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 CONGREGATIONAL SINGING 
 
 Sermon preached in the Spanish and Portu- 
 guese Synagogue Shearith Israel, Central 
 Park West and Seventieth Street, New 
 York City, on the Eighth day of Solemn 
 Assembly (Shemini Hag 'Azereth,) 5671-1910 
 
 BY 
 
 The REV. DR. D. DE SOLA POOL 
 
 Assistant Minister of the 
 Congregation
 
 2096428
 
 -top rvrp'rr^ najpjj 
 
 To the chief musician, 'al ha-sheminith, a Psalm of David. 
 So reads the introductory line of the twelfth psalm, the psalm 
 chosen for this day of solemn assembly, because the word sheminith, 
 meaning 'eighth,' has been taken as referring to this eighth day of 
 solemn assembly. But the problem of translating the word 
 sheminith with certainty and precision is one that still baffles 
 scholars, notwithstanding the learning and ingenuity of the theories 
 advanced for its solution. 
 
 The oldest version of the psalms, the Greek translation called 
 the Septuagint, translates literally 'upon the eighth', leaving the 
 difficulty unexplained. Ibn Ezra suggests that the word would 
 tell us that the psalm is to be sung to the eighth of a series of melodies 
 or keys. The old Jewish version, the Targum, commentators such 
 as Rashi and David Kimchi, and following them the English version 
 agree in understanding the word sheminith as the name of an instru- 
 ment with eight strings. But in the book of Chronicles (xv, 21), we 
 are told how for the Temple David appointed Heman, Asaph and 
 Ethan, the chief Temple musicians, with cymbals of brass to mark 
 the time, eight Levites with harps 'al 'alamoth and six Levites with 
 lyres 'al ha-sheminith to guide the melody; and were the sheminith 
 an instrument, we would be at a loss to explain what is meant by 
 'lyres upon the sheminith.' For this reason and for other reasons 
 also, most scholars interpret the word sheminith in another sense. 
 Eight Levites were appointed with harps 'al 'alamoth and six with 
 lyres 'al ha-sheminith; the word 'alamoth means maidens, and the 
 word sheminith means eighth, and therefore these terms are usually 
 translated 'harps set to maiden's voices', that is of high pitch, and 
 'lyres set to the eighth,' that is an octave, eight notes lower than 
 the ordinary range. The harp 'al 'alamoth would be the harp set 
 for the high voices of maidens, the lyre 'al ha-sheminith the lyre 
 pitched to the low voices of men.
 
 Behind these two terms, we catch a glimpse of men and women 
 worshipping the Lord with song. In Solomon's temple, the service 
 was one of song, the book of Chronicles describing in detail the 
 arrangements made for the musical rendition of the service. We 
 are told that in the second temple, also, human voices were raised 
 in hymns in praise of God. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah 
 (Ezra ii, 6; Neh. vii, 67 and elsewhere) speak of the singing men and 
 singing women of the temple, and the Talmud tells us much about 
 the music and choirs of the temple. Indeed, the book of Psalms 
 as we possess it with the musical headings to the different psalms 
 is arranged as the hymn book used in the second temple. 
 
 To day the synagogue takes the place of the temple, the 
 synagogue in which, in the words of that spoiled child of Judaism, 
 Heinrich Heine, the praise of God rises more inspiringly from the 
 warm human breast than from cold organ pipes, (Der Rabbi von 
 Bacharach, Chap. II), the synagogue in which the service has ever 
 been a service of song. It is of this congregational singing that 
 I would speak to day, a subject of no minor importance. For it 
 is clear to the most casual observer that religious influences and the 
 practise of religious worship are becoming rarer and rarer in the home, 
 and therefore the strengthening of religious influences and of the 
 practise of religious worship among the young must be undertaken 
 more and more by the synagogue as the home becomes less and less 
 spiritual. Never before has the synagogue service been so essential 
 for the welfare of the religion as now, when it has alas! so often 
 to take the place of family worship and private devotion, besides 
 fulfilling its own function; and any element of synagogue worship 
 that can be developed to make the synagogue and its services 
 more attractive and intelligible to the rising generation should 
 command our most earnest attention. 
 
 If those whom we would wish to see in synagogue, and who 
 could attend if they would, still do not come, we must boldly confess 
 that the service makes no appeal to them that it does not interest 
 and attract them. On the great days of Rosh ha-Shana and Kippur 
 when the synagogue is thronged to overflowing, it is clear to all 
 who will see that many sit listless and mute in their places neither 
 following nor taking part in the service. 
 
 The remedy for this apathy lies close at hand. It does not 
 consist in changing the service; for this suicidal course has been 
 followed too often around us, only to find the benches emptier than 
 ever when the novelty of the experiment has worn off. But it does 
 consist in teaching the congregation to join in, nay, even to maintain
 
 the service. This is not alone possible to be done, it must be done. 
 For our liturgy has not been coldly composed to be droned in a dull 
 and colorless recitation. It bears in every line the impress of the 
 warmth and color of a musical chanting, and we Sephardic Jews 
 have always chanted the service from end to end. The traditional 
 melodies are all simple and of small range so that the least musical 
 congregant may sing them. We do not use in any one service a 
 large number of melodies, for the wisdom of past generations has 
 seen that if the whole congregation is to praise God and not sit 
 inattentive and weary while their precentor prays for them, the 
 melodies must be few, familiar and beloved. The chazan among 
 us is the praying leader of the praying congregation, not one who 
 sings elaborate music beyond the compass of the congregation, 
 nor one who prays for his congregation, for no one may engage 
 in that spiritual exercise we call prayer in the stead of another. 
 
 When, at intervals in the service, occasion demands that "the 
 beauty of holiness" should be shown by a burst of psalmody; when, 
 as at the taking out and returning the scroll of the law, the solemnity 
 of the ceremonial calls for a choral outburst, then "the pealing 
 anthem swells the note of praise," and the choir alone heightens 
 the spiritual emotion by a concord of sweet sounds. But at other 
 times the singing of the choir should not mean the stilling of the 
 congregation. It is the function of the choir to lead not to supersede 
 the congregation, to guide it by the choice of melody, key and rhythm. 
 For the congregation itself conducts, and must conduct the service, 
 the interest being maintained by the frequent chanting of responses, 
 by taking up the ends of verses and by the breaking forth into 
 snatches of sacred song, thereby giving an unending variety to 
 the recitation of our liturgy. 
 
 Your ministers therefore plan to conduct during the winter 
 a synagogue choral circle, for men, for women and for the young 
 members of the congregation. For men, so that their singing may 
 be more harmonious and reverential, more befitting the language 
 of praise. For women, because their sweet voices must also be heard 
 in worship. Was it not Miriam and the maidens who sang with 
 Moses the song of redemption at the Red Sea? Did not Deborah 
 sing with Barak a pealing song of triumph and thanksgiving? Was 
 it not the women who came forth with song to welcome the victorious 
 Saul and David? And shall we not remember Urania of the syna- 
 gogue at Worms who centuries back sang with sweet tunefulness 
 to the women worshippers ? We ask the support of the women 
 in the choral circles so that they also may swell the melodious cadence
 
 of prayer in the synagogue, and so that they may teach their children 
 to sing God's praise in the home. And above all we ask that the 
 children join their choral circle so that they may learn to know 
 and love the service, so that the psalms and hymns may become 
 familiar and beloved in their mouth, so that they may learn the 
 sublime Hebrew words and the glorious melodies of the hymnal 
 portions of our service. 
 
 Preeminently this congregation dare not shirk this duty of 
 stimulating its congregational singing. For we have been, since 
 the first Jewish settlement in this country, and are still the banner 
 bearing congregation of the continent. The Jews of America look 
 to us to learn how orthodox Judaism, traditional Judaism can and 
 should be beautiful and attractive. The beauty of our synagogue 
 building is inspirational. The spiritual beauty of our liturgy is 
 of the loftiest. The devotional beauty of our music is soul stirring, 
 and we must show the example to those around us of the religious 
 beauty of congregational worship. We owe it to the responsibility 
 of our position as the foremost congregation on the continent, and 
 we owe it to our future as a congregation to stand forth as the model 
 of a worshipping congregation, neither allowing the service to de- 
 generate into a dull and unappealing recitation robbed of the worship 
 of song, nor seduced by the cold beauty of a concert-like service 
 of exquisite music, sung not so much for the glory of God, as to excite 
 the sensual enjoyment of a mute audience, nor yet allowing true 
 congregational worship to become indecorous or disturbing. The 
 service of prayer must rise heavenwards from the warm and glowing 
 lips of a worshipping congregation. 
 
 May God be with us in this and in all our activity, strengthening 
 us to attract the growing congregation to these services where each 
 may offer his incense of sweet song to the Lord, where the soul of 
 each worshipper may rise to God, borne on the wings of song, 
 so that each may say with the Psalmist "I will sing unto the Lord 
 while I live, I will chant praises unto my God while I have being." 
 Then will this synagogue become even more a centre of blessing, 
 giving spiritual peace to those who worship within its walls, and 
 sending forth its streams of religious example and beneficence to 
 enrich the community without streams rising from the reverential 
 worship of God, the Fountain of living waters.
 
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