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Songs of Peace

Shirei Shalom: Songs of Peace

Shalom! Peace unto you! Our sages teach us that peace is the greatest of all blessings, and that equal to our need for food and drink is the need for peace in our land. In fact, peace was a pre-condition for the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai when we became a people united by Torah. Only those who demonstrated a love of peace were worthy to receive the Torah.

Indeed, peace is the Torah's highest priority, as it is written in our prayer book, "The whole Torah exists only to establish peace." According to Pirkei AvotThe Sayings of our Ancestors,peace is one of the three pillars that enable the world to endure. And it was one of our greatest sages Hillel who said, "the more Torah, the more life; the more justice, the more peace." Peace enriches our experiences of the universe. Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi taught, "Great is peace; peace is to the world as leaven is to dough."

But what are we really asking of God when we pray for peace? What would peace look like? How would it sound and feel? Likewise, composers of Jewish music have struggled with the demands of praying for peace. By creating melodies for the peace prayers that fill our liturgy, they offer their individual visions of peace.

This CD contains various settings of peace prayers by composers from all over the world. These songs pray for inner peace, shelters of peace, abundant peace, and the peace of love. They long for the peace of Israel, Jerusalem, and all the world. May these songs bring peace into your home as you listen to them, and may we join with God as partners in bringing peace to this world. 

To hear music from Shirei Shalom: Songs of Peace, click below:

Shir Hamaalot – Craig Taubman
Shalom Aleichem – I. Goldfarb arr. C. Davidson
Shalom Aleichem – William Sharlin
Mi Chamocha – Jeff Klepper
V'shamru – Rothblum
Shalom Rav – Steven Dropkin
Sim Shalom – Palestrina arr. I.R. Meisels
Sim Shalom – Hasidic Melody arr. Bonia Shur
Hashkiveinu – Aminadav Aloni
Shalom L'vein Dodi – Casablanca Express
Samachti B'oim Lmri – Charles Osborne
Shalom Al Yisrael – Effi Netzer arr. Velvel Pasternak
Oseh Shalom – Natasha J. Hirschhorn
Od Yavoh Shalom – Sheva
Oseh Shalom – Jeff Klepper
Shabbat Shalom / Heiveinu Shalom Aleichem – Bonia Shur / Folk Song
Reprise 

Wed, November 20 2024 19 Cheshvan 5785