During the weeks of Elul Rabbi Hannah will be sharing some music, each week, to bring us into the Yamim Norain – the Days of Awe.
Let’s begin with a melody beloved to us all, often sung by our own Nomi Fenson and composed by Nomi’s cousin Susan Moser, zichrona l’vracha. Susan Reena Moser (1966-2020) was a niggun keeper. Throughout her life’s journey she gathered soul-stirring melodies and shared them with everyone she met. In the early 90’s Susan shared this melody on a visit to Vancouver. Nomi tells us that the harmonies were created after a long hike in the pouring rain. L’DAVID is a melody set to words from Psalm 27, the Psalm traditionally added to our liturgy each easy of the month of Elul.
Melody by Batia Hefter
Harmonies created by Susan Moser, Debby Fenson, Nomi Fenson, Sally Thorne and
Bayla Greenspoon
Reb Zalman’s Translation:
Yah, You are my Light, my Savior
Whom Shall I dread?
Yah, with You as my strong Protector
Who can make me panic?
August 27, 2020
As we concentrate on Psalm 27 during the days leading to Rosh Hashanah and on through Yom Kippur, here is a musical composition from that psalm written and sung by Rabbi and story teller Mark Novak, whom you may remember from his visit to Or Shalom and to VST last summer; Achat Shaalti me-et Hashem: sivti b’vveit Adonai kol yemei chayai – One thing I ask of you God, that I may dwell in the House of Adonai all the days of my life. Reb Mark teaches that we meditate on this verse to remind ourselves that we do, indeed, dwell in God’s majesty, and that God’s majesty always dwells in up – an important inspirational and motivational adage for promoting gratitude as well as a sense of self worth during these days, as we find our way Home for the Holidays.
Psalm 27 – Achat Sha’alti by Reb. Mark Novak
September 3, 2020
This week, in our exploration of music inspired by Psalm 27, we offer the much loved traditional Achas Shaalti, as sung by the Pirchei boys choir of Agudas Israel of Toronto, conducted by Eli Lipsker in 1966.
