Our Singing Congregation

Last week, as we do almost every week, we ate lunch on Shabbat, and stayed for a while to do a Shabbat- related activity. While most weeks we discuss something interesting or unusual about the weekly Torah reading, last week we sang Shabbat Zemirot.

The atmosphere was already conducive to singing. Our choir, under the able baton of Ben Isecke, added to our davening pleasure with a few short selections. Since I wanted to continue the feeling of spirited singing, I brought out our Zemirot booklets so that those who stayed would enjoy a few special Shabbat songs.

For me, singing Shabbat songs always brings back a certain magical feeling. I recall growing up in a synagogue, a large percentage of whose members came largely from Europe. These were mainly survivors of World War II, who had made their home in Yonkers, New York. They brought with them a rich history of songs they had learned from their communities, most of which had been wiped out during the Holocaust. They had every right to be melancholy; bitter. But, these people, who attended every Shabbat morning, and every Shabbat afternoon, came armed with something that surpassed the horrors of war. They came with an indefatigable faith in the Jewish way of life. They knew it was up to them to make sure to pass along that which they remembered from Europe. And, I was the beneficiary of that mission.

Every Shabbat afternoon, about an hour and a half before the end of Shabbos (I often use the Ashkenazic pronunciation, because that is the way they pronounced it, and that particular inflection is quintessentially "Jewish" for me), we would gather for the afternooon (Mincha) prayer, followed by Shaleshudes" (Seudah Shelisheet, in modern Hebrew, though that hardly rolls off my tongue that way the European phrase does).

After enjoying a light meal of herring, tuna fish and egg salad (lox was too expensive!), the men (it was always men, since they each felt a personal obligation to ensure a traditional minyan) began to sing Shabbat melodies - Yom Zeh Mechubad, Baruch El Elyon, Tzur Mishelo, and several others. It was impossible not to get caught up in the singing; it was vibrant, enthusiastic, and, towards the end, a bit sad, as all of us understood that the end of Shabbat was near, and we would have to wait another week before we could gather and capture the spirit of Shabbat.

But those were magical times; opportunities for me to glimpse a tiny fraction of glorified Jewish life..... I often wonder if our dogged pursuit of intellectual rigor in Conservative Judaism hasn't left us suspicious of expressing heartfelt passion. Moreover, the number of non- Orthodox people interested in observing Shabbat has not increased, further reducing the possibility of transmitting these gems. As we get further from the lifetimes of European Jews steeped in tradition, will their melodies and songs disappear with them, as well ?

I hope not. I'll continue to do my part to teach some of these melodies and Zemirot to those who are interested. Maybe some of my "students" will teach others, as well.