When I stood up to sing this chant for the Jewish high holy days as the tenor lay cantor in a large reform synagogue, my mind immediately went to the English translation. "Light is sown for the righteous, and for the upright in heart." "Or zarua la tsadik, ulzichrai lev simcha" in the Hebrew. I can hear the chant in my mind today, clearly!
Cantorial music was my life, I loved singing it. As I stated in a previous article, I lived to sing. I studied for opera, but being a cantor was my goal. The chants were so pervasive. Preparing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur was a bear, but I loved it!
Simply singing the chants always gave me a surge. The rabbi's message always moved me; I could hear it clearer because the cantors and the choir were not far from him. The high holy days were special, but to sing for them was extra special.
