In spiritual terms prayer can de defined as the mode by which we, as mortal beings, re-connect with the Divine sparks within us. Made in the image of God, we are assured that our Creator has given us the tools to communicate with the Divine. Therefore, while prayer’s functions are indeed many, at its core prayer’s purpose is deepening our relationship with God. 

 

Prayer does this in many ways. First, it allows us space and time to meditate. The room in which we pray in the synagogue is called “the sanctuary” for a reason; we are given time and space to be at peace away from the hectic nature of daily life. This protective sanctuary allows us an opportunity to meditate upon deeper concepts, such as our relationship with God or the meaning of our existence, as well as an opportunity to simply be – to experience, in purity, the spectacular miracle of what it means to be alive. 

 

The second way that prayer helps us connect to God is through the words of the prayers themselves. Each text in the siddur was placed there for a reason – to send a specific message. From beginning to end the siddur acts as a curriculum, engaging us in a specific content message that allows us to better understand God’s role in our lives and conversely our role in serving God.

 

If that wasn’t enough, there is yet another way that prayer connects us to God -- through music. Each of the various tunes written for each prayer was specifically written to inspire a certain feeling that reflects the words or context of the prayer. Thus, for many of us certain tunes evoke a range of both sentimental and spiritual meaning. Not only because of their connection to our personal history, but simply because they strike as beautiful and therefore inspire lofty thoughts, deep emotions or perhaps, great joy. 

 

Music and ritual have been united in Jewish practice since ancient times. The Psalms were songs as well as poems and the Levites played music during worship in the time of the Temple. Later, standardized nusach was introduced, which is a tradition of music that calls for certain musical motifs that set a pattern and a tone for each service. The melodies that come out of this musical tradition, like those at Kol Nidre, often contain great emotional meaning for us as they evoke the theme of the moment as well as create a touchstone in time for memories of all previous Kol Nidre nights, for example. Nusach gave us a uniformity of practice and a mode of music that spanned across the generations. 

However, during the rise of Hasidism in the 1700’s the concept of the niggun was developed, as well, which was a musical innovation used to supplement and invigorate the traditional prayer experience. The niggun was a wordless prayer to God, a melody pure and simple reflecting a certain spiritual state or emotion. These wordless melodies were created due to a feeling that words could ever adequately express our love for God. It was believed that only music could unite a congregation of people in an expression of the purity of the soul. Thus, new melodies were created for certain prayers that would be introduced by, or lead into, such niggunim. 

 

These niggunim were often characterized by their simple musical structure, allowing everyone assembled to easily participate together. In addition, these melodies had the great ability to capture emotion, especially joy. The Hasidim truly believed that joy, and other emotion, were essential in connecting with God. Furthermore, it was also their belief that intensely joyous prayer led one to the heights of human happiness. Thus, a joyful prayer experience allowed one to feel deeply connected to God, to other community members and gave one a feeling of intense personal happiness.

 

In recent times, the niggunim of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach have become popular within the Jewish community at large, from Renewal to Orthodox and from Conservative to Reform. True to form, his melodies are simple, catchy and full of joy. Some of his most popular melodies are used specifically during the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service and hundreds of synagogues have adopted wholesale, or in part, such tunes. Those who have participated, and I include myself, have reported that attending a “Carlebach service” has added a different level of joy to their prayer experience, which has spilled over into the rest of the week. For many, whether older or younger, expert or novice, Carlebach’s melodies have been a great spiritual enhancement for the Friday night service, at least as a periodic alternative.

 

Therefore, at Beth El we too have decided to introduce such melodies at our Friday night service once a month starting in the fall. We firmly believe in the beauty of the traditional service, which we will be preserved exactly as is on the rest of the Shabbatot. However, we also believe that whether you already enjoy the Friday night service as is, or are someone looking for something different, or even if you have never been to a Friday night service at all, Carlebach’s tunes can be an engaging way to approach davening in a unique format. The service promises to be full of singing and will have an upbeat tenor that will hopefully allow us to welcome Shabbat in a particularly joyous fashion. The melodies are beautiful and easy to learn and I believe you will find yourself humming them well after the service is finished.