Notes from Cantor Avima

     Only 6 weeks left until we begin transition into 5786! I am sure I have written previously about the unique melodies of each holiday of the year and how hearing these melodies can help transport us into the spirit of the festival and even carry memories of  all our past experiences of that particular holiday.   For example, please listen to just a few seconds of the following clip of the evening service of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur... I hope it brings back the same warm fuzzies for you as it does for me. Rosh Hashanah Evening service. And, if that doesn't do it for you,  go to minute 1'17" to hear Azi Schwartz belt out the musaf chatzi kaddish: Azi Schwartz Musaf Kaddish at minute 1'17"

     As promised last week, I want to help you get "in tune" for the High Holidays by featuring some  congregational melodies. First of all, I am very excited to roll out a new page on the Adath Shalom website where you can find recordings of many of the congregation melodies we sing on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. You will find page numbers corresponding to the Mahzor Lev Shalem  and a PDF transliteration of the prayers for those who cannot read Hebrew. I know most of you do not have the Mahzor at home, but even listening to the prayers will be helpful. I hope this page will be helpful: Cantor Avima R. Darnov - High Holiday Melodies. It is a "work in progress", so I may add a bit to the list of recordings as we get closer to Rosh Hashanah. 

     I thought it would be helpful to highlight one or two prayers each week. So, this week I have chosen a little passage that is inserted to each Amidah, and therefore sung alot throughout the High Holiday season including the Sabbath in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The prayer "Zochraynu L'chayim" asks God, the King who desires life,  to remember us for life, write us in the book of life for a good life. The word "chayim" which means "life" is repeated in each phrase. For the website, I chose to sing what I believe to be the best know melody. Navigate to the page and you will find Zochraynu L'chayim in the first recording on the list. Link to Adath Shalom High Holiday Melodies

     For those of you who like to dig deeper, here are a few other melodies: 

Zochreynu L'chaim, Richard Kaplan and Michael Ziegler

Zochreinu L'Chayim Baruch Cohon and Youth Choir

May we all merit to be written in the book of life for a great 5786!