A New Dayeinu
鈥淒ayeinu,鈥� composed by
from the Passover Cantata V鈥檋igad鈥檛a L鈥檝incha (And you shall tell your child)
Performed by the Syracuse Children鈥檚 Choir, Barbara Tagg, conductor
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How many acts of kindness God has performed for us! |
铿伙讛 诪址注植诇讜止转 讟讜止讘讜止转 诇址诪指拽讜止诐 注指诇值讬谞铿�! |
As we progress through the cycle of Torah readings, we come to associate certain stories with a particular time of year: the creation story in early fall, Joseph and his brothers later in that season, the revolt of Korah in the summer. The story of this week鈥檚 Torah reading, however, has a double life in the course of the year: we associate it with the winter when we read the parashah in the cycle, but it also becomes the focus of our spring Pesah celebration in a few months. In the Torah, the Israelites celebrate their deliverance by singing Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, their grand poem of thanks for liberation. Of course, Judaism has since then built up an extensive liturgy related to the liberation from Egypt, most centrally found in the Hagaddah, our family and community liturgy for Pesah.
When the Syracuse Children鈥檚 Choir commissioned me to compose a piece for them, I decided to write a piece based on selections from the Haggadah, focusing on the themes of passing the story from one generation to the children of the next generation, and on our gratitude for deliverance from slavery. 鈥�Dayeinu鈥� was an obvious choice for one of the movements, as it summarizes the entire expanse of the Exodus story from the outlook of giving thanks: 鈥�Dayeinu鈥搃t would have been enough for us.鈥� It is often a challenge, but ultimately a delight, to give gratitude for all the blessings we receive, no matter how large or small. This version of Dayeinu selects key verses to create a joyous dance of thanks and celebration. 鈥淒ayeinu鈥� will also be performed by HaZamir: The International 绿帽社 High School Choir at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, April 3, 2016.
May we have gratitude, in the spirit of Dayeinu, as we read the parashah this week and when we sit at the seder in April.
