeks"

4. YU Torah Online "Rabbi Hartstein- Music, Shaving & Haircuts in The Three Weeks" (A recorded shuir, or lesson)

5. VBM Torah Studies "The Three Weeks and the Nine Days"



(Hat tip to The Jewish Music Review for the 8th Day video and the JM in the AM link)