Seasons of Light 2

As I mentioned in my last blog, Master Chorus Eastside’s upcoming Seasons of Light concert in December takes as its theme both Christmas and Chanukah, and devotes perhaps a third of the performance to Abraham Kaplan’s intriguing new work, Eight Days of Chanukah.  Like many non-Jews I know very little about Chanukah, so this concert has become an opportunity to discover more about this holiday and how Kaplan’s work fits into it.

The Chanukah ceremony commemorates the rededication of the Temple during the second century B.C.E. and the miracle of the oil-fed candle that burned for eight days (See my previous blog for a thumbnail of this history).   It centers on the lighting of a nine-branched menorah instead of the seven-branched menorah of ancient Jewish worship.

For the holiday, in late November or December (the date is flexible because of the lunar Jewish calendar), the menorah is prominently displayed in a window or even outside the house for all to see.  As evening falls on each of the eight nights, a new candle is added to the menorah, from right to left, and the ninth candle, which stands higher than the others, is used to light each one.  Family participation is considered essential to the ceremony.

On the first night of Chanukah three prayers are recited; each begins “Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam,” which means “Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of all…”  The third prayer, which goes on to say “…for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season” is only recited on the first night.  The other two are each recited on the remaining eight nights; they bless God for providing his law and his miracles.

After the candles are lit, Maoz Tzur, or Rock of Salvation, is sung, an ancient acrostic poem (the first letters of each stanza combine to spell the poet’s name, Mordechai) that praises God for the many times he has saved Israel from her enemies.

And often another song is sung as well, Hanerot Halalu (These Candles).  I found a delightful blog by a Rabbi Perkins

 http://rabbiperkinsaliyah.blogspot.com/2012/12/hanerot-halalu-and-mitzvah-to-enjoy.html

who shares an interesting insight.  Hanerot Halalu says that the Chanukah candles are not to be made use of—as light for doing work for example—but simply enjoyed for at least 30 minutes after being lit.  The religious obligation is not to do, but simply to be!  What a wonderful way to observe a festival.

Kaplan opens his collection with songs set to these age-old traditional texts, melodies which themselves seem to have wafted out of the past.  He then explores five Chanukah poems, old and new: from 11^th-century Spain, 20^th-century Morocco, 19^th-century Egypt, 19^th-century Syria, and a final jolly, almost tipsy number with a 12^th-century text that exhorts all to feast freely on the Sabbath of Chanukah.  Kaplan’s set is obviously meant for concert performance, and yet it is easy to imagine a family gathered around the candles, singing of their heritage.

Although Chanukah may not be part of the heritage of all our listeners, perhaps during our hectic Christmas season we can all learn from the Chanukah lights to simply be!

Dr. Linda Gingrich

Artistic director and conductor

Master Chorus Eastside