D'var Torah

In this week’s Torah Portion, we find Moses on the last day of his life, addressing the Israelites for one final time. Though we have had many chapters of Moses speaking to the Israelites, this one is the only one that is sung. Using his final breaths, Moses choses to teach with song. There are only two other times in the whole Torah where song is used in this way- The Song of the Sea in the Book of Exodus, when the Israelites cross the parted sea, and the Song of the Well (Numbers 21:16-18), when the Israelites thank God in song for saving them from an enemy ambush.

These high points of our Torah show us what an important tool music and song can be. For me, this message couldn't come at a better time, as we are in the midst of the High Holy Days, which are filled with so many special moments of music. 

The place where I truly learned the importance of song and the Jewish musical voice was during my time at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Throughout my five years as a cantorial student, I had the chance to study so many styles and types of Jewish music. I took classes with great cantors who taught me ancient styles of Ashkenazi chant; I learned the special tropes and melodies for each time of year and holiday, studied challenging and complex cantorial recitatives, and sang alongside my friends as we learned the newest and most exciting tunes in the Jewish musical world. 

Equally valuable to my classes at school, as a cantorial student, were the internships I held through my time at HUC-JIR. At West End Temple in Queens, New York, and Temple Shaaray Tefila and Park Avenue Synagogue, both on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I had the chance to serve as prayer leader, teacher, collaborator, all while soaking up the expertise of great cantors, rabbis, educators, and lay leaders. Each of these experiences taught me something new about the cantorate, and about myself. 

That is why I am so excited to share that we at Temple Rodef Shalom, have the pleasure of hosting a Cantorial Intern of our own this year. I hope you have had a chance to meet our Cantorial Intern Carly Levin Santalone this past week, and experience her wonderful voice and presence. Carly will also be with us next week for Yom Kippur, and about one Shabbat per month for the rest of the year. If you see Carly around, please introduce yourself, and give her a warm TRS welcome! I am so excited that Carly will get to learn here at TRS this year, enrich our temple life with her gifts, and learn what makes this special community such a blessing to be part of. 

I wish all of you a sweet and healthy new year, filled with song, joy, and sacred connection. Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom.