![]() He states categorically, “Whosoever reads without melody and studies without song, to him may be applied the verse (Ezekiel 20:25): ‘Moreover I gave them laws that were not good, and rules by which they could not live”‘ (B. 279 C.E.) of the Tiberias Academy is credited with fixing the notion that it is not only customary, but required, that the reader use the proper musical chant. Rav (third century) is quoted in several Talmudic discussions as understanding Nehemiah 8:8 (in which Ezra’s public reading is described) as referring to punctuation by means of melodic cadences. ![]() 50-135 C.E.) demanded that the Torah be studied–by means of chant–on a daily basis (B. The notion of chanting the Bible was an evolving one that gradually became accepted and musically more elaborate. In fact, it is assumed that he differentiated only the beginnings, middles, and ends of verses. Exaggerating the highs, lows, and cadences of normal speech, Ezra projected the holy texts in a style caught somewhere between speaking and full-blown singing.Įzra did not read the Torah in the manner common today. Ezra stood in the marketplace surrounded by squawking chickens, braying animals, and unruly children, and competed with the sounds of life. Of course, Ezra did not have the benefit of modern acoustics, microphones, or even the undivided attention of his congregation. Learn to decipher trope, the notations used in chanting Torah and Haftarah, here or here. Market days were Mondays and Thursdays, and so, to this day, the Torah is read publicly at least three times each week. Sabbaths and festivals provided obvious opportunities so, too, did market days, when large groups would gather to buy, sell, and catch up on local news. ![]() Realizing that the people had stopped observing the laws of the Torah, Ezra took it upon himself to read portions of the Law every time he could assemble an audience. The practice goes back to the time of Ezra, when the Jewish people returned from their Babylonian exile following the destruction of the first Temple (about 510 B.C.E.). It is often referred to by the Yiddish word leyn. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help DonateĬantillation (from the Latin cantare, meaning “to sing”) is the practice of chanting from the biblical books in the Jewish canon.
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