By Arlene S. Moskowitz, JD and Joel A. Moskowitz, MD
LA JOLLA, California –A prescription for Jews: Singing is good for your health, spiritual and physical. At the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting at the San Diego Convention Center, there was a section that emphasized the benefits of music. New findings: …. “that musicians have an enhanced ability to integrate sensory information from hearing, touch and sight.” “The age at which musical training begins affects brain anatomy. Beginning before age seven has the greatest impact.” Gottfried Schlaug MD PhD of Harvard Medical School, an expert on music, neuroimaging, brain plasticity at press conference said “intense musical training at different stages of life…impacts creativity, cognition and learning.”
As a couple, we listened with more than reportorial interest. Arlene is a soprano and a cantorial soloist, while Joel has participated as a bass in many choral groups (secular and religious including Christian). Our informal observation, from being active in various Jewish denominations, is that when worshiping, Jews, unlike Christians, act as if their role is simply to be an appreciative, but passive, audience as the Cantor and/or choir perform the lyrical prayers.
Joel once wrote about how his father violated the injunction not to travel on the Sabbath to hear famous cantors despite having no ‘voice’ himself. And Arlene’s father was in the choir that sang along with Cantor Moshe Kusivitzky. We’ve noted that in the secular choirs with which we have sung, most of our fellow singers, who are Christians, have a long history of singing in church. Their singing as children was stimulated by the fact that at some churches they could find a hymnal in at almost every seat, whereas at other churches they saw the words of the hymns projected for all to see. Furthermore, many churches have skilled organists to stimulate participation, and sometimes violinists and maybe a whole small orchestra.
On the other hand, in shuls, perhaps because of a lack of familiarity with the Hebrew language, congregants typically sit quietly as in a theatre. Some will tap their fingers with the music. It seems to us that the more Reform the congregation is, the less their voices will be lifted in song. Hassidic congregations, perhaps more acquainted with Hebrew, are more at ease with the passionate expression of their love for Judaism. Their congregants typically will sing with gusto although frequently without attention to the music. Messianic Jewish congregations, with their mix of Christians, are somewhere in the middle with their vocalization of the prayer liturgy.
Perhaps there is a historical reason for the “non-participation” of Jews. After the destruction of the Temple and the onset of the subsequent diaspora of the Jews, a consensus developed that the loss was so great that music and singing seemed out of place, almost blasphemous. This prohibition, in some cases, even extended to singing outside of religious services. Some Jewish parents fear that secular lyrics are antithetical to their beliefs.
Nevertheless, it is not too late to experience the benefits of music. Music therapy is one of the most common treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
With the therapeutic benefits of singing, Jewish congregations of all movements should consider encouraging congregants to greater musical participation.
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The Moskowitzes live in La Jolla and perform with choirs throughout San Diego County and beyond. They may be contacted via joel.moskowitz@sdjewishworld.com