The Lost Orchestra- Rosh Hashana 5784 - 2023

 

Insights and Inspiration

from the

Holy Land

from

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

"Your friend in Karmiel"

September 15^th, 2023 -Volume 12 Issue 49 29^th of Elul 5783

Rosh Hashana

The Lost Orchestra

So this is the joke that’s going around these days… There is this young Jewish boy from a local village. He was from a poor home, and came from a family of simpletons who had never had the benefit of any Jewish education. In most good Chasidic or Carlebach stories we would call him the child of a baal aga’alah- wagon driver or water-carrier. It was Selichos night and the young boy wandered into shul and he saw everyone there gathered around the Bima reciting the holy prayers before the High Holidays. They had guitars, Some were on the bongo drums.There was singing and dancing. Up and down and up and down… Carlebach songs, Yehuda Green, Nafatli Kempeh, Leiner. There were even some cool looking Chasidish guys on microphones harmonizing.  

 The young boy was entranced and moved by the scene and the holy sounds that were coming from the holy congregation. Yet the poor boy realized that he didn’t know how to sing. How would he daven to Hashem? How would he get inspiration and atonement? He thought maybe if he danced and jumped, but sadly he wasn’t a dancer or jumper type of kid… Maybe if he clapped…but alas he had no tune, no rhythm, no voice… what could he do?

 With no other choice the young boy walked over to the corner and picked up a siddur and began to recite the holy words of the selichos with heartfelt kavana. He cried. The words that came out of his mouth were just that… words-that sacrilegiously it seems in today’s generation that didn’t have a Carlebach tune to them. That didn’t have singing and dancing… They were just pure words and davening. At the end of the prayers the Rebbe who sat in the front of the shul wrapped in his talis turned around to the crowd of singers and dancers and told them.

 “You should know that in the heavenly spheres the simple words of the selichos that this young boy recited awoke tremendous mercy and shook the heavens. It is in the merit of his prayers that all of our songs and dancing were accepted.”

 And thus the anti-“new wave”- musical-selichos-Rabbi concluded his drasha against this new phenomena in Klal Yisrael.

 You know that Rabbi. He’s the yeshivishe mashgiach or seminary teacher you may have had in that was anti-Carlebach, that can’t imagine anything besides the usual nusach with maybe a little krechtz here and there in appropriate places. Maybe even the usual pre- kaddish

“naahh nanah na na na neahhh.. or the “Yachad- aha aha aha ha ha ha…by kedusha. Maybe hayom t’amtzeinu at the end… but that’s it. Singing, music, Carlebach… that’s modernisheh mishigas…Fuggedabout guitars and drums, that’s like Reform or Conservative organs in the synagogue. I even saw one Sefardic Rabbi call this new practice basar ba’chalav-meat and milk. It reminds me of the one that that said that ‘a woman in the synagogue is like an orange on the seder plate’… Yeah… you know those type of Rabbis…maybe you’re even one of them… Although I’d imagine you might have unsubscribed already (if all my fundraising e-mails I sent this week didn’t scare you away already…).

 I’m not one of those Rabbis. Granted, I don’t do the musical selichos in my shul and really never have. I am somewhat of a traditionalist in that way… As well… I’m tired Motzai Shabbos and don’t have it in me for a few hour kumzitz.  Yet, I love the concept. I ‘ve watched all of those post-selichos youtube videos over and over this past week. We have Friday night Carlebach singing in my shul every Shabbos… and dancing. My directive to our Baalei Tefilos for the High Holidays is that they should sing as much as possible and whatever non-singing “nusach” that needs to be done should be very quick. You know like the pesukim by the three parts of Musaf- although I’ve even used tunes for those on the times that I led the services.

 Hey, I’m probably the only weekly Parsha E-Mail that puts in Youtube music every week for you guys. Jokes as well, but that’s a different story. Yes, I appreciate the singing and I’ll tell you a secret… I think those other Rabbis do as well, they just can’t admit it.

 Now there are some Rabbis that don’t condemn all this Carlebach minyan singing and stuff, yet they minimize it. They see it and have even described it- if you ask me rather condescendingly- as a necessary concession to our “nebach” weak generation in these spiritually challenging times. Kind of like the yefat to’ar- a non-Jewish captive woman that the Torah lets you marry in times of war. Yeah… thank you, for that.

 I think they’re wrong. Not only do I think they’re wrong, but I think that it is this musical davening revolution, in my generally never humble opinion, that is preparing us for what IYH will be the type of service we will need to get back to when the Bais Ha’Mikdash will be built this year. They know this too… They must know it… they say the words with kavana throughout the davening. At least I hope they know what they’re saying… although if they were singing it, they’d certainly understand that.

Our daily davening starts off after the morning blessings with the sacrifices. Yeah, the verses and Mishna of the sacrifices that are in the first few pages of the siddur, that also seems to have gotten thrown out with music. This is despite the fact that the entire service is really in place of the sacrifices, and the recitation of them are like we are actually bringing them. The fact that we even read those verses and Mishna and Talmud is to fulfill our obligation to learn Torah each day for the morning torah blessings we recited prior. But maybe they figure that since there’s no Levi’im singing when the sacrifices are being recited as they do in the mikdash, so we need not say them either. It’s a gezeirah- decree or fence. Don’t say korbanos because you might break out in song- god forbid. But the problem with that is that the next part of davening is called pesukei di’zimra- verses of song… Uh oh… Let’s just say it quick and hope nobody notices…

 I know people are looking for kabbalos this coming year in this season. How about saying korbanos? I hear it’s a segula to build the Bais Hamikdash… and you don’t even have to go to Brisk to be able to say it…

 But anyways, yes, the whole first part of davening is structured to recall the “matziv” in the Bais Ha’Mikdash, a building that was full of song. In our davening on the holidays, we will close our eyes and ask Hashem to return us to the Bais Ha’Mikdash; as Shlomo Yehudah’s great song goes. And how is it described? What are we asking for?

 V'hareinu bivinyano- we should see it’s being rebuilt

V’samchaynu b’sikuno- and we should be happy with its being fixed

V’hashev kohanim l’avodasam- and the priests will return to their service

V’halevi’im l’shiram u’lzimram- and the levites to the their songs and their melodies.

And then we Yisrael will return to our palace.

 The Bais Ha’Mikdash was not only the house of Hashem, and not only a large slaughterhouse. It was a music conservatory. The oilam came and were elevated. Because music has that power to go where words alone can’t take you. It takes us deep into our soul. It brings out our neshoma. It is above intellect. It’s just the rhythm of our heart. It’s Creation itself.

 See, the problem with words is that for them to have any meaning we have to engage our brains- which isn’t a bad thing. We have to think about what we say, which we should. We have to go deeper and deeper into those holy words our sages compiled and wrote. As each one has so much meaning and depth to it. It’s why davening has to take place in Hebrew- in the holy tongue. As no other language contains the power that the original Hebrew does.

Yet, the problem with that is when I’m done concentrating and discovering that new depth to the words, I’m still around. It’s still my thoughts, my feelings, my interpretations, my “chaps” and “pshats” and insights into what I just said. It’s about me and my ego, that are still hanging around.

 Music is beyond that. When I sing and daven I’m closing my eyes and just tapping into the natural state of the music of the world. In fact, music is itself perhaps the deepest interpretation of the words. Dovid Ha’Melech never recited Tehillim. He sang them. And after centuries of us forgetting how to sing, of forgetting how to tap into that deepest level of the words and the soul that we’ve become a weak “nebach” generation that could only recite the songs and prayers with words and nusach and without any soul. Yet Hashem has returned us to an era when once again we can hear and be moved by the music and reveal it’s truest depths. We’ve returned to the song. Our souls have awakened as the spirit of Dovid Ha’Melech is coming closer and closer and preparing us for Mashiach his descendant to once again have musical services-as they were meant to be.

 U’macha Hashem dima mei’al kol panim- Hashem will erase the tears of nusach with the music and song of service. With musical selichos and davening.

 In Nesane Tokef in one of the most poignant parts of the tefilla we “recite’ how the angels in heaven tremble on Rosh Hashana. Why would angels’ tremble. They’re up there with Hashem. They’re not subject to judgement. The angels tremble, I once saw somewhere, because they see the way that we are approaching the judgement. That it is now our turn to recite the shira- the song that they have been singing. In fact, the piyyut that follows the Nesane Tokef is about how Hashem prefers our singing to theirs.

  Isn’t it amazing that the entire function of angels is to sing? That when Yaakov wrestles the angel the malach is struggling because he needs to leave to sing to Hashem? But they’re just holding the place for us. It’s our song that Hashem is waiting for.

It is not just the angels that are singing. The entire world has a song. You’re familiar with perek shirah which describes the song and verse of every animal in creation. It’s a work that some people have a custom of reading. It’s a segulah for something or another. It’s not supposed to be read though. It’s a song book. There’s music out there in the world. And the real source for that music, the instrument that can best bring that out is right in the soul of each and every Jew. We each have a part in the choir. We each have an instrument that only our soul can sing. And I really do mean sing- even those of you out there that are tone deaf. There’s a song, a key, a note, that only you can hit. And until you play that song, until you hit that button on the jukebox of your soul the shechina can’t fully come down here. The King can’t yet make His great entry that we’ve been waiting so long for.

 It's not every year that we read the parsha of Va’yelech before Rosh Hashana. Yet on a year that Rosh Hashana falls out on Shabbos, like this year, we do. The conclusion of Vayelech is that last command of Moshe to write down “Ha’shirah ha’zos -this song” and teach it to the nation. On a regular year that song would be read the following week on Parshat Ha’azinu. That parsha is the song of the Torah, although as well according to Talmud the mitzva is for us to write the entire Torah which is in itself really just the song of Creation.

Yet it is even more than that. In Ha’azinu, we read that it is also the song of the history of the world; it’s the song of our nation. It’s the song that Hashem in that last command tells Moshe that he should “put in our mouths” as it is the final condition for the culmination of the entire world’s purpose

 On Shabbos Rosh Hashana though we don’t read that song. On Shabbos Rosh Hashana we don’t even have a shofar- that instrument to awaken and elicit that song from our hearts. On Shabbos Rosh Hashana we ourselves are the song. Shabbos is the song. It goes back to the garden of Eden, it goes back to Adam and Kayin and Hevel. To our first exile.

 After Kayin kills Hevel, the Midrash tells us that he bumped into his father, Adam who expressed shock that he was still walking around after committing the most egregious sin in the history of mankind. I mean he literally killed 25% of the world population in what caused the first death in the history of the world. How did he make it out in one piece, Adam wanted to know?

 Kayin responded that he did teshuva. He repented and Hashem forgave his sin. When Adam heard this he broke out in song and composed the psalm that we recite each Shabbos.

Mizmor shir La’yom ha’shabbos- he sang the song of Shabbos, And thus Shabbos became a day when every Jew sings. Because on Shabbos we go beyond words. On Shabbos we return the song of the world to Hashem. We return to a healed fixed garden. The heavens and earth of Ha’azinu remember that song he sang, and they are testimonies that it is still in our hearts. Moshe placed it in our mouths It is just waiting to be sung.

The beautiful thing about an orchestra, a choir, a symphony or one of those other amazing new trends-those huge Kol-Kulam-thousand-people-singing videos or kumzitzim  you see on Youtube, is that everyone has a part. Everyone has a note that they bring. Some have highs, some have lows, some are hoarse, some are tearful and others are joyful. Some are weak, some are strong, some are cantorial and others are raps and beats. There are horns, there are trombones, there’s the bass and there’s the violin and even the harmonica and accordion. Yet they all blend together. They are all singing the same tune. They all become one and then The One can reveal Himself in that glory. That’s Rosh Hashana.

 Do you know what that choir sounds like- think back to Nesaneh Tokef again- some are by fire, some are by water. Some are rich and some are poor. Some have life, some death, some will be calm and peaceful and others will move and be uplifted. It’s a harmony. It’s a song. It’s the geulah. That’s the day that we are heading into. There is no shofar, because that shofar on Shabbos is already within us bursting to come out and sing. Our avoda though is to come to Hashem on this day and to write ourselves in that choir book of life, to say that we are ready to take our place and bring out our song.

 Do you know what the book of life looks like? It’s a music book with musical notes written in it. It’s a symphony book. The note of your soul is waiting to be written inside. The Conductor is checking us in one-by-one. We don’t mention our sins and beg forgiveness, perhaps because although Rosh Hashana is a day of teshuva, the process to that teshuva is first finding the song within ourselves and taking our place in that heavenly choir. After we do that, we begin to work on improving or cleansing our voices for the pristine day of Yom Kippur. Because on Yom Kippur is when the orchestra ultimately will play with Hashem at it’s helm.

When Moshe asked Hashem how he would get forgiveness for the nation on that Yom Kippur after the sin of the golden calf, the Talmud quotes Rebbi Yochanan who taught that Hashem put on a Talis and passed before Moshe and taught him the 13 attributes of mercy.

 Hashem, Hashem, Kel Rachum V’Chanun… Do you know what it means that He wrapped Himself in a talis and passed before him? It means Hashem Himself was the chazan. He led the service. He takes all those broken flawed pieces and brings them together in the song of the world; the song of teshuva, the song of Shabbos.

 Its 5784 years since that song has been sung. In Hebrew it will be Taf Shin Peh Daled. Every year has it’s roshei teivot and its acronyms. Well, Taf Shin Peh Daled is that this year should finally be – Tehei Shenat -the year of Pisukei Di’zimra- when we finally sing those songs. When the whole world will sing the song of Shabbos. The Choir is ready. It’s time for the Conductor to take His place at the center.

  Shana Tova U’Mesuka- a sweet blessed New Year to all of you,

Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz

 

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YIDDISH PROVERB OF THE WEEK

 

“Zingen ken ich nit, ober a maiven bin ich.” - I can’t sing, but I’m an expert on it.

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TOUR GUIDE EXAM QUESTION OF THE WEEK

answer below at end of Email

 

6. The name of the Jewish Necropolis which was declared a world heritage site, is___________.

What is the name of the box from the Second Temple period which was intended for collecting

bones?

A. Sarcophagus

B. Collector

C. Ossuary

D. Mausoleum

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S COOL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 

https://soundcloud.com/ephraim-schwartz/hashem-melech-r-ephraim-fina   – In honor of Rosh Hashana the day of our King- take a listen to my amazing Hashem Melech composition with Dovid Lowy on arrangements and vocals

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwHO7Gpf0mI  – This is possibly one of the coolest videos I have ever seen- Lost Yom Kippur War Carlebach footage spliced together with Eli Levin today singing Ani Maamin- must watch… amazing

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pScbYtDTaXU  - It’s not often that my friend Moishe Mendlowitz puts out a song, but whenever he does, you know I’m gonna love it… especially when he teams up with Naftali Kempeh… beautiful Ma Enosh

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDR3ROWCMD4   - Gad Elbaz Netanel Yisrael- Kol Hatefillot for Rosh Hashana

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0fLQr9pBrQ   –Shwekey, Fried, MBD and Shira choir… can it get better? Yes! They’re singing oldies… Can’t stop enjoying this one…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pKFECje2jw  – Kobi Brumer singing Selichos Ymaim Noraim Kumzitz… yes!!

 

 RABBI SCHWARTZ'S ERA’S AND THEIR PLACES AND PEOPLE IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK

 

The Child King - 677 BC (3083 from Creation)- I love when this column works out with the timely events and occasions of the week. I really don’t plan it that way, but this week and next week (a little teaser there…) are what we in yeshiva would say are Inyana D’Yoma- the matters of the day. This week we have the new king Yoash or Yehoash that takes the reigns of the kingdom of Yehuda, after Yehoyada the Kohen Gadol made sure to get rid of the wicked queen Athalia who had taken us down the tubes spiritually. Yoash is 7 years old when he takes over and he will reign for 40 years. His reign is a mere 155 years since Shlomo his great great great great grandfather built the Temple. In those few generations the Temple had fallen into disarray. Athalia discouraged people from donating to it and according to some she even cleaned out the treasury all to build her temples of the Baal. It was time for a new beginning.

 

The first order of Yoash’s order was to restore the Mikdash to its glory days. He created a fantastic system wherein the half shekel coins that people had stopped donating would come to the Kohanim rather than directly to the Temple and then the Kohanim would be responsible to fix up and take care of all of the renovations for the Mikdash. It was a system that empowered the Kohanim but that also put a big responsibility upon them. And it was one that they didn’t really live it up. 23 years into his kingship things were still pretty shlocky in the Temple and it was time for a new change and system. And thus the pushka came into play; the first charity box of Klal Yisrael.

 

What did Yoash do? He put up two pushkas one when you came into the Temple and one right there by the Mizbayach. I know that some people don’t like when they come to the Kotel or other holy sites in Israel and they get “hit up” by all of the local beggars. Well, this is where it all started. Imagine coming with you sacrifice to the Beit HaMikdash and right away before you walked through the door there was a pushka to put money in with a Kohen guard watching over it. And then even afterwards when you approach the Altar to bring your sacrifice you had to make your little “pidyon” there for the Mikdash once again. Pretty amazing… And the people gave and the money that flowed in was collected and counted each day and given to all of the builders and reonvators and the leftover funds were used for sacrifices and vessels for the mikdash. And thus the charity box came into existence.

 

In many ancient synagogues in Israel from the period of the Mishna and Talmud we found remains of Pushkas near the Bima that money was deposited in as well. It seems you got your Aliyah and then made a donation. In Masada, in Arbel, I believe in Susya in the South and in Marot here in the Upper Galil they found one full of coins in it. This is as well probably the source for the misheberachs with money we make until today with aliyahs.

 

Now I said this was a timely subject. That’s not just because on Rosh Hashan we have the New King and we read about Yoash’s new kingdom and era of rededication and holiness, and of course Rosh Hashana we are all in the Kingship mode and Temple mode. But it’s because of the fundraising campaign that we have undergoing in our shul at this end of the year… have you contributed yet… See, Hashem wants to send you a reminder… the links are below. Connect to Jewish History and get one more merit at this end of the year.. and who knows? Maybe in that merit Hashem will let you and all of us participate in the building of the Bais Hamikdash this year as well.

 

 

RABBI SCHWARTZ’S TERRIBLE ORCHESTRA/ CHOIR JOKES  OF THE WEEK

 

After an orchestra drummer performed particularly poorly, the conductor sarcastically told him, "When they find someone who can't play any instrument, they give him two sticks and make him the drummer."

The drummer retorted, "and if he can't play that either, they take away one stick and make him the conductor."

 

The violinists in an orchestra don’t do much. They just fiddle around

 

All last night, it sounded like my neighbors were practicing for their part in an orchestra. I had to call the police to report domestic violins.

 

I would like to put on record my appreciation for the guys who play the triangle in orchestras.

Thanks for every “ting”.

 

A man walks into his orchestra rehearsal carrying some corn on the cob as his instrument. The conductor asks him “Will you need any sheet music?”

The man replies, “Nah, I’ll play it by ear.”

 

If lightning strikes an orchestra, who is most likely to get hit? The conductor.

 

A conductor is getting an orchestra together for a performance but having trouble finding a clarinet player. Finally, he calls a contractor who tells him "Well, the only guy I've got available at this moment is this jazz clarinetist.”

The conductor replies "I can't stand working with jazz musicians! They dress lousy, they're always late, and they all have an attitude problem.”

“Well" replies the contractor "that's all I've got.”

“All right," says the conductor, "I'm getting pretty desperate, so I guess I'll have to take him.”

 

The first rehearsal is a week later. The conductor arrives early and notices the new clarinetist, wearing a suit and tie, with a pencil on his stand, sitting on stage practicing his part. During the rehearsal, the clarinetist plays his part quite well, and is responsive to all the conductor's requests. At the second rehearsal, a week later, the same thing happens. This time, the clarinetist turns in a nearly perfect performance. One week later, at the final dress rehearsal, this occurs again, with the clarinetist now playing his part flawlessly.

 

At the break in the rehearsal, the conductor says to the orchestra "I've got an apology to make. I was really dreading having to work with a jazz musician, but I must say that our clarinet player has certainly proved me wrong. He is always neatly dressed, he was always here early for the rehearsals, working on the part, and he has really learned the music.”

 

Then, to the clarinet player he says "I just wanted to tell you that I truly appreciate your effort and dedication.”

 

To which the clarinetist replies "Hey man, it's the least I can do, considering I can't make it to the show.”  {What a very teefeh vort… and Mussar…}

 

The sound from an orchestra on stage is designed to bounce around the auditorium walls to surround the audience. The sound from a Pigeon on stage does not do this...The reason is a Coo sticks.... (oyy… this is possibly the worst joke I wrote all year…)

 

The orchestra one evening was playing a song that was noted for being on the lower side of the musical spectrum. As they played through the night, the conductor would on occasion shoot an angry glare at one of the musicians. After a few of these glares, the musician leans over to his fellow and whispers, "I think I'm in Treble."

 

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The answer to this week”s question is C – Beit Shearim is one of my favorite sites in Israel. And that was even before it became Unesco recognized in 2015. Besides the fact that most people have never been there which is always a great place to start, as well this is a city where the Sanhedrin sat, and it even has the kever of Rebbi  Yehudah HaNasi. Yeah… it’s an important site. Unesco recognized it because it’s the largest burial site in the Middle East from the 2^nd Temple period. Now the process of burial back then was a two part process, The body was placed in a sarcophagi- a flesh eating coffin or a grave usually in a cave. After a year the bones were taken out and placed in an ossuary- the correct answer which is a small box where the bones would be placed into and then moved to a family plot or cave called a ma’asafa- or collector which is a really lousy translation. The mausoleum is the buildings where they hosted these bodies and Beit Shearim has a bunch of them. So another one right and  the score is now Rabbi Schwartz having a 4.5 point and the MOT having 1.5 point as we start this latest Ministry of Tourism exam.