Step Into Shabbat

Review On a recent drive up to the mountains of North Carolina to visit relatives, I popped in Julie Geller's album Step into Shabbat. I thought I could test-drive it on my kids, and my ulterior motive was, of course, to keep them quiet. A little peace and quiet in the back seat generally earns adults a few hard-won minutes of conversation, and I was expecting 15 to 20 of my husband's company. I didn't get it--not because holiday marital ennui had set in early, but because Julie Geller's joyous, warm and rich vocals pulled us all in. We were spellbound, and at the end of the CD, my youngest shouted, Again! (I wish I could say that was the last thing she shouted on that car trip, but her Again! Again! was more like the opening chords of a four-movement symphony.) We have two tracks from this album available for you to hear right now, Nigun and Shalom Aleichem. To learn more about Julie Geller, try her website juliegeller.com. We think you'll see why Mimi's family likes her work so much! Geller's CD walks the listener through the sounds and wonders of a Friday night in a Jewish household, from a haunting nigun over candlelighting to the blessing of the children, Kiddush, motzi, birkat ha-mazon and all the way to a raucous Shabbat Shalom that had my kids screeching along and kicking the back of my seat in joy. It's an educational CD combining narration and music, but it manages to escape the pitfalls of the genre; there were no tedious moments of over-explanation that made it impossible for adults to enjoy, and yet the light-hearted sophistication of the music--both that of Geller's composing along with other, traditional songs--drew the little ones into the experience too. In truth, the experience was like being invited to a seat at Geller's Shabbat table, complete with music, stories and gentle explanations. I never felt patronized; instead, I felt like I was watching someone dance with my children around the Shabbat table and the effect was magical. Though the album flows seamlessly between music and narration, there are a few moments where the music seizes center stage: Geller's exotic original setting of the Shir Ha-maalot seeps into your bones, as does Ben-Zion Shenker's Eishet Chayil. But in truth, this album is at its best when Geller is singing the tunes everyone knows, in a voice remarkable for its richness and clarity at all points of its considerable range. Shalom Aleichem and Bim Bam are the stand-outs here, and it was musical moments like those that made me think this album would make a great gift to non-Jewish friends to whom I'd like to introduce some of the wonders of Shabbat. I could also see slipping this CD in on Friday evenings to play in the background, or as prelude to our own Shabbat. That's part of the magic of what Geller has done here. Listening to her album, I was inspired to start thinking about our family's rituals. In re-creating a quiet Friday evening around the Shabbat table, Geller invites her listener into what is essentially private space, so I found myself thinking about ways to incorporate some of Geller's world into our own experience of Shabbat. My oldest daughter has even begun work on our family's Shabbat Book, inspired by Geller's music. Geller's gentle individualization encourages the listeners to find their own ways into Shabbat. Music as spiritual invitation and as end in itself, as boundary between public act and private space, as educational experience and as heartfelt prayer. Geller's album, like the tradition of Shabbat music she draws on, bridges all these divides and leads the listener into the heart of Shabbat. --InterfaithFamily.org The title is very accurate. This is a step-by-step guide to the order of the Erev Shabbat table service. The traditional melodies are interspersed with brief explanations of the method and meaning of each step. The subtitle - A Joyful Friday Night Experience - is accurate as well. Denver's Geller has a folksy, listenable voice, and the piano-based arrangements encourage singing along. There is even a touching Shabbat parable about the beauty of quietness. This is a very accessible way to learn - or relearn - the steps into Shabbat. --JUF News
ASIN: B001U8QHXK
VSKU: DBV.B001U8QHXK.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Julie Geller and Friends
Binding: Audio cd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!