One of the cardinal areas that highlighted the image of the second temple was the pilgrimage three times a year. The Ascensions, both as a framework and as a means, in which the many areas of the people's attachment to his temple were expressed and revealed. Much of the music in the temple focused on these days of pilgrimage
As mentioned, in this section, I will try to emphasize the special contexts between the music and the holidays, in order to highlight one of the important roles of temple music, as a significant element in shaping the relationship between the people of Israel and their temple. And naturally, since the pilgrimage is the one around which music mainly comes to expression and discovery, we will open the topic of our discussion with it.
a) Pilgrimage
One of the cardinal areas that highlighted the image of the second temple was the pilgrimage three times a year. The Ascensions, both as a framework and as a means, in which the many areas of the people's attachment to his temple were expressed and revealed.
Beginning with the end of the Hasmonean period, evidence of immigration from Israel and the Diaspora multiplied. But the news from the days of King Herod and onward until the destruction of the Second Temple stood out in particular. Revivos-revivos of immigrants have become part of the essence of the city of Jerusalem and the proven means of strengthening the ties between the people and its capital and its temple.
The people come to the temple not only to bring their sacrifices, but also to witness the service of God, to see the service of the priests, to listen to the singing of the Levites and their music, to participate in the musical procession, to watch the entire sanctuary and more.
The sources testifying to the tradition of temple life, listed among the miracles performed for our ancestors in the temple - "standing crowded and bowing spirits" (Misnath Avot 5:XNUMX). This tradition should be seen against the background of the crowding of the people in the courtyards of the temple and during the singing of the psalms and the experience with the blowing of the trumpets on each and every chapter of the day's psalm. Admittedly, these acts were performed in the temple every day in connection with the constant worship, but the work on the holiday took on more glory and splendor.
During the holidays, additional sacrifices were made, and these meant: greater use of music, and the Mishna, which counted at least 21 trumpet blasts in the temple every single day, emphasized that during the holidays - at least 48 blasts took place. However, it is not only a matter of more musical use, but also of a more varied, multi-faceted use.
What is special about the Passover sacrifice, in the laws of Sukkah and Shavuot - the whole people took an active part in the work, in the ceremonies, and because of this the experience and the musical atmosphere in the temple reached its peak.
An expression of the connection between the people and their temple was founded in the "classes", which are the representatives of the people in offering the sacrifices, and their importance was great during the pilgrimage dates. Another expression of this was summed up in raising half the shekel to the temple by every person from Israel, in Israel and in the Diaspora, as an action that is unique to one of the pilgrims.
All these and many other expressions only strengthened the connection between the people and the temple and the people received adequate compensation in the form of a musical experience that settled in their hearts and its mark remained in the tradition, and it seems that the connection between the music and the holidays was two-way, considering - no knife is sharpened but by its friend's hip, considering the mutual contribution of the two elements , which gave both the music and the holidays a special dimension.
We will end our introduction with a tradition, although it is relatively late, which adds a significant connection between music and pilgrimages: "Prophesies, his voice was beautiful and he would go up to Jerusalem, and all Israel would gather to hear his voice. Once he did not ascend and the same witnesses testified about him, the sons of Belial, he was lost (and will be lost) from the world. Who made him? Because he did not go up to Jerusalem as a witness to honor Yahweh from what he had in store..." (Posikta Rabati 22:XNUMX). "From what we gifted", we were a gift from heaven, with musical skills gifted by God. And if his place is missing, for some reason, it is seen as a betrayal of the role that God intended for him. Moreover, this midrash shattered any dream, by alluding to the fact that one of the points of attraction for the pilgrimage was folded into the musical experience. Although a legendary midrash has been added to this midrash, as is the custom in most midrashmes, in its foundation, as is found in most midrashmes, lies an interesting historical kernel.
Raising the firstborn/weeks
I chose to open Aaliyah for this holiday because many signs that were expressed in the raising of the firstborn were also characteristic of Sukkot and Passover, although they were not explicitly mentioned in connection with these two holidays. What's more, that the first-born would be brought not only on the holiday of Shavuot, but also on the holiday of Sukkot, when they would make the pilgrimage.
The Mishnah, which teaches, among other things, that the Bekurim "are loaded with sacrifice and song" (Bekurim 4:XNUMX), highlighted in this way the need for music and the relationship between music and the sacrifices.
In the Tanait tradition we do not preserve a description of the pilgrimage, but in the Mishnat Bikurim we have a nice and detailed description of the raising of the firstborn. It seems that this description shocked, at least in its general lines, even the other pilgrimages. This description painted the picture of all the towns in the "status" that gathered in the main city of the province and we went to it and in the morning all the baggage left in a convoy towards Jerusalem with singing on its lips. And so the mishna went on to describe: "Those who are close (to Jerusalem) bring figs and grapes, and those who are far away bring groats and raisins, and the bull walks before them with his horns covered in gold and an olive crown on his head (as is the Greek custom to honor the winner of the Olympic Games, or rather at the head of the celebrants). The flute (also according to the Hellenic custom) blows in front of them until they get close to Jerusalem" (Mishnat Bikurim 2:XNUMX). The Sages of the Sanhedrin, by the way, did not wave at the hands of the keepers of the above-mentioned custom regarding a concession to the people who saw it as a "Mitzvah Compilation".
The continuation of the conditional ceremony makes it clear that the immigrants who arrived close to Jerusalem, sent a messenger to inform the people of Jerusalem of their arrival, while decorating their first fruits with beautiful fruits. This was due to the fact that caravans would arrive in Jerusalem from places near and far, and this contained a danger of chaos and loss of control, which is why the leaders made various regulations that would regulate the proper course of the ceremony in relation to each caravan and convoy, including regulations for regulating the musical performance. Before us, then, is an institution that our core was based on rituals that existed for a long time.
With the arrival of the angel, the messenger, who announced the arrival of the caravan, the leaders of Jerusalem and the dignitaries of the officials in the temple went out to meet the immigrants and with them all the local artisans, asking how the immigrants were doing.
And the Mishnah continues - "The flute blows before them until they reach the Temple Mount. They reached the Temple Mount, even Agrippa (the first/second) the king took the basket on his shoulder and entered (the Temple) until he came to help. He came to help and the Levites spoke (musically) in song: 'Praise you, O Lord, because you have made me happy, and you have not made my enemies happy' (Psalm 2:XNUMX)."
The memorial of the Hasmonean king Agrippa (probably the second) contributes to the dating of the course of the ceremony. That is, as we saw above regarding the privileges for poets and in relation to other temple vessels. Before us is the description of the ceremony as its rules and practices were formulated towards the end of the days of the Second Temple.
Moreover, there is no doubt that the involvement of Beit Agrippa contributed to the pomp and splendor of the ceremony. However, for our purposes, we can argue that the psalm sung by the Levites, i.e. Psalm L in Psalms, was known as the central psalm that distinguished the bringing of the firstborn, and it seems that there was also a musical response of the people participating in the bringing of the firstborn, for both the song of the Levites and the song of the pilgrims, not only emphasized in the Mishnah, Rather, it settled down in a different tradition - "'and you rejoiced' in all kinds of joys - 'in all the good' - this is the song" (Separi, Ki Tibova 320, p. XNUMX). In other words, before us is a musical establishment that involves a musical performance and probably many repetitions of the musical arrangement.
In the tradition of sages there are various testimonies about the songs of the pilgrims. In the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, the first-born were among the first-born who sang a psalm in the Psalms and its language: "All the soul shall praise him, Hallelujah" (verse 1), and this testimony is supported by the words of the Tana Rabbi Halfata ben Shaul who preceded Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi in this language: "On the road they would say: I am happy saying to me: 'We will go to the house of Jehovah' (Psalms 1:2). In Jerusalem they used to say: 'Our feet were standing at the gates of Jerusalem' (ibid., 1). On the Temple Mount they would say: 'Hallelujah Yah, Hallelujah God in his holiness' (ibid. KN 5). In Ezra they would say: 'All the soul shall praise him' (Ibid. XNUMX)".
And by the way, to know that verses such as the above are sung on Seder night, every sect, every "tribe" according to the formula of the tune of the verses, in fact to this day, and it is exciting to emphasize the musical gliding from that time to this day.
For his mercy endures forever
Many other psalms were known that were used by the Olim, such as XNUMX, XNUMX, XNUMX, XNUMX and XNUMX, which we cannot determine if they were specifically attributed to Shavuot, however, even if so, we are not prevented from mentioning and highlighting them. On the contrary, since many hymns were common to all the Aliyahs. It is also possible to say that psalms or parts of psalms will be dedicated to certain cities in the Land of Israel, in order to diversify the psalms themselves and create, in general, a rich musical atmosphere.
According to the New Testament, Jesus was promoted upon his entry into Jerusalem with palms, and those who walked before him and those who followed him cheered: "Hosanna, please, Son of David, welcome in the name of Jehovah." Be saved in my name" (Matthew 9:XNUMX). These boxes are taken from the Kich psalm in the Psalms, which was probably also used as a psalm in welcoming the pilgrims.
This psalm was clarified in the midrash, in an ancient tradition of dialogue, while the musical ritual, the responsorial, between the pilgrims and the residents of Jerusalem stood out in this language:
The people of Jerusalem say from the inside, the people of Judah say from the outside
(from Jerusalem) (outside Jerusalem)
Please Yahweh save her please ……… Please Yahweh make her successful please
Welcome in the name of Jehovah ……… We bless you from the house of Jehovah
To Jehovah and enlighten us ………. Ban a holiday in the thickets
up to the foundations of the altar
You are to me and I will send you ……… my God and your exaltation
The people of Jerusalem and the people of Judah open their mouths and praise God and say: 'Give thanks to Jehovah for he is good, for his mercy is forever.'"
Despite the similarities between this picture and the Sukkot holiday, it is not certain that it is actually a Sukkot. It is about a procession of celebrants who came as one, holding thick branches and reaching the altar. And if we accept this interpretation, we will have to assume that not only the firstborn bearers carried their firstborn up to the altar, but also the pilgrims in the three pilgrimages, all who entered as a congregation were received with the singing of the Levites, and the celebrants also responded with singing and came all the way to the altar, up to the place where the Israelites were allowed to approach (according to Mishnat Firstborn III 3).
Either way, the pilgrimage was steeped in musical effects: both instrumental and vocal. And it is believed that each group of immigrants would make sure that a number of people with a dominant musical voice and proper musical ability, a kind of small choir, an urban choir, would stand at the head of it. Lest there even have been petty folk competitions between the groups of immigrants, an examination of the jealousy of writers of wisdom, as the same practice that has prevailed for years in different countries, in different cultures and is folded into the status of marches and marches among military units or older citizens as well as teenagers.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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you are welcome. I was happy
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