Rabbi's Blog

In August 2013 Time Magazine published an article about how singing can affect changes the brain. When we sing, musical vibrations cause an alteration of, our physical and emotional landscape. Group singing, for those who have done it, is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins inside the singer, and, while sharing that sound  with a roomful of people, the musical vibrations which return – the harmony – make that combined melody even more thrilling.   It’s not surprising, therefore, that group singing is on the rise. According to Chorus America, 32.5 million adults sing in choirs, up by almost 10 million over the past six years! 

Music and song are very powerful tools which profoundly influence both our bodies and  our souls. Jewish music is commonly played at many of our simchos, whether bar/bat mitzvoth or weddings. However, while the lyrics are all in Hebrew,  the tempo and intent, at least to me, feels as though we are trying to imitate a different culture and world, but at least it is Jewish music. Unfortunately, I heard that the music accompanying graduations of some of our local Jewish schools play non-Jewish music. How is it that a Jewish school promotes the negative influence of non-Jewish music? We can’t control what type of music people listen to in their homes, during exercising, walking, and while driving in their cars, but  we can direct teachers not to play non-Jewish pop or rock music in the classroom. We could put our foot down and make a policy that only Jewish music should be played in our schools. I even found myself guilty of having movie night for kids, but from now on that is not a necessary activity for the Shul to offer to educate our children. Most children today get enough  television, movie and or video time every day; they don’t need to come to Shul for more.

Music of all kinds has the potential to profoundly influence us. The words and especially the content of a good bit of English non-Jewish music today influence and even extol many forbidden things that are less than desirable. We live in a world which seems to have lost its moral compass and value system.  Pop singers, especially those who have reached rock star status, become idolized by our youth.  The influence of their music and on-stage performances has the power to destroy basic decency and the moral fiber of their fans. Jewish music with Hebrew lyrics, on the other hand, brings holiness and spirituality to those who listen to and absorb the words and meanings of the holy song.  Like so many things in life, a person needs to develop an appreciation for this.

Unfortunately in many shuls, yeshivos and synagogue davening, singing is looked down upon as perhaps being too “modern”. Is it only that people sing in non-religious environments?  Is it just a matter of  taking too long and becoming too dragged out? I’m not sure what will happen during the time of the third Beis Hamikdash. If the Leviim sing,  what will people say then? Or, perhaps  I might suggest that this attitude is simply due to a lack of understanding and appreciation of how singing and the use of beautiful melodies can inspire our tifilos. This,of course, applies to singing the words of the Men of the Great Assembly who organized the tefilos for us.

In this week’s parsha Nasso the Torah 4:47 states: “Mi’Ben Shloshim Shana VaMaalah V’Ad Ben Chamishim Shana, Kal Habah La’Avod Avodas Avoda Va’Avodas Masa B’Ohel  Moed“. “From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one who entered in to do the work of the service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting…”.  Rabbeinu Bachya points out there are extra words “La’Avod Avodas Avoda” to do the work of the service. He mentions Shlomo HaMelech driving home the point of simcha that is required in order to fulfill Mitzvos. King Solomon explains that having ‘simcha’ at the time of performing a mitzvah is a mitzvah in and of itself. In the same way that we perform mitzvos for Hashem, so, too, the joy over doing the mitzvah is actually known as the mitzvah itself. Singing with the mouth alongside an instrument brings the nefesh- the soul  - of a person to a level of simcha/joy. It is from this idea that the Leviim performed the work/service in the Beis Hamikdash. The Rabbis explain that the service is the song sung by the Levites.  The Leviim were commanded to sing and bring elation for the Mitzva of the bringing of a sacrifice. This was done so that the Mitzva of the offering itself should be performed with simcha and therefore was accomplished expressly through  their singing. In other words, the very act of this Mitzva, and every Mitzva for that matter, must be done with joy. The single most effective way to raise a person to the level of simcha necessary was through song. Dovid HaMelech in Tehilim 100 states: “Ivdu Es Hashem B’Simcha”  - “Serve Hashem with simcha/joy,” and that service is our performing and fulfilling of the mitzvos.  One of the reasons the Leviim only ‘worked’ until the age of fifty is because a person’s voice starts to weaken at that age.

We are fortunate that in today’s day and age that Jewish music is more readily available than it has ever been before. There are many more Jewish movies and videos for children which were not available a generation ago. Years ago there was no choice of the kind of movie or song to be used. (Besides the fact the non-kosher songs were kosher, maybe not glatt, but kosher). But today there is no excuse not to use the Jewish content and good music and song for our children and families.

The battle of maintaining our religious levels are ever-challenging in today’s society. We consistently need to redirect our resources to pump  positive music and singing into the souls of our youth and adults. There is a lot of good material to enhance our Yiddishkeit and not destroy it. Non-Jewish pop and rock music is a silent but deadly killer of our neshamos. Why bring this upon ourselves. The song of today is not only the preparation;  it is the Mitzva of the day. This is but one of the small things that has the potential to either do great damage to build up man’s spiritual state of mind and being. When the opportunity to sing comes along, first determine if it is going to be beneficial or harmful to our souls and then decide to listen or not. Let us sing songs the way the Leviim sang their songs -  as an expression of Avodas Hashem, the ultimate service to God.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky