הוֹד֣וּ לַיהֹוָ֣ה כִּי־ט֑וֹב כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ׃
Praise God, for God is goodness. God’s steadfast love is everlasting
(Psalm 118:1)
Early next week, we will chant Hallel–psalms of praise–as we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, when we commemorate Moses receiving the Torah from God at Mt. Sinai. I love this idea of God gifting our ancestors with Torah, and I cherish bringing the wisdom of our tradition into our daily lives, as well as embracing the blessing and the responsibility of passing it down to the next generation. And I know for some of us, such a literal understanding is not as connective, and our Shavuot observance can embrace that outlook. We can celebrate Torah in the broader sense, embracing the wisdom of our texts and traditions, the Jewish learning and knowledge passed down for thousands of years, the words and pages that bind our people together even in our varying views and disagreements. I believe that our Torah–our ability to study and pray together in community–is a beautiful manifestation of God’s unending love for us, however you understand God or bring Torah into your life.
On Sunday afternoon, here in our Wise sanctuary, we will come together for an afternoon of Torah–not specifically from the scroll, but an exploration of Jewish liturgy and themes expressed through music. From Israeli art pieces to classical Ichazzanut to musical theatre to contemporary liturgical songs, we will celebrate the wisdom and beauty of our tradition together in community. I am particularly excited for the world premiere of a new setting of Psalm 118 that I commissioned from David Kates, arranged by Dr. Tali Tadmor, as sung by myself, Cantor Linda Kates, and 15 other Los Angeles cantors and musicians. I hope that you will make an effort to join us in person for this concert in celebration of our tradition, our Torah, and our community.
See you Sunday, and wishing you an early chag Shavuot sameach!
— Cantor Emma Lutz