Echoes of Sinai: Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson

R

ABBI MENDEL KALMENSON, author of several books including Seeds of Wisdom and A Time to Heal, is the rabbi of Beit Baruch and executive director of Chabad of Belgravia, London

HOW MUSIC AWAKENS JEWISH HEARTS

The Baal HaTanya famously said that niggun is the pen of the soul. There is so much that can be conveyed in words, but niggun steps in where they fall short. In kiruv, where it’s not just about conveying information but offering inspiration to activate a soul, niggun is key.

Our approach is that every Jewish neshamah is intact and holy and remembers the Torah it was taught before birth. One of the ways to awaken a sleeping neshamah is through song.

THE SONGS I FIND MOST MEANINGFUL

Mostly wordless melodies from Chabad or Modzhitz. Words limit, and the reach of a niggun without them is infinite. It’s not about me taking people somewhere I think they need to go. It’s about allowing the neshamah to go where it needs to go and facilitates an encounter with the Divine spark inside.