Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wait, shul isn't over yet!
Most shuls that I have attended on shabbos morning have the minhag to conclude davening with Adon Olam. The Tefillah Adon Olam is one of my favorites because it talks about how Hashem is in charge of the world and we don’t need to worry or be afraid because Hashem is always there for us. Which is why it’s so sad that most shuls mumble it quickly, and half the shul barely says it at all. Perhaps because it is usually led by a kid or maybe because it’s the end and people are in a rush to get out, but either way people don’t take it seriously. My view is if you’re going to sing it, sing it, and if not, not. But the half-hearted mumbling is just not cool. Also in many shuls they make annoucements before Adon Olam, so people are already in the mindset that shul is over. Maybe we should wait to make annoucements after Adon Olam. Why do shuls make annoucements before Adon Olam anyway?
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I daven nusach Sefard, so no Adon Olam. But this past week I was in a shul that davened nusach Ashkenaz, and I can report they gave a lively rendition of Adon Olam. There is hope!
ReplyDeleteGood to know there is hope!!
ReplyDeleteYou have a good point about announcements before Adon Olam - since that really does open a window of opportunity for people to talk. It is a double-edged sword though, because the reason they make announcements then (presumably) is because people are still paying attention from the previous part of davening (usually the shir shel yom - which it seems most everyone says) - and in so grabbing their attention, the shul organizers/gabbai "shoot themselves in the foot" for Adon Olam.
ReplyDeleteI saw that the gabbai at the Carlebach minyan has tried to remedy this by making his last announcement something to the extent of "and please refrain from talking until the end of Adom Olam." It doesn't always work (at least not completely), but I think it has helped a bit. They also change their tune every week - using the 2nd/faster niggun from Lecha Dodi, so that gets people interested as well, I think.
I know my hometown shul always has a rousing rendition of Adon Olam (using one of two established congregational tunes), and most everyone seems to participate. But I wouldn't necessarily take that for being the norm. We're a pretty traditional shul that sticks pretty close to decorum and format (hence we don't use "new" tunes). It IS nice to experience that when I'm back home, thoug.
In more "yeshivish" places they save Adon Olam for yom tov, so i guess I`m not as familiar with it. Although the GR'A said about Aninim Zemiros that it should not be said because at the end of davening people talk too much, and it is too holy to be said while people are talking.
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