I can hear the shofar calling: Prodezra Beats Rosh Hashanah G-dCast

Proderza Beats, aka L'Shem Shamayim, offers up a hip-hop take on the Rosh Hashanna Torah reading.




Prodezra Beats has a new EP and videos out. Good stuff. Check it out.

G-dcast is a ongoing project to develop new online media to improve Jewish literacy. They are typically animated interpretations of the weeks's parsha. They're always interesting and often wonderful.

Hearing (& Blowing) Shofar

As you could guess that with a blog called Teruah, I have a soft spot for all things related to shofar blowing. Not that I can do it myself, mind you. So I was delighted to get an email from Michael Chusid, author of the book "Hearing Shofar: The Still Small Voice of the Ram’s Horn" and it's companion website HearingShofar.com. Chusid "blows his shofar in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California where he is ba’al tekiah – shofar master blaster – at Makom Ohr Shalom Synagogue.... [and] has taught shofar at the American Jewish University, Hebrew Union College, and Limmud in Los Angeles, California." The book, which is free for download (donation's accepted), is a 3 volume text ranging from religious discussion of "Blast, Break, Shatter, Blast: The blessings, the calls, and the code" to technical "Secrets of an Awesome Tekiah Gedolah" to anthropological "Iconography and Iconolatry: The visual symbolism of horns in Judaism" and psychological "Sometimes a Shofar is Just a Shofar: Psychological perspectives" explorations. I haven't had a chance to flip the the book yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

In addition to the text of the book, HearingShofar.com includes links to other Shofar related resources including Cantor Art Finkle's "Shofar Sounder's Reference Manual" and information on how to start a "Shofar Corps." The only thing missing are instructional videos or audio clips, though those can be found easily enough on YouTube.

Yair Rosenblum's Unetaneh Tokef

There is no doubt that the Unetaneh Tokef is one of the pivotal moments of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, resonating with a deep awe for God. It's about as cataclysmic a piyyut as there is.

You open the book of remembrance

Which proclaims itself,

And the seal of each person is there.

The great shofar is sounded,

A still small voice is heard.

And that's only the warm up. By the time we get to the end, we're knee deep in

Who shall live and who shall die,

Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not,

Who shall perish by water and who by fire,

Who by sword and who by wild beast,

Whew.

Like many Jews I very much look forward to the Unetaneh Tokef. For me, being confronted by something so much larger than myself help me re-examine myself. Am I living up to my own expectations? To Gods? To other Jew's, the core of the Unetaneh Tokef is its profound reminder of humility, that so much in this world is not in our control.

Either way, and probably a dozen more ways, the Unetaneh Tokef has inspired generations of musicians to pick up it's challenge. Last year I wrote about Leonard Cohen's "Who By Fire", which picks up the latter theme.

This year I want to showcase Yair Rosenblum's version. Like Cohen's, it's undeniably a pop song but it manages to carry the weight of prayer. According to one source, the origin of Rosenblum's version goes like this...

"In the 1973 Yom Kippur war, kibbutz Beit Hashita lost eleven of its sons. For the 60th anniversary of the Kibbutz, Yair Rosenblum composed a tune for "U'Netaneh Tokef. The tune is very powerful and stirring and makes the connection between the ultimate sacrifice of Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, the author of the prayer, and the 2,656 Israeli soldiers who fell in the Yom Kippur War. "

Here's Gevatron, the Israeli Kibbutz Singers, performing Yair Rosenblum's "Unetaneh Tokef"

Update: I just got a comment pointing out that "yair rosenbloom's unetane tokef is available as sung by avraham fried mp3 - at http://www.shlager.net/?articleID=1913" Love it. Thanks mjyeres!

Hat tip to YouTube user JoshuaJacobson for uploading the video. If I'm correct, this Dr. Joshua Jacobson, artistic director of the amazing Zamir Chorale of Boston. Also, hat tip to Cantorial Soloist Barbara Linn Powell of Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City, CA, who recently reminded me of the Rosenblum's version. Linn's also a fine jazz singer. Just sayin'.

Avigail Cohen's Erev Rosh Hashana

Ok..I'm about to scram out of work and head to Rosh Hashana dinner. I've got one more Rosh Hashana video for everyone. It's Israeli singer-songwriter Avigail Cohen singing Erev Rosh Hashana. If you dig it, check out her recent album.

Erev rosh hashana

B'rosh Hashana

L'shana tovah, everyone. May you be inscribed for a good year.

As a little pre-Shabbat Erev Rosh Hashana love, here's Chassidic superstar singer MDB singing his Berosh Hashana and Cantor Simon Cohen singing Eli Yaffe's Brosh Hashana. Enjoy.

MDB's Berosh Hashana


Cantor Simon Cohen B'rosh Hashana

Hat tip to YouTube user MarkSystems and Cantors for posting the videos.

The Decline of the Cantorate, or The Cowardly Lion Sings to God

I went into Rosh Hashana this year with a lot on my mind. I had read (or listened to?) an online lecture on Rosh Hashana that suggested a good way to approach the day was to imagine it as a prototype for the year to follow. I should use it as a chance to set a new tone or trajectory and to examine stray thoughts to see what they indicated I would think about. And while that lead to some serious thought about serious things, it also, no surprise, lead me to thinking about Jewish music.

Specifically, I caught myself paying attention to how people related to the prayer leaders. Before I go further I should explain that on the first day of Rosh Hashana I took my gang to an afternoon family service at the nearby Chabad House. It was a small, intimate, service that was very much appreciated by my wife and myself (though it was frustrating to have to sit separately). The service was led by (I think) the son-in-law of the local Chabad rabbi, in from New York for the occasion. On the second day of Rosh Hashana I went by myself to my Conservative synagogue. The service was led by our Rabbi and new assistant Rabbi with support from our regular high holidays cantor. This service drew a far larger crowd but at the same time felt more remote.

There are moments when I can connect to a cantor. I really can, sometimes, get caught up in the powerful voice. Every synagogue I've been to on Rosh Hashana has had a cantor, so it's something I'm comfortable with. And I understand the pageantry associated with Rosh Hashana. It's a day for relating to God as King, so having the best, most trained voice in the room fill up the room with prayer is fitting.

But I'm not so sure it really works. My wife has, with good humor and only a slight criticism, calls our cantor the Cowardly Lion. She's referring to a certain emotional quaver in his voice that she has a hard time not giggling at. While I don't (usually) hear the lion, it is clear to me that the cantor is not singing to me, but for me. It's a strange, disassociating, feeling. It feels egotistical to say I want to be sung to, but if I'm being sung for, do I really need to be there? Can't you send me a postcard when it's done? Hi, Sang Avenu Malkenu. It went well. Hit high F. Wish you were here. sincerely, The Cowardly Lion.

The son-in-law of the Chabbad rabbi does not have cantors voice. Because it was a shortened services, there was lots of muttered discussion about what section to do next and what page in the machzor it's on. But the davening felt much more sincere and inclusive. Even when we weren't davening our selves, we felt as if were being led not performed to.

It's a strange thing. In Conservative synagogues and Orthodox shuls, the cantor used to be the center point of prayer. That's been changing for the last hundred years, with the role of the cantor diminishing. While there are excellent cantors out there (including, I'm sure, our own Cowardly Lion), who do their best to revitalize the cantorate, I wonder how much longer they'll hold on. And my idle speculation is nothing new. This has been an open question for a while and has been written about extensively. The following two articles, one on the Conservative cantorate and the other on the Orthodox cantorate are just two recent ones.

Singing the blues? Economy, declining memberships putting the pinch on cantors by Sue Fishkoff (Jewish News Weekly)

Last huzzah for chazzans?: Orthodox cantors face diminishing opportunities
by Sue Fishkoff (Jewish News Weekly)

Shofar Jam Session

L'shanah tovah, everyone. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

Shofar Jam Session


Hat tip to the folks at TuneUp Media for posting the video.

I gotta' love you Rosh Hashana

Ok, Rosh Hashanah is almost here and while it's a serious holiday I can't resist offering up this little confection from singer Michelle Citrin, writer / artist William Levin (of Jewish Robot fame) and Taglit-Birthright Israel. This the second video I've posted from the Citrin Levin team for Taglit. The first as Passover goof 20 Things to Do with Matzoh.

I Gotta' Love You Rosh Hashanah


This video was released last year so some of have probably seen it already but some how I missed it. I actually ran across it looking for some Rosh Hashanah themed songs for a Rosh Hashanah party I'm going to on Sunday. My primary contribution to the party will be home made candy apples. I'm all for the traditional apples and honey, but ever since I was a kid fall meant country fairs and country fairs meant candy apples. As an adult, the Days of Awe have a lot more meaning, but candy apples still capture the season. They're also a lot of fun to make. This year I hope to only give myself one serious burn. That'd be nice.

Coolooloosh is coming

I got an email this weekend from the Israeli funk /hip hop band Cooloolosh, "a Jerusalemite word for celebration and joy,". They'll be hitting the US in early January for a tour and to record their new album. Fun sound. I particularly dig their track "Fight Rebel Sun." Check 'em out.

Coolooloosh Promo Movie


You can see more Coolooloosh videos at YouTube, and read reviews and check their concert schedule on their MySpace page.

Hidden Melodies Revealed: The Sway Machine

I don't usually post about specific events, mainly because there are too many of them. But here's one that I think is important. On September 12, The Sway Machine hit New York with show that I wish I could have seen: Hidden Melodies Revealed. Here's an excerpt from The Sway Machine's website. Read the whole thing here.

"The Sway Machine is currently at work on a project that seeks to reclaim the deep roots of Ashkenazic Jewish spiritual music. It is my belief that in the work of the master Chazzans of the Golden Age of Cantorial music there is a model for creative work that can be usefully employed today. In the Cantor’s balance of artistic authority and spiritual humility I [Joshua Lockwood] see a perfect stance from which to speak to the emotional needs of the contemporary world. Together with Tomer Tzur, Colin Stetson, Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean, I am revisiting the work of my heroes of Chazzanus, particularly the music of my grandfather, the legendary Cantor Jacob Konigsberg. In this way I am hoping to return to that place of childlike awe that he opened to me and share it with the world."

I'm really interested in this because of deep connection to the cantorial tradition, a Jewish music tradition that doesn't seem to get much attention these days. The liberal Jewish communities (Reform, Conservative, Jewish Renewal, Reconstructionist), and many traditional communities seem to have been moving away from cantorial performer-on-the-pulpit services in favor of participant driven services (whether group singing in liberal communities and rotating davening leadership in traditional communities. As much as I'm a fan of both of these movements I've always loved participating in a service with a good cantor. The power the voice and the very specific musical forms (nusach) used have always inspired me. Sway Machine has always leaned toward cantorial music and I'm glad to see them continue that exploration.

Other than the video below, I haven't heard any of the Hidden Melodies music. I'm a big fan of The Sway Machine and have their EP. Great Stuff. There's a rumor floating around that the event was recorded and that DVD will be available. I tried to order it but couldn't get the Paypal site to work. I'll keep trying. If you're interested check out the Sway Machinery website for more info and contact info.

Sway Machinery Hidden Melodies Revealed 1

Rosh Hasanah II: The Shofar - Music and Memory

I hate not being able to answer simple questions. And since my Jewish education is on par with most liberal American Jews (meaning pretty poor), I find myself stuck on simple Jewish questions all the time. This week's question: what's the connection between Rosh Hashanah and blowing the Shofar? Since Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat are good study times I decided to hit the books to try to find an answer. Here's what I found.

First, the requirement to observe Rosh Hashanah, and to incorporate the Shofar into its observance, is a divine one originating in Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:23-24

"And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation. Ye shall do no manner of servile work; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto HaShem".
(See the Jewish Virtual Library or your Chumash or Tanakh of choice)

Second, the Torah portion for Rosh Hashanah (Gen 21:1-34) describes (among other things) the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. This connection of Rosh Hashanah to Isaac connects the holiday to one of the most pivotal moments in Genesis: the Akedah (the binding of Isaac). It's the story of the Akedah that provides (at least one) connection between Rosh Hashana and the Shofar. (Why the Akedah itself is not the Torah Portion for Rosh Hashanah is a good question and has been the subject of lots of discussion and many sermons. See Torah.Org for one example.)

While I can't claim any real experience studying Talmud, I have a copy of Bialik and Ravnitzky's "Sefer Ha-Aggadah - The Book of Legends: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash." Sefer-Ha-Aggadah provides this explanation from the early Midrash, attributed to Reb Yohanan, citing Reb Yose ben Zimra (from the Tanhuma Midrash, I think.):

Abraham: "When You (Hashem) commanded me to sacrifice Isaac, I should have replied: Yesterday You told me, 'In Isaac shall th seed be called' [Gen 21:12]; Now you say to me, 'Offer him there for a burnt offering' [Gen 22:2]. Nevertheless, I restrained my impulse and did not reply as I should have done. Even so now [I say to You], When Isaac's children shall sin and find themselves in distress, be You mindful on their behalf of the binding of Isaac; let it be reckoned in Your presence as though his ash were in fact heaped upon the alter - be then filled with compassion for his children, forgive them, and redeem them from their distress." The Holy One replied, "You had your say, and now I will have Mine. Isaac's descendants will sin in My very presence, and I will have to judge them on New Year's Day. However, should they implore Me to seek out some merit on their behalf, and to remember on their behalf the binding of Isaac, let them blow in My presence the horn of this creature." Abraham: "The horn of what creature?" God: "Turn around." At once "Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a ram" [Gen. 22:13).

And there it is...on Rosh Hashanah we blow the ram's horn to implore God to remember the merit of Isaac and Abraham, and to remind ourselves of their merit. (And to inspire us to live up to it.) We play the music of the shofar to remember.

---------------

After writing the above I found this description in the online Jewish Enclyopedia (1906):

The "teḳi'ah" and "teru'ah" mentioned in the Bible were respectively bass and treble. The teḳi'ah was "a plain deep sound ending abruptly; the teru'ah, a trill between two teḳi'ahs. These three sounds, constituting a bar of music, were rendered three times: first in honor of theocracy, or "malkiyot" (kingdom); then to recall the 'Aḳedah and to cause the congregation to be remembered before God, or "zikronot" (remembrances); a third time to comply with the precept regarding the shofar. Ten appropriate verses from the Bible were recited at each repetition, which ended with a benediction (R. H. 16a). Doubt, however, arose as to the sound of the teru'ah. Onḳelos translates "teru'ah" as "yabbaba"; but the Talmud is uncertain whether it means an outcry ("yelalah") or a moaning ("geniḥah") sound. The former was supposed to be composed of three connected short sounds; the latter, of nine very short notes divided into three disconnected or broken sounds ("shebarim"). The duration of the teru'ah is equal to that of the shebarim; and the teḳi'ah is half the length of either (R. H. iv. 9). This doubt as to the nature of the real teru'ah, whether it was simply an outcry or a moan, or both, necessitated two repetitions to make sure of securing the correct sound, the following formula, consisting of ten sounds, resulting: teḳi'ah, shebarim-teru'ah, teḳi'ah; teḳi'ah, shebarim, teḳi'ah; teḳi'ah, teru'ah, teḳi'ah. This formula was repeated twice, making thirty sounds for the series. The last teḳi'ah was prolonged and was called "teḳi'ah gedolah" = the "long teḳi'ah." This series of thirty sounds was repeated twice, making ninety sounds in all. The trebling of the series was based on the mention of teru'ah three times in connection with the seventh month (Lev. xxiii. 24, xxv. 9; Num. xxix. 1), and also on the above-mentioned division into malkiyot, zikronot, and shofarot. In addition a single formula of ten sounds is rendered at the close of the service, making a total of 100 sounds. Thus the original three sounds, constituting a musical bar, were increased to 100 at the New-Year's Day ceremony.

Rosh Hashanah I: Unetanah Tokef - Who By Fire?

Hi Everyone. L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu – May you be inscribed for a good year.

---

Unetanah Tokef is one of the the central piyyut of Rosh Hashanah. It presents us before God, the merciful judge, on this "awesome and terrible day," asking what each of our fates will be and asking that "repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severe decree." Because of it's apocalyptic tone and vision, the Unetanah Tokef has always been a source for Jewish legends and poetry. (MyJewishLearning.com presents a wonderful legend about Rabbi Amnon of Mainz as one example).

Here is the full text (from MyJewishLearning.com) followed by the contemporary musician and poet Leonard Cohen performing his "Who By Fire." (I had also hoped to have a link to a traditional recitation of Unetanah Tokef, but the Invitation to Piyyut site seems to be broken today. Rats.) Also, here's a recitation of Unetanah Tokef using a 20th Century Israeli Melody by Yair Rosenblum as well as range of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Yemenite recitations (click on 'More Renditions') from an Invitation to Piyyut.

We shall ascribe holiness to this day.
For it is awesome and terrible.
Your kingship is exalted upon it.
Your throne is established in mercy.
You are enthroned upon it in truth.
In truth You are the judge,
The exhorter, the all‑knowing, the witness,
He who inscribes and seals,
Remembering all that is forgotten.
You open the book of remembrance
Which proclaims itself,
And the seal of each person is there.
The great shofar is sounded,
A still small voice is heard.
The angels are dismayed,
They are seized by fear and trembling
As they proclaim: Behold the Day of Judgment!
For all the hosts of heaven are brought for judgment.
They shall not be guiltless in Your eyes
And all creatures shall parade before You as a troop.
As a shepherd herds his flock,
Causing his sheep to pass beneath his staff,
So do You cause to pass, count, and record,
Visiting the souls of all living,
Decreeing the length of their days,
Inscribing their judgment.
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed,
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed.
How many shall pass away and how many shall be born,
Who shall live and who shall die,
Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not,
Who shall perish by water and who by fire,
Who by sword and who by wild beast,
Who by famine and who by thirst,
Who by earthquake and who by plague,
Who by strangulation and who by stoning,
Who shall have rest and who shall wander,
Who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued,
Who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented,
Who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low,
Who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished.
But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severe decree.

Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire

Jewels of Elul

I got a nice note the other day from the folks at Craig 'n Co. announcing the third year of their 'Jewels of Elul' project.

"Beginning August 15, on each of the 29 days of Elul, we will post a 'Jewel' of an inspiration from an amazing group of individuals. From Deepak Chopra to the Dalai Lama and Kirk Douglas to Matisyahu, these wonderful people will share their thoughts on 'Hope and Healing'."

According to the tradition, Elul is the "the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf (Ex. 32; 34:27-28)" and is a time of repentance leading up to the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. (see Judaism101, OU.Org, or Chabbad.Org for more Elul)

The "Jewels" website has the last two years worth of essays. Reading through it's clear that it's a mixed bag of personalities and perspectives. I'm not sure they constitute the best of Jewish wisdom and didn't find many of them that moving, but a couple of them really grabbed me. My favorite was the essay for Elul 28, 5765 (2005) titled "Godsong" by Ellen Dreskin, cantor and director of programs for Synagogue 3000.

"Midrash tells us that our name, Yisrael, when vocalized differently, can become "Yashir Eil" - "God will sing." We are God's song in this world. Full of potential for harmony - tension, joy, sorrow, anger, comfort, pain, and majesty - God sings through each of us. Elul is the time to focus and question: what Godsong will be heard through my life in the coming year?

Chasidic wisdom likens each of us to a shofar. Were it not for the breath of God blowing through me, I would make no sound at all. Elul is the time to tune up, sharpen our skills, and be a song that is worthy of being heard.

The shofar is narrow at the beginning and wide at the end. May we remember to begin with ourselves, and then open our hearts and our ears and our eyes to understand that we too can be bigger - we can be wider - and our smallest actions can make a huge difference in the world.

"Yashir Eil." Be the song; make it good. Awaken others - with your voice and your gifts and your actions - to sing out also, and give honor to the Composer of it all."