I’ve just finished reading a book entitled One Community, One Week, Many Faiths, a compilation of essays on different houses of worship in Lansing, Michigan by journalism students at Michigan State University.
(Disclaimer: My brother Eric is Chair of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at MSU and the professor who conceived the idea of a student-written collection describing the diverse congregations of many faiths that are found in Lansing.)
While there are many areas of commonality among the congregations represented, including: nurturing a warm and inclusive atmosphere; outreach to those in need; the importance of religious education; and more, one theme in particular was emphasized in almost every house of worship: the importance of music as integral to the worship experience.
Whether it be through a jazz band, handbell choir, the singing of hymns, an organ, an adult choir or pre-recorded meditative music, virtually every congregation incorporates music into its services, not as an adjunct, but as a vital component. As one choir member put it, “We came to hear God talk to us through His music.” In another church, “one can feel the power of music strongly.” And a local rabbi stated, “If the words in the prayerbook don’t touch your heart, sometimes music can do it.”
In the Chasidic tradition, music is given greater emphasis than words. As the Tsadik of Kuzmir said, “One nigun can express more than a thousand words.”
For me, music is what it’s all about. The music of t’filah - prayer and of shira - song. The music of the “Golden Age of Chazzanut” and of the most contemporary composers of Jewish music. We’ve got it all - and I love it all!