“Words” from the Rabbi
A Message From Rabbi David Gaffney
The author of the 149th Psalm offers what may well be a defining description of our congregation, The Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue. The psalm begins — and I paraphrase — “Halleluyah, sing a new song to the Lord: God’s name is praised in the company of warm and caring, sensitive and thoughtful congregants.” This is what we, as a congregation, aspire to be. To be part of our synagogue is to be part of a larger collective Self that has the experience of 40 centuries and has extracted from that experience the wisdom and values, the sprit and inspiration to help inform our personal and social lives. To be part of our synagogue is not only to enjoy uplifiting services; it is to discover for ourselves from Torah discussions and classes what is important and sacred and how to find strength to help us cope with life’s challenges.
To be part of our synagogue means to be part of a caring congregation and to share with others the opportunities of growing Jewishly and humanly. It means an intimate circle with whom we can experience the joy and celebration of Jewish life.
To be part of our synagouge is to attach oneself to the Jewish heritage and to raise to lofty significance the great milestones of our life, to keep alive our people's most treasured memories and to nurture and act on our faith in the possiblities of a time of justice and peace by living out the imperative of gemillat hesed-acting compassionately and humanely.
Please consider this an invitation to contact me for any information and/or to visit us at services. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you. Come and help us create a community that "sings a new song to the lord."
“Notes” from the Hazzan
A Message from Hazzan Bat-Ami Moses
The Hebrew word “hazzan” stems from the word “hazah,” to see or “hazon,” which is defined as “vision.” It is a great honor and privilege to be able to carry out my “hazon,” my vision of the cantorate here at CSFA.
Being a Hazzan is a beautiful synthesis of everything I aspire to do and be. It is a gateway to a way of life focusing on a combination of all my passions; Judaism, prayer, teaching, and music. I want to empower, inspire, and ignite all of these passions in you and other people who may be seeking a spiritual and observant lifestyle. It is my sincere hope to be a role model who leads with enthusiasm, integrity, and humility, guided by Jewish morals, values and ideals.
Rabbi David Wolpe writes, “Poetry and song in Hebrew are expressed by the same word, shir. The lyric and the lyre can catch the current of the human soul. Words are powerful but music stirs the soul.” I have chosen to take on the role of Hazzan because I yearn to stir souls, to elevate people to their own personal and collective prayer and healing through the powerful languages of music and liturgy intertwined. It is my hope to merge these two languages into one, communicating our loftiest praises, emoting our deepest supplications, expressing our fears, pleas and requests with a sense of understanding and urgency to the Divine.
Yehuda Halevy, the great Hebrew poet wrote to Zion that he was a “harp for all your songs.” Together as a community, may we each hear our own individual harps that accompany our collective song.
|
