Is Music Kosher? A History of Jewish Song in Prayer and Beyond (Part 2): Don’t Like the Chazzan? You’re Not Alone: A Brief History of the Sheliach Tzibbur
At one time, the chazzan composed new tefillot, and because there were no siddurim, fulfilled the congregation’s obligation to pray. Now, the chazzan’s role has changed; he inspires through his singing and preserves the nusach ha-tefillah. However, the
chazzan’s vocal acrobatics have sometimes drawn the ire of rabbis. This history of chazzanut explored in this class will include the Golden Age of cantorial music in the early twentieth century.
Meet the speaker
Yosef Lindell
Yosef Lindell is a lawyer, writer, and lecturer living in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and two sons. He has an MA in Jewish history from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School and a JD from NYU School of Law. For four years, he was an editor of the Lehrhaus, an online forum for Jewish thought, and now serves on its consulting editorial board.Yosef’s writing spans several genres, including science fiction, but he primarily focuses on Jewish history and…