Barber, Srolic

I am different from the swaying men, but not any different than how You created me. I cannot read the holy books, and cannot sing their songs, but I have my own song, and I will sing it for You.

How can a 5,000-year-old heritage still leave one man feeling so distant, so estranged?

One whispers, G‑d’s voice audible from within the cherub’s wings. His words silence the howl of the storm. I Am with you now more than ever before. You are my only; never shall we part.

How to save her people from the royal decree? She had to visit the king. She knew it to be the only way. But how could she? She hadn’t seen the king in recent days, and who knows what his mood would be?

The street corner was busy. Too busy. There was certainly no place for G‑d in this scene.

The purpose of the niggun is to break the boundaries of definitive meaning. By containing no words, the song allows the singer to embrace the tune as he understands, his intuition coloring his comprehension. The melody is no longer a story told by others;...