WHO IS THE IDEAL LEADER OF JEWISH PRAYER?
Because leadership of prayer is a highly charged role and carries huge responsibility, the leader of prayer can inspire a community or leave it cold. Therefore, the leader of prayer is ideally involved in the study of Hebrew liturgical texts, their meaning and the spirit behind them, the structure and flow of each service. He/she is a sensitive person with a love of God, Jewish teaching and community, responsible for transmitting the beautiful and profound musical traditions of nusach (liturgical chant), cantillations, ancient melodies, motifs and songs that make up the Jewish people’s prayer heritage and the spiritual intentions behind them – and is always searching for freshness in expression of prayer and music! Beyond all else, the leader of Jewish prayer is continually soul-searching and hungry to learn, enabling congregants to share his/her devotions in a way that will touch their hearts, inspiring in them a deep love of God, their heritage and their community.
