Shliach, Son Sing and Dance to “Keil Adon”

For many, upon entering a synagogue during prayer, one is struck by the inspiring prayers, interspersed with beautiful songs and melodies.

But Rabbi Shmuli Stiefel, a Shliach in Lipetsk, Russia, struggled to reproduce that atmosphere in his Shul.

“I wondered how I could create that atmosphere,” he told COLlive, “if the crowd is unfamiliar with the lyrics and tunes?”

To address this, Stiefel has begun a new project – producing videos of various Jewish melodies and prayers which are sung in synagogues the world over.

Each week, Stiefel releases one song from the prayer book in a format conducive to singing along. The video will be captioned, and together with it, there will be a transcription of the lyrics in Russian, explanation and background of the song in Russian, and musical notes.

“Listeners can learn the songs so that they can sing in together with the congregation and turn their synagogues into that same beautiful and inspiring atmosphere!” Stiefel says.

This week, Stiefel presents the prayer “Keil Adon.”

Kel Adon is a non-rhyming acrostic poem, meaning that the first line starts with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second line starts with the second letter, and so on.

Kel Adon is sung during thel Shabbat morning prayers, as preparation for the holy Shema prayer. Kel Adon extols God’s creative power and celebrates the heavenly lights and angels.

Appreciating God’s majesty in nature enhances the experience of prayer. As we reflect upon the beauty of His creations, we are filled with awe of His power and love for His being. This enables us to passionately declare our belief in and love for G-d during the upcoming prayer of Shema.

VIDEO: Kel Adon