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5772 Notes from Cantor Levson
September 2011 Note
It will soon be a New Year! Wouldn’t you like to learn a new Jewish skill? Wouldn’t it be great to look back on 5772 next fall and say to yourself “This past year, I learned how to chant Torah!” Back in the May bulletin, I mentioned the possibility of my offering a Torah chanting class. While I have heard from a few people over the summer, the time is rapidly approaching to decide whether or not to offer this class. The class would meet weekly over a period of about 10 weeks, and yes, there will be "homework!" (The ONLY way to learn how to do this is through practice!) The class would culminate with the graduates chanting some verses of Torah during a Shabbat service. If you can already "decode" Hebrew (reading letters and vowels, but not necessarily with comprehension), and would like to learn the sacred art of chanting Torah, please let me know soon that you would be interested! If I get enough of a response, I would be delighted to offer the class this autumn.
Maybe you can’t “decode” Hebrew. Would you like to blow the shofar? Rabbi Shapiro and I would like to have a literal chorus of shofarot at the very end of Neila services on Yom Kippur day. If you would like to be part of this wonderfully cacophonous endeavor, please let me know. Dates and times of practice sessions will be announced soon!
Finally, I am pleased to announce that I will be holding another "Welcoming Shabbat with Sacred Chant" session on Friday evening, September 30. We will begin upstairs in room 6 at 7:00, and we will chant (with brief periods of meditation) until about 7:25. It’s an amazingly powerful way to spiritually prepare for Shabbat. I invite you to open your hearts and souls to Shabbat on this evening through the powerful practice of Jewish sacred chanting. (And you don't have to sit on the floor!)
Ivdu et Hashem B’simcha! Serve the Holy One with Joy!
October 2011 Note
My thanks to the members of the 5772 Sinai Temple High Holiday Adult Volunteer Choir: Marilyn Amster, Cyrus Cartwright, George Dickstein, Bonnie Gibson, Jack Henrie, Robin Henrie, Margie Klein, Sheri Levson, Sandi Lotterman, Bonnie Mikesh, Robyn Newhouse (our wonderful rehearsal accompanist!), Miriam Pilver, Ann Rosenfield, and Sheila Shear. We always welcome new members who enjoy singing (no previous choral experience is necessary), so please let me know if you would like to join us in the future! Thanks also go to the many other musicians and Torah readers who participated during the High Holidays. Your efforts and dedication helped to enrich our worship services in so many ways!
One of my favorite phrases at this time of year is “chadeysh yameinu kekedem.” Instead of translating these words as “renew our days as of old,” I prefer to read them as: “Don’t traffic in false nostalgia, let’s make these days the ones we will want to remember!” In that spirit Sheri, Alec, Liz, Candy, Shir (our Israeli houseguest) and I wish you all a “Shana tovah u’mitukah,” a good and a sweet New Year!
Ivdu et Hashem B’simcha! Serve the Holy One with Joy!