Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El

Why Sing Your Sermons?

Each time I tell someone that I am presenting a sermon-in-song, I get a puzzled reaction. "A Sermon and Song", they often mishear, "How nice!"  But for some time now, I have been fascinated by the power of music to instruct even as it makes the words of our tradition come to life.  Music alone may move our spirits but joined with the compelling texts of our ancestors (as most Jewish music is), the melodies comment on the words and can even transform their meaning. Music brings us new understandings of ancient themes and values.

A sermon-in-song is an opportunity for us to use the breadth of Jewish music as "texts" for examination and discussion.  The music serves to enhance the concepts of the sermon and to elucidate these ideas as would a text from our Torah, our Rabbis, or a contemporary poet. The melodies in a sermon-in-song stem from around the globe and across generations of time. They tell a story about their composer, the milieu from which they emerged and the phrases or words they highlight.  A sermon-in-song is also a chance for us to broaden our Jewish learning as we expose ourselves to Jewish music that we might not hear (or hear very infrequently) otherwise. It is another moment to educate ourselves on a topic that many of us hold dear.

On Friday, January 13 at our 8 pm Shabbat Service, we will have the good fortune to bring together a combined choir of Scarsdale Synagogue and Shaarei Tikvah members along with our Shir Shabbat instrumentalists. Cantor Gerald Cohen, Cantorial Intern Amanda Kleinman and I will lead a special musical service with a sermon-in-song on the theme of "light" in Jewish tradition.  In keeping with the proximity to Martin Luther King's birthday, we will think about how light is both a symbol of God's presence in our world and an ever-present reminder to keep the lights of justice, hope, and peace alive in our communities.  Join us and sing along!