The magic and power of song

One of the hundreds of birds that resides outside of the
apartment in Kiryat Mashe

Song and dance have always been a part of my connection to the divine. I sometimes feel like there is a musical running inside of my head as every action becomes attached to a song. In Vermont, I live with musicians and we sing every mess we make, and every ribbon we tie, and every meal we cook. Songs have expanded from a source of pleasure and a connection to the spark of the Universe to a constant soundtrack of life. I did not, however, expect the connection to continue into my trip to Israel.

According to two unrelated individuals I interacted with this past week (the first being a Rabbi teaching one of my classes and the second being the leader of the Kabbalat Shabbat I will talk about later) there are 10 words for Song in Hebrew. The idea of song is so special to the Jewish people that one word would not do, there has to be a word for a song sung with gratitude that differ from the word for a song so powerful it creates silence.

Bathroom at the Nachlot Rosh
Chodesh party. Picture taken on
my phone.

On Tuesday night of this week, I attended a Rosh Chodesh party in Nachlaot with Jerusalem Soul Center. It was the kind of party I grew up with in a place so far from home.

The house was amazing, you enter down an alley to a small open space with a few benches surrounded by buildings. As I entered the house, I saw that the entry room was not a room at all, but an enclosed patio. A truly Mediterranean structure, with the outdoors flowing seamlessly into the indoors. The space became truly Israeli with the Middle Eastern flare of stone and tile decorating the floors but transforming into high plaster arches in the inner rooms. The music spilled into the street as the participants celebrated the coming of a new month. The party was potluck, and as we, myself and a few of the other girls on the program, entered we were immediately offered hot drinks. We were welcomed with, everything short of, open arms*.

Sunset at the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, in the Old City. Picture
taken on my phone.

In Orthodox Jewish culture, it is considered improper for women to sing (or dance) in front of men. In the mixed community of Soul Center, with individuals from all walks of life, a careful respect was given for this rule. Women took part in music through drumming and guitar, and I saw some women dancing as well. The boundaries were not being pushed, but they were being very carefully trod. The music was the wild joyful song of a party. Different music was being played inside than out and smiles and laughter were everywhere. I truly did think about the parties I grew up with. I thought about my spiritual history and about Shebang Street Theater. When I left a bit before midnight, to catch the last train of the evening, the party was still going strong, if rearranging slightly to respect the neighbors.

That night stayed with me as I continued through my week. On Friday, the power of song came through to me again. I contacted the Rabbi who served at the Synagogue I grew up in. She is now living in Jerusalem in a district called Baka, a much less orthodox part of town. I called to see if she knew of a good, non-Orthodox, place for me to go for the Friday night of Shabbat last week.

She was ecstatic.

Beautiful architecture shows up in interesting places in
Jerusalem. This pop-out window was in the middle of an
alley-way on the way to the Old City Shuk (market).

After some initial excitement, she told me that I called just in time to go to an amazing Kabbalat Shabbat that happened once a month. She gave me her address and told me to come over as soon as I could. I left the apartment in the mid afternoon and found her working on a soup for a potluck. We talked and I helped her with the soup. We were joined by another girl who had been in one of her congregations in the US, and just after we lit candles, we went to a musical Kabbalat Shabbat**.

The Old City is easy to get lost in. There
are stair everywhere leading to anywhere.
Back alleys can turn into main streets in
absolutely no time

The room did not feel like a holy space when we entered it. It was a medium sized empty community room with several concentric circles of chairs. In the center circle, there were a group of musicians sitting together. The people came in, sitting in the chairs, standing around the walls, sitting in the middle of the circles on the floor, until the music started. The power of this group was amazing. Nava Tehila is the name of the group. They practice under one of the newest branches of the Jewish tree, Renewal Judaism.  This is a practice based in mysticism and spirituality and, much like Soul Center, has Jews from all walks of life. Unlike Soul Center, the female voice is clear and strong. From their amazing female Rabbi, to the voices rising in song around the room.

This was a very powerful gathering, the music was זָמַר,zamar, the song that cuts away all of the external and leaves only the divine. In that plain and unassuming room, our music built a temple and brought Hashem’s power to Earth in a way that made grown men cry. The room was so full of emotion and song that I have no other words I can say.

On Saturday evening, I went to yet another beautiful and music filled event. In the (very) Orthodox community of Har Nof, about a half hour’s walk from my apartment, we (myself and a few of the other girls) went to a musical Havdallah. While it began as any Havdallah does, with the wine and the spices and the candle, it quickly became an amazing jam session.

Every week, this family comes together for Shabbat. And every week, they invite people they know and love, and complete strangers, to come into their home and to make music. This past week, the musicians included six guitars, two box drums, two hand drums, a flute, a variety of small percussion and a cello.  The music included everything from prayer, to secular songs, to collections of sound made up on the spot. It was an amazing way to end an amazingly musical week.

An amazing Shabbat sunrise. Hail Sunne!

*Many orthodox men and women refrain from touching anyone of the opposite gender other than their immediate family and spouse.

**Kabbalat Shabbat is a period of prayers meant to usher in the Angel of Shabbat, also known as the Shabbat bride.

If you would like to help me fund my time in Israel, please donate! gofund.me/joystar