Adonai b'kol shofar,...This beautiful liturgical poem in the Sephardic tradition is recited before the blowing of the shofar. God is exalted with the clarion call of the shofar: Tekiyah, Shevarim, Teruah. The sound of teruah, nine staccato blasts in the Ashkenazic tradition, is a long, wavy tone but it's unbroken. In preparation for hearing the shofar blasts, the men would cover their heads with their tallitot (prayer shawls). Today, women who wear tallitot can do that, too! After the blessing for blowing the shofar is recited, and before the first blowing of the shofar only, the congregation in Calcutta would sit instead of remaining standing, "to confuse the accuser,” Satan. Listen here to Hon Tahon, a song for the second day of Rosh Hashanah: We stand trembling before God, asking for mercy, beseeching God to seal us upon God's heart. https://www.google.com/search?rls=aso&client=gmail&q=YouTube%20Hon%20Tahon%20Rahel%20Musleah&authuser=0 The song is recorded on my CD, Hodu: Jewish Rhythms from Baghdad to India. Thanks to Alan Iny for singing with me. You can order the CD here: www.rahelsjewishindia.com |
AuthorRahel Musleah was born in Calcutta, India, the seventh generation of a Calcutta Jewish family that traces its roots to 17th-century Baghdad. Categories |