Every winter, millions of people around the world gather for an eight-day long celebration. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday of giving thanks, one that has roots in events around 164 B.C.E.
This year, the red and green lights of Christmas intertwine with the blue and white lights of Hanukkah, as both holidays take place on December 25. On WFMT, the occasion will be marked with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker in the morning, followed by a program for Hanukkah from Chicago a cappella in the evening. Meanwhile, on December 23, WFMT’s sister station, WTTW, is premiering a Hanukkah special, with Geoffrey Baer exploring various festive traditions.
Listeners are immersed in their fair share of Christmas music, often starting well before the month of December. But what more can we learn about the music of Hanukkah? Here to give us a little more context on Hanukkah musical traditions is Rabbi Cantor Michael Davis: a globally-recognized religious leader who trained in leading rabbinical seminaries in Jerusalem and the United States.
His roles of cantor and rabbi grant him the unique perspective of leading religious services through song. He served as the first full-time cantor of two Reform congregations in Highland Park. In addition to his religious work, Michael Davis is an active peace and conflict-resolution advocate in interfaith communities, a teacher of Arabic, and has led Yom HaShoah programming at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
With Hanukkah right around the corner — and upcoming seasonal specials on both WFMT and WTTW — WFMT spoke to Rabbi Cantor Michael Davis for his insights into the musical traditions of the Festival of Lights.
WFMT: Would you tell us a little bit about the importance of cantors in Judaism, and how that affects the way music is approached in the faith?
Rabbi Cantor Michael Davis
Davis: So the word “cantor” is known throughout other cultures, but the distinction between the Jewish faith and others is that the cantor is a fully ordained member of the clergy. They have the authority to do all the things a rabbi does; they undergo extensive training in a seminary and so on.
Until modern times, it was the cantor who ran all the services in the synagogues. The Rabbi's role was as a teacher, but the cantor was really the clergy member who ran the entire service from beginning to end. They knew integral songs and prayers to perform for various services: weddings, funerals, etc. Things have changed a bit in modernity, but the important role that a cantor plays within the faith is carried forward.
I think the importance of this role speaks to the centrality of liturgical music in the Jewish tradition - across all celebrations and holidays.
WFMT: How does that importance show up during Hanukkah celebrations?
Davis: Well, just like Christmas music puts us in the mood for Christmas, the music of Hanukkah is recognizable and unique, putting us in the mood for holiday. I think the way this shows up most clearly is through the music of prayers.
What makes it a distinctively Hanukkah prayer is the melody: the text is oftentimes the same, but there are certain melodies that only come around this time of year.
For example, there is the blessing we say as we light the Hanukkah candles. It begins with “Blessed are you, God.” Those words are not unique compared to other Jewish prayers, but the melody is. It goes like this:
…when I hear that, I can see the Hanukkah lights in my eyes. The music connects me emotionally to those moments each year, especially since many of these rituals are very much home rituals. In fact, we are told to light the Hanukkah Menorah in a window facing the streets, to proudly show our Judaism, to proudly show our light and to proudly declare God's miracles. We gather around food and light the candles together, the kids get involved, and we sing and play games together.
WFMT: Speaking of family, do you have any musical Hanukkah traditions specific to your family?
Davis: For sure. We do what a lot of people do: we have the latkes, you know, the potato pancakes with lots of oil; we play games with a dreidel, the spinning top; we light the candles. But there is one ritual that is particular to my family that has to do with my grandfather.
One of my cherished possessions is a black and white photo of my grandfather. He was a cantor in the East End of London, some 75 years ago; the picture is of him lighting the Hanukkah candles. I think it's the fourth night; he’s surrounded by people. And the expressions on this gathered group of Jews, celebrating Hanukkah in this poor area of London not long after World War II and the Holocaust, are priceless. You see the joy in their faces. They didn't have an easy life generally, and yet, the Hanukkah light reveals joy in that moment together.
There's a melody that I received through my parents from my grandfather that we sing as we light the candles. It’s a sort of Old World Jewish melody.
I can sing a little bit of that, if you like.
There’s a whole second half, but it's pretty long so we’ll stop there!
The song is a traditional text, speaking about the candles, the lights, and declaring the miracles of thanksgiving. And while I think the word “miracle” has a very religious connotation, perhaps in this context we can understand “miracles” as the wonderful things that happen to us. We're surrounded by miracles that we can appreciate… even if ancient natural processes weren't suspended to make them happen.
WFMT: You’ve mentioned another hymn that represents some of the most iconic Jewish music for Hanukkah. Can you talk a little bit about this hymn and the interesting parallel you drew with it?
Davis: Perhaps the most iconic Jewish hymn, or song poem for Hanukkah is known as Ma'oz Tzur, which means Rock of Ages. It's a song of praise, for God, for the miracles that were done during the Hanukkah season, saving the ancient Maccabee Jews from the Celestine tyrants. And the melody is…well, I'll let people judge for themselves what they think of the melody. It goes like this:
I suggest that if you take the Hebrew out… that could be a very clear Christian hymn, right? There are other settings of this text. For example, there’s an Italian one going back several-hundred years, which has its own flavor of the same words, but not necessarily done with this kind of four part hymn structure. It all points back to the intersectionality of Hanukkah and how it has grown as a celebration over the years.
WFMT: For many, the first Hanukkah song to come to mind is the Dreidel Song. Why do you think this song has successfully broken through the mainstream, even to folks who are not Jewish?
Davis: Well first of all, it's in English! The fact that you don’t have to learn any difficult Hebrew to understand the tune is a big plus, and probably a big factor in its popularity. It's also done in religious schools and so on, to engage the children. But most of all, the song has this endearing quality of being endlessly open to play.
I play it with my own children; you just have to rhyme the first half of the song with the second half. I think the original one is:
Dreidel. Dreidel. Dreidel.
I made it out of clay,
and when it's dry and ready
oh Dreidel, I shall play.
I think the word “clay” was chosen for the rhyming with play because I don't think a clay dreidel spins very well! We have a lot of fun, throwing out words in the first half as a challenge, and then trying to rhyme it in the second one. It's a very playful song.
WFMT: If someone wants to learn even more about the musical traditions of Hanukkah, what would you recommend?
Davis: First of all, Chicago a cappella is a wonderful musical group, and I've enjoyed listening to them over the years, so I'm excited to hear this program too!
As for personal recommendations, I would say, go to the repository of much knowledge that is YouTube, search “Hanukkah music” and see what comes up! I would also encourage people, especially if they are already familiar with the well-known songs, to explore other Jewish cultures from around the world. For instance, there's a famous one in Ladino, [the vernacular of the Jews of the Mediterranean], called “Ocho Kandelikas”, or “Eight little candles”.
There was also a wonderful CD put out some years ago by the brother of Sacha Baron Cohen, which my family has enjoyed. It’s called Songs in the Key of Hanukkah by Erran Baron Cohen: a mix of some old favorites, some new ones, some jazzed up and some straight.
Hanukkah has, in some ways, developed to be a little more similar to Christmas. People are releasing a lot of music and materials. That means that now, there's a wealth of Hanukkah music out there if you’re interested in looking for it.
Catch WTTW’s Celebration of Hanukkah featuring Geoffrey Baer on Monday, December 23 at 8:00 pm. Then, on Wednesday, December 25 at 6:00 pm CT, tune in to WFMT’s celebration of Hanukkah with a concert from Chicago a cappella.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
