Notes from Cantor Avima

The two main themes of Sukkot are Joy and Gratitude. Sukkot, as a harvest festival is a time to bring in and celebrate over the last harvest and show gratitude for the bounty of the harvest. In many ways, Sukkot is an opportunity to recognize gratitude in our lives. 

Rosh Hashanah 5784 was definitely one for "the books"! There is a traditional saying:  

תכלה שנה וקללותיה - תחל שנה וברכותיה

"Tichleh shanah v'ki-l'loteh-ha, Takhel shanah u'vir-cho-teh-ha!" 

"May the (previous) year and its curses  end, and the New Year and its blessings begin". 

It strikes me that on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we...Read more...

Last week I shared with you a link for some basic Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur cantorial nusach (traditional liturgical melodies). This week I am excited to share a link for a wonderful program that was featured on National Public Radio. It is called "Music for the Days of Awe: An Observance of the Jewish High Holidays". This one hour narrated program contains some absolutely breathe-taking solo and choral masterpieces of the High...Read more...

I do not have an engagement ring. My husband opted for a necklace. He had a necklace made with part of a verse from Proverbs 3:3 which  loosely translates to "Chesed (loving kindness) and truth, they will not abandon you; Tie them  around your neck..."  In...Read more...

Grilled cheese, tomato soup, potato chips and ice cream. Lakes, trees, dirt paths and cabins. Camp. Filled with Jewish souls, Hebrew, Jewish culture, Shabbat, Jewish values. Jewish summer camps! I was privileged to join a group of Educators on a trip sponsored by The...Read more...

One of my many goals upon stepping into my dual role as Cantor and Director of the Religious School  has been to help build upon and develop the musical element of our services and our general congregational life. To my delight, I was made aware of the many talented musicians among our Adath Shalom family and the many ongoing musical projects. I felt it was incumbent upon me to build on the momentum. With that goal in mind, we...Read more...

“In a Hassidic niggun, each note turns to the one behind him and says: ‘thank you for being my Rebbe.’ Then he turns to the note in front of him and says: ‘I bless you, and give you permission for being even more beautiful than I.”   Rabbi Nehemia Polen 

I first learned this beautiful teaching many years ago when I participated in a cohort of  The Institute for Jewish Spirituality. It came across my...Read more...

The terms bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah and b'nai mitzvah are possibly the most incorrectly used terms in popular usage. I too have been guilty of using these colloquialisms that are technically incorrect. The first thing to understand is that the term bar mitzvah is in itself a descriptive noun referring to a person, not a party or ceremony.  (ie. "I am going to a bar mitzvah".)

The term bar mitzvah refers to a male who has...Read more...

Bar Mitzvah Boy Larry Edelstein with his dad, Sam

The end of June will mark the end of my first year at Adath Shalom. It is a good time to pause and to express my gratitude for the warm reception my husband and I have enjoyed. We truly feel we have...Read more...

Where were you on Shabbat morning, October 27, 2018. Once I remind you of the significance of that date, I am sure you will remember where you were as clearly as you remember where you were on the morning of 9/11/2001. October 27, 2018 - 18 Cheshvan 5779 - Parshat Vayera. On that date I officiated at a private bat mitzvah. When I emerged from the hall, I turned on my phone and saw my first alerts about the attack on Tree of Life Synagogue in...Read more...

     In English the word "trop" or "trope" is used to refer to the system of chanting the Torah, however, in Hebrew we refer to the symbols as "Ta'amay Hamikra", or simply "te'amim".   The word actually means "taste". The melodies are referred to as "n'ginot". We are all familiar with the "n'ginot" that the Lithuanian Jews brought with them when they came to America in the 19th century. In fact, the...Read more...

     The  system of trope includes  28 symbols which indicate not only melody, but syllabic stress and punctuation as well. The symbols are classified into two groups: one group being separators (disjunctives) and the other group serving as connectors (conjunctives). If  you learn to identify just two of these symbols and understand how they function to break up a pasuk (biblical verse - sentence)...Read more...

     Who created the system of trope? Ezra the Scribe led a group of Jews back to the land of Israel from Babylonian exile. Ezra found the Jews had neglected the regular study of Torah and he instituted the public readings on Mondays, Thursdays, Shabbat and Festivals that we still follow to this day. Mondays and Thursdays were chosen because they were the days Jews gathered in public squares to buy and sell their wares. This...Read more...

     How can I do a series of Passover articles about seder songs without mentioning everyone's favorite?  Dayeinu! If you use a traditional haggadah, you will see that the Dayeinu song actually consists of15 verses. We commonly explain that the word "dayeinu" which is sung as the chorus and nowadays, even as a standalone song means "it would have been enough for us". Each line describes an action of God for which we...Read more...

     My husband and I have been slowly purging some of the possessions we have accumulated over the years. We started almost a year ago and have continued to work through the clutter in fits and spurts. I have found that the constant decision making is exhausting, but once I decide to rid myself of an object and do whatever has to be done to remove the object from my home, I feel a great sense of relief. I realize I...Read more...

We are so thrilled to announce that you can now register your children for religious school through your shulcloud account.

Simply follow these instructions: 

1. Log into your shulcloud account and scroll down to "other info".

2. Look for tiles that say: "My Enrollments" and "Start School Enrollments".

3. Click on "Start School Enrollments" and fill in the information requested. Some information will...Read more...

A singing congregation is a bonded congregation! Music is such an important part of our tefillah experience. Being able to "join in" strengthens our connections to each other as a community. Please join us the second shabbat of every month beginning August 13 after services to learn Cantor Avima's top tefillah tunes.  Ability to read music or Hebrew NOT required, in fact, neither is a "good" singing voice! Have a special...Read more...

    No matter when I eat a latke, even if it is in the middle of the summer, I am transported to Chanukah. I am not sure why I would eat a Hamentash in August, but, if I did, I would likely start thinking about every Purim memory I have. Likewise, particular melodies from the Jewish calendar evoke a similar reaction. This past Sunday, we began observing a three week period of mourning in...Read more...