Prior to the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, there were fewer intermediaries in the worldly picture. That’s why it says that God did everything to make Creation by Himself, without Heavenly helpers. God even personally tended to all of Adam HaRishon’s needs. However, as a result of the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge (choosing morality over mortality), we became more physical but spiritually weaker, and incapable of handling such intense Divine light. Therefore, God withdrew somewhat from the scene and the life of man. The world around them had suddenly changed.
Having realized that the world in which they now existed was incomparable and incomplete, and also facing mortality for the first time, Adam and Eve were gently guided into a partnership with God to help the Master of the Universe finish His creation. How were they to deal with all of these uncertainties that suddenly confronted them in their new finite world and lifespan?
Yearning for the comfort and security of a world that had once been created for them and of which they strongly desired to return to, how would they overcome this overwhelming emptiness they felt within themselves?
How would they begin to fill this void that had been vacated by an essence to which they were so strongly connected? They needed a way to express all of these new emotions, a way to cope with the byproducts of life; love, hate, anger, compassion, joy, sorrow, worry, relief, thankfulness and gratitude.
Music… it started with a heartbeat which reverberated inside of them. A constant reminder of their mortality was the foundation to build on. An internal bass drum which set a rhythm that reflected either their state of body or their state of mind. Next the wind, which always brought with it an assortment of notes and tones from nature itself. Its musical composition made up of a cacophony of sounds that was carried on invisible wings; a musical score effected by the speed and direction from which it came. Variations on a theme caused by the seasonal changes as well as the materials in this world that it traversed over or through. Listening to the sounds and rhythms of nature they became composers and were able to transpose their feelings and emotions into melodies.
Music…became humankind’s common denominator, an avenue to express, communicate and interpret emotions into a universal language.
Music…It is the original conception of prayer which in turn was able to fill the void and bridge the gap between the two worlds. Created not only for their sake, but also for the sake of future generations to utilize and build upon.
Music…It’s timeless, it’s provoking, it’s soothing, it can bring out the worst in us or the best in us…it has the ability to make you laugh or cry out and has the capacity to manage all of your emotions more than you realize…it can be heard silently within us and yet without silence you can not hear it at all. With music comes kavanah- a feeling only our heart can express at that moment.
Music… it nurtures creativity and inspires thought… standing alone it can be an expression of prayer, but foremost, music adds another dimension for our words of prayer to travel on … which in turn brings us closer to God and a little bit of heaven closer to us.