THE MUSICAL LITURGY OF SHALOSH REGALIM - PART II, SHAVUOT AND SUKKOT: LITURGY AND MUSIC - Einzelansicht

The semester course is designed as the second part of the yearly course on the musical liturgy of Shalosh Regalim – The Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Its purpose is to provide a general introduction to the liturgy of the Three Festivals and a survey of the liturgy and music for the Festivals of Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles). The prayer-chants and melodies will be discussed with reference to the structure of the liturgy and the customs (Minhagim) that accompany it. Reform and Conservative customs and texts will be discussed during the relevant classes. The musical Nusach will follow both Eastern European and German traditions as needed. The course is divided into 10 Lessons which will be given over 14 weekly class-sessions. Some lessons will take up one class-session or more while others will be shorter. Lesson 1: Introduction to the Feast of Shavuot • Shavuot as an Agricultural Feast • The Ceremony of Bikkurim (the First Fruits) in the Temple • The Celebration of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah) and its Merger with the Agricultural Feast • The Minhagim (Customs) of the Holy Day Lesson 2: The Eve of Shavuot, its Liturgy and Chants • The Maariv Service with its Piyyutim (Sacred Poems) • The Ten Commandments in the Maaravot of Shavuot • Tikkun Leils Shavuot (Studying Torah on the Night of Shavuot Lesson 3: Morning Services of Shavuot, their Liturgy and Chants • Shacharit Service and its Poetry (Yotzerot) • The Azharot in the Shacharit and Musaf Amidah • Reading the Book of Ruth Before the Torah Service • The Poem of Akdamut and its Chants, and the Poem Yatziv Pitgam • Reading the Ten Commandments in the Taam Elyon Lesson 4: The Confirmation Ceremony in Liberal Synagogues • The Christian Origins of the Confirmation Ceremony • The Confirmation Replacing Bar-Mitzvah Ceremony • Order of the Jewish Confirmation in Germany and in the USA. • Hymns for the Confirmation • Returning to the Bar-Mitzvah Celebration Lesson 5: Introduction to the Feast of Sukkot • Sukkot as an Agricultural Feast • The Sukkah and its Divine Guests: The Ceremony of Entering the Sukkah • The Four Species (Arbaat HaMinim) and Their Ceremony • The Maariv Service on the Eve of Sukkot and its Maaravot Lesson 6: Special Ceremonies for Sukkot Morning Services • Shaking the Lulav during the Hallel Psalms • Special melodies for "Schüttel Hodu" • The Hoshaanot Procession and its chants • Reading the Book of Koehlet (Ecclesiastes) Lesson 7: Simchat Beit HaShoeva (Memorial Ceremony for the Water Libation) • The Dispute over the Ceremony of the Water Libation During the Second Temple • Possible Origins for the Ceremony • The Establishment of the Memorial Ceremonies During the 17th Century • Simchat Beit Ha-Shoeva Ceremonies Today Lesson 8: Hoshaana Rabbah and Its Prayers • The Complex Nature of Hoshaanah Rabbah • The Special Mix of Various Nusach Chants for Hoshaana Rabbah • The Seven Hakafot for Hoshaana Rabbah and the Beating of the Willows Lesson 9: Shmini Atzeret – The Eighth Day of Sukkot • The Celebration of Shmini Atzret in the Diaspora • Special Piyyutim for the Eve and the Day of Shmini Atzeret • The Prayers for Rain and their Chants Lesson 10: Simchat Torah (Rejoicing over the Torah) and its Celebration • The History of the Holy Day • The Hakafot Ceremony on the Eve of Simchat Torah and in the Morning • The Secondary Hakafot • The Special Torah Reading for Simchat Torah • Honoring Chatan Torah and Chatan Bereshit • The Jahr-Kaddish on Simchat Torah as a Symbol of Summarizing the Liturgical Year