New CD To Train Congregational Prayer Leaders

When a young boy faces the prospect of leading the congregation in prayer on Saturday mornings, the excitement is palpable but it may be dwarfed by the utter enormity of the task. It’s a skill that takes dedicated practice to master with confidence, and recently, a Chabad vocalist has stepped up to the mike at recording studios to become the world’s most patient liturgical tune tutors.

Several weeks after Passover, the most ambitious CD recording of Shabbat morning prayers will be on the market. The new 140-minute double CD set will hold over 100 tracks to allow the novice to skip to and replay specific prayer sections, says CD vocalist Mayer Rivkin, who is responsible for the project. 

The Rohr Family Foundation, known for seeding the spectacular growth of Chabad centers on college campuses and around the world, sponsored the CD production. Memories of a training program for young would-be prayer leaders in Bogota, Columbia, prompted Rohr family patriarch, businessman Sami Rohr, to underwrite the project.

“We had this wonderful program at the synagogue, where the young boys with limited traditional Jewish exposure, were encouraged to learn to lead the congregation in prayer on Shabbos morning. It was a sight to see,” said Mr. Rohr. Minimally affiliated parents of the junior cantors would attend services just to hear their boys sing. Their excitement about their sons’ feats would often carry them towards greater involvement with Jewish life. “A number of these families upon settling in the Miami area assumed leadership roles in their synagogues, encouraging activities that would involve direct participation of the young.”

In years gone by, knowledge of liturgical tunes was handed down from father to son or to congregants who learned through years of listening to the nuances of a seasoned prayer leader or baal tefillah. Today the growth spurt in Chabad congregations in particular and traditional Jewish synagogues in general, has driven the demand for able prayer leaders. “New communities cannot wait for a professional baal tefillah. By training children now, we ensure the continuation of a centuries-old Jewish tradition,” said Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman, director of Kehot Publication Society which distributes a selection of CDs in the Learning to Lead category.

Chabad’s way in prayer is not to be confused with its trill and arpeggio laden cousin, Chazzanut, or Cantorial. Chabad tunes and songs are simple, minimalist, as the prayer leader is to be a representative of the congregation, not a performer. The complexity lies in the pronunciation of the words. CD vocalist Mayer Rivkin and musical arranger Zalman Goldstein frequently stopped cold in the middle of recordings to double check syllable stresses and word pronunciation. “The grammar that dictates the pronunciation is central to the meaning of the words. We approached this project knowing it would be used by Jews from all walks of life, and we devoted ourselves to making the details one-hundred percent correct,” said Rivkin. Rivkin is one of the prayer leaders at The Shul at Bal Harbour in Surfside, FL, where Sami Rohr is a founding member and benefactor. Rohr tapped Rivkin for the recording after listening to “Expressions of the Soul,” Rivkin’s CD of Chabad songs.

Rivkin and Goldstein looked to the classic recordings created by Eli Lipsker in their decision to include musical accompaniment even though playing instruments is not part of the Shabbat and holiday services at traditional synagogues. “It makes the tapes pleasant to listen to and helps the mind grow accustomed to the tunes,” said Rivkin. Back in the eighties, when Lipsker set out to record the liturgy for Shabbat, high holidays and festivals, he received guidance from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. In this age of CD and MP3, Lipsker’s recordings still whirl in the tape decks of bar mitzvah boys, young Chabad rabbis and not-so-young aspiring prayer leaders. “It gives me great pleasure that the tapes have been able to help people lead communities around the world,” said Lipsker.

The new CD is just the first phase in Rohr’s vision for a new cadre of prayer leaders. Details are still being finalized, but The Shul of Bal Harbour may soon be graced with young prayer leaders at the podium on Shabbat morning services on a monthly basis. It’s an important first step, said The Shul’s spiritual leader Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar. “It is essential for youngsters to be imbued with the knowledge that prayer is the foundation of Torah and Mitzvos in their entirety, and the first step in approaching the service of G-d must be through prayer.”