Divine Doorkeepers and Music that Opens - Hapotei'ach Video
Hapotei'ach - הַפּוֹתֵחַ
Hapotei'ach Featuring Ayo Awosika
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Rabbi Josh Warshawsky and the Chaverai Nevarech Band
Guest Teachers!
As we spotlight each of the melodies, I invite you to learn from the words of some of my teachers and mentors throughout the years. I am only where I am today because of the help and guidance I have received from them. They have supported me - offered advice, honest critique, suggestions, wisdom, and Torah. I asked a few of my teachers if they would be willing to share words of Torah and Kavanah (intention) about the music and the texts from Chaverai Nevarech Vol. II. A short bio will follow each post. Thank you to my teachers - you have made me who I am!
Rav Todot (much gratitude) and Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Wonder, Cycles, and the Power of Prayer by Eliana Light
"Divine Doorkeeper
Opening the gates of the east each day
Flinging Open the Windows of the sky
You lead the sun out from her dwelling
And welcome the moon from her house"
-Rabbi Jill Hammer
The music begins as a rhythmic constant, steady and flowing, before reaching, expanding, and exploding like a brilliant sun. We put our people’s ancient prayers to music because music evokes. Just as a film score nudges our emotions, an intentional melody can help guide our minds to an image and our hearts to a home. My dear friend and poet Alexander Nemser once told me that poetry is “an attempt to put into words that which cannot be put into words.” To me, this is also prayer. To me, this is also music.
How does it feel to watch the sun rise each morning? That constant, steady regularity can make it seem like an everyday, even boring, occurrence. But add some poetry, add some music, and you can seed a sense of wonder. You know in your mind that there is no gate, there is no door. That it is the earth that spins around. Does it matter, though, in the end? Can we let our minds open up to that sense of wonder? Just because something happens every day, and we know why and how, does not make it any less miraculous.
So, I’ll ask again. How does it feel to watch the sun rise each morning? That sense of newness, of grace, of awe? The colors, the wind, the earth? You could explain it to me until you passed out from exhaustion and I would still not feel what you feel. We are different beings with our own life journeys, experiences, and ideas. Yet we are still moved to share, to connect, to be one. So we make art, and we sing from our souls, and we pray. The prayers give voice to the grandeur of life, nudging us towards wonder, and the more wonder we see, the more prayer we voice back. It is an energetic, emotional, and unending cycle- much like the sun and the moon in their dance across the expansive sky.
Eliana Light envisions a joyful, vibrant, heart-centered Judaism that speaks to the soul and moves the spirit, reminding us that we all are One. She offers professional development to educators, clergy, and lay leaders to elevate and deepen their prayer gatherings, allowing them to offer more meaningful experiences to more people. She is also a sought-after songwriter and performer of catchy, content-rich tunes for all ages, has put out three albums of original music, and is the founder and co-host of the Light Lab Podcast. Eliana received her Master’s in Jewish Education from the Davidson school at JTS in 2016 and is based in Durham, North Carolina.
The Light Lab Podcast
Have you heard? We started a podcast! Join in on the conversations with Eliana Light and Cantor Ellen Dreskin wherever you find your podcasts. We're already on episode 9 (!!) so be sure to check them all out and subscribe.
Stream Chaverai Nevarech Vol. II wherever you find your music by clicking here!