Shabbat Shira today marks the beginning of Jewish Music Season. Originally, the designation of this special Shabbat referred to the reading of the Song at the Sea with its special melody as part of the Torah reading and the chanting of the Song of Deborah as the Haftarah.
As Jewish music has proliferated and diversified during the last century and especially in the last few decades, both here and in Israel, it has become a reflection of the influences of the Diaspora on Jewish culture and the polyglot nature of the State of Israel as it has absorbed Jews from around the world who brought with them their own musical traditions.
Below is a small taste of my playlist which I share with you as an invitation to listen to these superbly talented Jewish musicians. The songs run the gamut from playful to serious, each touching a different aspect of the Jewish reality, past and present. Doug Mishkin uses the imagery of the Crossing of the Sea as a paradigm for the struggle for liberation. Neshama Carlebach’s beautiful version of Yehi Shalom reflects the abiding hope for peace. Optimism for the future, even in the face of loss, underlies Shir Lismoach (Malki’s Song) by Yishai Lapidot & Yehuda!. Rick Recht and Aviva Chernick offer us contemporized expressions of passages from Tehillim (The Book of Psalms).
Jewish Music Month Song List
Make Those Waters Part – Doug Mishkin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3LubI2tHlI
Halleluyah – Rick Recht
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thn18fmCEyE
L’chu N’ranena – Aviva Chernick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvu6G_qSBos
Lift – The Josh Nelson Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQKS5sRbqMg
Shir Lismoach (Malki’s Song) – Yishai Lapidot & Yehuda!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFrE3fG9Ee0
Yehi Shalom – Neshama Carlebach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH3PnspPdwE
Eyal Golan – Am Yisrael Chai (Hebrew + English Subtitles)
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