To hear the first chapter chanted in the traditional melody by Hanna Yaffe, click on the button above or the Hebrew title below. While you listen to the chant, scroll down to the relevant megilla and read an overview, reprinted by permission from Yaakov Moshe Poupko.



Shir Hashirim / Song of Songs

"If only you could be seen as my brother, I would find you in the street and kiss you" (Song of Songs 8, 1). The secrecy of romantic love camouflaged by the openness of familial affection is the key to the Song of Songs . The word "Dode" beloved, which throughout our Scriptures speaks of a purely familial bond, is mysteriously transformed into the object of romantic passion. No wonder the Rabbis understood that Solomon's love song expresses the intense, nuanced, and multi-faceted bonds between the Creator and His People.



Esther

Only through Divine synchronicity could a king's desire for his queen's love combine miraculously with the villain's own vanity. God's Providence alone could marshal such common forces to rescue His People. Esther's Purim ushers in an era when natural forces replace dazzling miracles to guide us through history. What could be better than the Creation finally attesting to its Creator?



Akedat Yitzchak / The Sacrifice of Isaac

Isaac fully cooperates with his father Abraham who is ready to sacrifice him. The Divine attribute of lovingkindness is exemplified by Abraham's readiness to give the ultimate sacrifice. Isaac who rises to the stark reality of Stern Justice is prepared to become the ultimate sacrifice. On Rosh HaShana when we experience our own day of judgement, this frightening image of Isaac dominates our thoughts.



Ruth

Naomi's desire to see her widowed daughter-in-law rebuild her life ultimately rebuilds our people. The light of our Messiah emerges from her selfless love for Ruth. As the events unfold we watch Law and Love working for, not against, each other. This uniquely Jewish duo is as Divine as it is dynamic. The culminating Chuppa (wedding canopy) unites more than Ruth and Boaz; it brings it all together.



Eicha/Lamentations

To focus on this Book of Lamentations you must be made of strong stuff. The generation which went from the depths of Auschwitz to the heights of Jerusalem rebuilt might just have that strength. As the six million were herded through the gates of the gas chambers they, like Jeremiah, dreamt of renewal. May they be reunited with us, as we dance together through the Gates of Jerusalem. "Chadaysh Yamaynu k'kedem".

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Lullabies from JerusalemEnjoy a relaxing moment with your child as you listen to Hanna Yaffe's Lullabies From Jerusalem.

A Gift of LoveListen to Hanna Yaffe read from Liliane Ritchie's A Gift of Love.

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