This past Shabbat was spent in Jerusalem. (I LOVE saying that!!!) My flat-mate went to Tel Aviv for Shabbat, so I thought I would be alone for Shabbat dinner. I should have known better ----- this IS Israel after all.
I went to services at the main Conservative Shul here. I had been to Friday night services here once before, so was anticipating at least a few familiar melodies. I was not disappointed in that regard. Some of the other melodies they used were variants on some of the new melodies I have learned. I doubt that they are aware it is a variant, but I have the original score so noticed when there were slight changes to the tunes. This is not uncommon, most “congregational” melodies are slightly different from what the original composer and/or arranger wrote.
After services the cantor asked it I would like to go with her to the home of some friends of hers for Shabbat dinner. I agreed, and we started walking and talking along the way. I found that she had, at one time, been an actress and had roles in some Israeli films. She gave up that career to raise her 3 children. She apparently came from a secular background, but obviously has changed that about herself. While she is Israeli-born, she spent a number of years in the San Francisco area. It was during this time that she started learning hazzanut. I will not go into any more detail as I feel it would be inappropriate for this forum without her express permission.
The Shabbat dinner also turned out to be a Thanksgiving dinner (her friends are American) and also a birthday party for 2 people. In addition to Israel there were people there from Boston, Philadelphia and Miami. Dinner was wonderful, and so was the company and conversation.
After dinner I walked back to the apartment, a stroll that took about 20 minutes or so. In the morning I went back to the Conservative shul. I had met a friend there Friday night and thought that they would be there Saturday morning, but unfortunately that was not the case.
During the walk from the dinner back to the apartment I was accompanied part way by the cantor. She indicated that she had not totally gotten over an illness from a couple weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to lead the Shacharit (morning) service for her if needed. I told her that I would be honored to do so if she wished. It turned out that she did have me lead the service and, like last time, I was the recipient of the wonder feelings of warmth and purpose. I changed some of the melodies that I used last time to ones that the congregation knew (I asked about these in advance) to be sure that they could join in. I was later told by some of the congregants that they really appreciated both the hazzanut that I did alone and my using melodies that they could sing along with and that it made them feel more a part of the service. For me, that makes everything worthwhile. From my perspective, the job of a cantor is to create an inclusive and inviting atmosphere so that the, by being a conduit for Hashem, the congregation is encouraged to join in and participate in their own individual and communal spiritual growth.
All-in-all it was a wonderful Shabbat.
Sunday was dedicated to cantorial practice, as always. I have a class on Monday (today) to go over the material I have been given. Since Hanukkah starts on Wednesday evening and I am leaving for the US next week, this will likely be my last class until I return in January. As a result, I anticipate receiving more material tonight to work on while I am gone.
I am starting to get more excited about going home to visit and am anxiously waiting to be able to give my wife a HUGE hug. Only 11 days to go!
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