Approaching Pesah, Part 1: 鈥淭urning the Heart鈥�
Mar 13, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Pesah
Two seemingly disconnected texts offer an insight into the experience of Pesah. On Shabbat Hagadol (the Shabbat before Pesah, this year on March 23), the haftarah from Malachi ends with the powerful words, 鈥渂efore the coming of the great and awesome day of God I will send you the prophet Elijah; he will turn the hearts of parents to [their] children, and the hearts of children to parents鈥� (Mal. 3:23).
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鈥淚n God鈥檚 Hand I Place My Soul鈥� (Part 2)
Mar 6, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Last week we took a brief look at the balance between the majestic theological description of God with which Adon Olam opens, and the more intimate, even tender recounting of the poet鈥檚 relationship with God in the final stanzas. These final verses begin with two short words that articulate a quite extraordinary claim: 鈥�Vehu Eli鈥� (For He is my God).
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鈥淚n God鈥檚 Hand I Place My Soul鈥� (Part 1)
Feb 27, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
There are moments when our prayers and spiritual poetry (piyyutim) make profound declarations about life and death, about humanity and God. Often these moments are recognized as awesome and important, and there is a sense within the synagogue community of this significance; for example, in asserting the unity of God (the Shema鈥�), God鈥檚 holiness (the kedushah), and the role of destiny (鈥�Unetaneh tokef鈥� on Rosh Hashanah).
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Serve God With Joy
Feb 20, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
I recall reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer while in elementary school, and being stumped by a description of the powerful singing in church of 鈥淥ld Hundred.鈥� What might this 鈥淥ld Hundred鈥� be, and why was it being sung in church with such fervor? Eventually, I found out that this was Psalm 100, and was sung by the community as it learned that Tom Sawyer was alive, and had mischievously staged his own disappearance.
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鈥淔ill Our Eyes with Light . . . Cause Our Heart to Cling鈥� (Part 2)
Feb 13, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Last week we looked at the phrase 鈥�ha鈥檈r eyenynu鈥� (Fill our eyes with the light of Your Torah), and now let us look more closely at the continuation of the same sentence: 鈥渧edabek libeinu bemitzvotekha鈥� (and make our hearts cleave to Your mitzvot) [Siddur Sim Shalom Daily, 32].
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鈥淔ill Our Eyes With Light . . . Cause Our Hearts to Cling鈥� (Part 1)
Feb 5, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Phrases in the siddur are filled with echoes of earlier texts and give birth to newer metaphors and meanings. The blessing immediately before the Shema鈥� in every morning service contains the phrase 鈥�ha鈥檈r eyneinu beToratekha vedabek libeinu bemitzvotekha鈥� (Fill our eyes with the light of Your Torah, and make our hearts cleave to Your mitzvot.) [Siddur Sim Shalom, 32.]
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Blessings
Jan 30, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
The famous Priestly Blessing (Num. 6: 24鈥�26) is an ambiguous text in our liturgy that appears in various guises. It is presented as a selection for study from the Written Torah each morning (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, 5), and is chanted by the leader of the service at the end of the 鈥楢尘颈诲补丑 (43). The text presents the Torah verses as a memory:
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Kol haneshamah tehallel Yah! (All that has breath shall praise God!)
Jan 23, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
This is the final verse of Psalm 150鈥攖he culmination of the book of Psalms. Every day our set liturgy includes the final six psalms (145 through 150), and, to my personal sorrow, the pacing of the so-called 鈥減reliminary service鈥� generally allows a couple of minutes (at most) for a rushed recitation of these classic and profound poetic texts. Fortunately, in many communities鈥攁t least on Shabbat, and even on weekdays鈥攁 little more time is allowed for Psalm 150. We find a glorious array of musical interpretations of the text that exemplify the diverse approaches to religious music of contemporary Jewish life. Some examples will be found at the end of this essay.
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