The music in the temple was an important element in the celebrations of the three pilgrimages, with the many pilgrims who arrived in Jerusalem
- Sukkot, Tabernacles
I brought Sukkot to Pesach because this holiday was entirely filled with joy, cheerfulness of the body and elation of the soul in terms of signs that were well involved in musical effects.
On the Sabbath she tasted the baryata, because all the days of the holiday "were full of sacrifice, song and blessing." Each and every day they would circle the altar once and say: 'Please, Jehovah, save me, please, Jehovah, please make me successful' (Psalms 25:17). Rabbi Yehuda says: "I and him are saved" (Talmud Babylon, Sukkah XNUMX p. XNUMX). And is it possible that in the Sukkah supplement (XNUMX) there appears some kind of hint about the kind of lottery of the song that they would sing on the last Tov Yom of Sukkot?!
Some believe (such as Albek in his interpretation of the Sukkah, p. 277) that this is how ("me and him") they would have thought of the words - "please God", but their meaning is not clear, and it is possible that the interpretation is: "me and him". That is, that God also, so to speak, participated in Israel's trouble and in their salvation. However, I think that there is room to disagree on this interpretation since it is inconceivable that the son of the people (the "I") would first see himself before God (the "He"). It is possible that the meaning was rooted in the foundation of the musical steering. In other words, the box "Anna God" which was played and shaded for a long time, may have undergone phonetic changes, such as were adapted to the musical pronunciation.
And the Mishnah continues: "And that day (on the seventh day of Arabah) the altar is surrounded seven times. At the time of their passing away (leaving/retiring from the altar each day) what will they say? - 'Good for you altar. Good for you altar. Rabbi Eliezer says: 'Lit and go to the altar. Lay and go to the altar. Even here these sentences look like poems, as motivated and timed sentence patterns.
The Mishna ordered that the willows would be erected on the altar and then the priests would blow the trumpets - blowing, cheering and blowing. The blowing of the trumpet was very characteristic of the holiday and was also heard during the ceremony of sprinkling the water on the altar in the following order: blowing (sharp and long), cheering (longer) and blowing, until they reached the water gate (Sukkah 9:XNUMX).
The prevalence of the burning was also shown by the testimony of Plutarch who chose to find wonderful parallels between the Sukkot ceremony and the worship of Dionysus, and it is worth recalling the Sukkot celebration held by Judah the Maccabee after the purification of the Temple in 164 BC (and later the Hanukkah ceremony), one that was imbued with distinct Greek elements. It should be noted that Plutarch wrote his testimony between the 40s of the first century AD and the 20s of the second century AD. That is, the bulk of his period corresponds to the period discussed in this chapter of my research.
Plutarch said that the Jews who entered the temple (on the day of the Arabah in the Sukkot) blew small trumpets in order to wake up the god as the priests of Dionysus used to do, and others, he continued to testify, advanced while blaring harpies. According to Plutarch, these musicians were called in the Jewish language - Levites (Levitas in his language). This is the first and only time, it should be noted, that Shloim-poets/musicians were mentioned in the testimonies of non-Jewish writers, and this is what indicates the status of music and its use in the Temple during the period in question. Plutarch went on to point out that this procession was led by the high priest, fully dressed in orange, wearing a coat of arms that reached his knees and many bells woven into the hem of the robe and ringing under it.
This testimony of Plutarch may well complete the picture that emerges from Sage sources about the musical effect during Sukkot. It is only interesting that the Sage sources ignored the presence of the high priest during the Sukkot holiday, as a typical phenomenon of the tensions that prevailed between the Levites and the priests towards the end of the days of the Second Temple, and in contrast, the image of a president in the Sanhedrin, such as Rabbi Gamliel the old man and his son in connection with the Sukkot holiday, emerges and is depicted.
Be that as it may, it was possible to learn from the Plutarchic testimony about the extent of the particular Greek-Hellenistic influence that was cast on Israel's holidays and their customs. This influence was firmly rooted in the landscape of the period in question.
In any case, the climax of the holiday was folded into the joy of the house of the Sho'eva (or "the pump" as it appears in the sources), which was held on the eve of the holiday, in the Hezra courts, when it was opened in the evening of the first day of the holiday. This lasted all night and with the call of the man, the celebrants would go to draw water from the Shiloh spring in order to agree on the altar with the constant sacrifice.
This joy received a great echo as was implied in the words of praise and departure from the mouth of the Sages in sentences such as: "Anyone who has not seen the joy of Beit HaShuava, has not seen joy in his days" from Sukkah 1:XNUMX), and that everyone who participated in this joy was blessed by the Holy Spirit. The interesting thing is that these sentences were connected by the Sages with the music performed in the Temple in ceremonies and especially with the flute, whose sounds symbolized the joy of the Sho'eva house and earned the nickname "the flute of the house (so in the text of the proviso) the Sho'eva" and the Jerusalem Talmud attributes the wonders of the flute to the wonder of David's violin, which he played Before Saul and Saul's bitter spirit departed from him.
The process of rejoicing is laid out in a very interesting description in the Mishnah, in a spectacular and eye-catching ceremony like no other when the priests and Levites lit the fire in the temple lamps, "and there was not a court in Jerusalem that did not shine with the light of the house of worship" (Sukkah 3:2-XNUMX).
Moreover, the "followers and people of action", as a circle that belonged to the world of the Pharisees and was linked in traditions to joy of life and singing, would dance before the priests who conducted the lighting ceremony. dancing and singing.
The Levites with musical instruments: violins, harps, cymbals and trumpets (!!) (Indeed yes, as mentioned above, and perhaps considering the unprecedented rebelliousness of the priestly function (the one that played the trumpets) in large numbers, they would stand for the fifteen virtues, descending from the help of Israel to the help of women , in the presence of the entire crowd that gathered in the place and filled the courtyards of the temple (Sukkah 4:XNUMX).
The priests stood at the famous and well-decorated Nicanor Gate, at the top of the structure of the XNUMXth degree, above the Levitical orchestra and its choir, "with two trumpets in their hands (and we are reminded of the famous relief of the Arch of Titus Gate in Rome). The man (the rooster) called out (as dawn broke) beat and cheered and beat (with the trumpets in their hands) (and began to descend from the steps). They reached the top of the tenth, stuck and cheered and stuck. They were stuck and walked until they reached the gate that leads to the east (with the help of women to the army on the Temple Mount and from there the priests and all the people followed them to the kind of shiloh to draw water for drinking). They reached the gate going to the east..." (ibid.). Bow and sing.
In the light of the text, it can be assumed that many symbols that stuck to the Beit HaShuaba joy ceremony, originate from a pagan ritualistic influence, the worship of the sun, as implied in the Tosefta (Shabbat 2 (XNUMX) XNUMX).
There is no doubt that such a spectacular ceremony, which was entirely steeped in musical effects, intensified the public experience of the huge public that gathered in the courtyards of the temple. This experience, like many others like it, is the one that gave a special dimension to the connection between the people and their temple.
In the celebration of Beit HaSheva, they would sing the XNUMX opening psalms in the "Shir of the virtues which...). They are Psalms XNUMX-XNUMX in the Psalms, and it is interesting to point out the connection between the XNUMX psalms and the XNUMX verses on which the Levites stood and sang.
In these songs, the people took an active part in the musical response, as a phenomenon that was considered a touchstone and the foundation of an institution in the entire musical system that operated in the temple, and especially the one that manifested itself during the holidays, when music served as an important element in forging the connection between the temple.
The wonderful ceremony that took place at night, a kind of sonic light vision, undoubtedly fascinated the eyes, ears and body in general of every viewer. Furthermore, the President's House, which happily took an active part in the acrobatic dance, served without question as an encouraging factor for the people to come and take part in the aforementioned impressive event, and was there to give official importance to the musical effects and their importance in the temple.
And I think that the entire ceremony, which ended with a mass procession to the Shiloh spring, to draw water, was similar, at least in its general lines, to the wall dedication ceremony held by Nehemiah. And if my hypothesis is not so far from the reality at that time, then we have an interesting tradition before us, one whose origin goes back hundreds of years, and which is in terms of preserving ancient rituals.
- Passover
The Passover holiday, the main part of which was the offering of the Passover sacrifice, as an expression of a first-class public/community aspect, was characterized by special musical effects. The sacrificial ceremony that was praised in the description of the Mishnah, was distinguished by the priests blowing their trumpets and the singing of the Levites and their playing of musical instruments, while they stood around in a circle. This is an interesting and significant innovation that is not reflected in the Shabbat or the Sukkot, and it means - an important cooperation between the people and the sacrifice in the temple, and this, when the priests stick and the Levites sing and play in a circle near the people who sacrifice and sacrifice, and on this subject the sources sailed in this language: "The Egyptian Passover is loaded with song And the Passover of generations is full of song" (Tosefta Pesachim 22:XNUMX). Unfortunately, we will not be able to point out which song it is about and whether the first was compatible with the last. History did not know how to tell. And perhaps, and from the Bible and later from the Passover Haggadah, we assume that this is the "song of the sea" that emanated from the throat strings of the biblical Miriam.
- the "hallel"
Apart from the musical elements that settled during the pilgrimage holidays, there was another important musical moment in which the participation of the people was manifested in a very significant way. This is the "Hillel" song. This singing, the singing of psalms XNUMX-XNUMX in the Psalms, was performed throughout the service in the temple by the Levites.
All six psalms were not always sung in sequence. Some sang the first psalms and some sang the last psalms. And it seems that the rhetorical question that was echoed in the words of the Sage: "Is it possible for Israel to slaughter their Passovers and eat their Lulaves and not say Hallel?!" (Talmud Babili Pesachim XNUMX p. XNUMX). Poetry that is "against the public", was in the opinion of a few who hold the majority and not as a teacher of a mere phenomenon, but of the encouragement of the sages and their appreciation regarding poetry in the Temple, regarding poetry that captures the entire public together. And it is interesting to compare it to passages in Enoch XNUMX (XNUMX, XNUMX, XNUMX, etc.). The "Great Hallel" highlighting the status of all the people taking part in the "Hillel".
The "Hillel" that stood out especially in Sukkot and Passover, was sung during the offering of the sacrifices. And it should be noted that the Sages tied together the "voice" - the singing of the Levites, the "mirah" - the pulpit, and the "smell" - the smell of the incense in connection with Passover. The sources mentioned in an impressive way the Passover sacrifice that was offered by the entire public in three cycles, one after the other, when the Levite choir sang the hymns of "Hillel" throughout the entire sacrifice ceremony. And if the choir has finished singing the "Hillel" and the sacrifices for the sacrifice have not yet finished, it sings the psalms once more, and even sings three times until the whole congregation has finished sacrificing. There is no doubt that this ceremony, accompanied by music, took on a very significant dimension.
Even the testimonies about the "Hillel" in Sukkot contributed to clarifying the picture, when they repeated and emphasized, directly or indirectly, the connection between public status and poetry.
Similar, and it is not a coincidence that a connection was made between the singing of the "Hallel" and the use of the flute, a connection that the sources emphasized the need and necessity of. The degree of Greek-Hellenistic influence was limited, it turns out, to the use of this tool in the religious context. And this is the fruit of the period in question. However, its sole use in connection with "Hillel" is involved in the traditions of the Land of Israel, such as those that miraculously exalted the legendary figure of Moses, as someone who contributed to the development of this musical instrument, namely the flute.
Moreover, the 30th-XNUMXth Psalms, namely the "Hallel" Psalms, evoked the exodus from Egypt and the idea of redemption as a miracle, considering an event in the center of which Moses appeared. Indeed, this idea, the idea of redemption, stood out in all three habits. And we note that the great importance that the sages attributed to the singing of the "Hallel", and within it the public torment, and the deep meaning they folded into it, a supernatural meaning, such as by the inspiration of the Shekinah, in relation to the mighty voice of Moses (and perhaps in a kind of musical competition between Moses and Pharaoh, and more such as "while Israel The praise, their voice goes up" (Midrash Shir al-Shirim Rabba XNUMX:XNUMX).
The aforementioned traditions that raised and praised the image of Moses, may have spread as a result of historical justification for the appearance of the flute in the temple. His appearance was not adjacent to the regular worship in the temple, but only to the feet. It was the only instrument they played (blow) even outside the temple. That is, at the head of each procession they celebrate that it ascended to Jerusalem as part of the three pilgrimages.
In other words, with this tool the sages made it possible to give expression to the popular public consciousness. Indeed, the flute, and we will point to this further on, to a certain degree of foreign influence, occupied an important place in Jewish public ceremonies such as marriage and mourning ceremonies, exclusively for pilgrims, also due to the reason that they sought thereby to forge the connection between the people and their temple.
It was probably on the musical level, a new connection between the folk instrument, perhaps even desert, somewhat "shepherd" and the classical singing instruments of the Levites. And even recall and emphasize the desert background of the people before their entry into Canaan.
If we ask to examine, musically, the performance of the song "Hallel" as a whole, the sheet will be too short to contain, and therefore I will only emphasize the musical emphasis that is the answer of the people, the one folded in the well-known box of "Hallelujah".
It seems that chance was not in the fact that the Sages went back and changed the custom, because the audience would respond with the "Hallelujah" box 123 times, and they even tied it to the number of years of Aaron, my brother Moshe the Karaif, and they praised its saying by saying: "Hallelujah, that the name and the praise are two In it" (Jerusalem Talmud Megillah chapter XNUMX. XNUMXb p. XNUMX).
It was a phrase that was easy to say, to think, and easy to remember - a fundamental moment embedded in every musical response and in general teaching - well rooted in the landscape of the musical meaning of the temple song.
And we will end here with an important reminder, although it is not related to the singing of the temple, but it touches the pilgrims very well - one of the more important elements of Pesach Makopel was the family Passover meals that took place in Jerusalem, and all of them were rooted in the social-public foundation.
The prominent features of the Passover meal are: the glasses of wine, which followed the meal, at its beginning and at its end - with the blessing of the food. as well as the recitation of "Hillel" in song during the meal and the recitation of the Exodus from Egypt. And, by the way, we are reminded of Jesus' last supper where the glasses of wine and the "hallel" appear.
The feast had a family character with the aim of passing on the historical heritage to the next generation. At this meal there were ministers (as Philo of Alexandria interestingly mentions) and sages ordered the duty of "Hallel", and praised, apparently, those whose voice was Arab and well versed in the melody of "Hallel". It should be noted that all the members of the household held a family "Mana".
There is no doubt that, following the dignified and elegant status held in the temple, a musical-religious atmosphere was sung even in every house and in every yard in Jerusalem, considering a phenomenon whose history was well rooted in the landscape of the period in question and which gave, at least to a certain extent, a special dimension to the entire general musical atmosphere that was expressed and revealed Pilgrimages.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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