How would you define “mantra”? It is said to mean “a word or formula, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer; an often repeated word, formula, phrase, often a truism.”
Our tradition has a few of them, and while they comfortably rest in our prayerbooks – and have done so for a very long time – I question whether they act as integral parts of our theology or more like mantras such as the mmmmmmmmm kind. I’ve discussed this with colleagues and congregants and find that there’s a great deal to consider as we think about them.
These are three that come to mind: the Kaddish (both the mourner’s and reader’s Kaddish) and the mi sheberach. In each case they are repeated and, in each case, either they’re in Hebrew or they’re in English that isn’t quite understood.
Now there are other oft-repeated selections but there seems to be more of an emotional quality to these over, let’s say, the Tefilah which we sing more as a multi-part folk song whose meaning in the melodies is incongruous. Those parts attract people because, to paraphrase what the kids used to say on the Dick Clark show after a new song was introduced, “You can sing to it!” (They said “dance” to it). Yes, we sing mightily but I don’t think the heartstrings are plucked in the background as we’d find with the three I mentioned.
We know there is a mantra-like quality to the Kaddish, both of them. I’ve never been in any congregation in which the Kaddish is translated. The WORDS, whether understood or not, are compelling. It’s not even Hebrew in which it’s written; it’s Aramaic, similar but not the same. One would think the different language would draw people away; on the contrary, the fact that it’s Aramaic drew our ancestors close. That’s because Aramaic was to our ancients like Yiddish was to our nearer ancestors. Hebrew was used in worship, but Yiddish was used in everyday conversation, and Aramaic was the language people used for commerce as well as shoot-the-breeze talk among friends and neighbors.
There are few real differences in Reader’s Kaddish melodies. There are for the holydays and festivals, but Shabbat’s melodies are basically the same (as is true with Kol Nidrei but that’s a once-a-year phenomenon). That traditional melody makes us sing or hum, and it’s comforting. For the Mourner’s Kaddish the words (99% the same in both) have a rhythm what with the “Yit”s (or “Yis”s…Yitgadal or Yisgadal). They are both incantation-like. One doesn’t have to think nor know the language.
In a different way it’s true as well for the Mi Sheberach. I mentioned how that’s become almost a mi-See-nai tune, one that people believe was brought down Mount Sinai by Moses like the Sh’ma. Yes, it’s in English but it too has a lilting melody with relatively few notes and just two stanzas. There are other melodies written since Debbie Friedman wrote hers – melodies and lyrics I believe are far more powerful and meaningful – but since hers was the first and extremely well-distributed at a time when Debbie’s songs were more popular than Rogers and Hammerstein musicals ever were, it took on a mantra-like feel. We know it’s coming; we sing; we hum; and many close their eyes.
In checking for errors, etc. in this piece, I may have missed a line which states something like, “These THREE mantras.” Initially I added another, the Twenty-third psalm, but I’m going to discuss that separately in the future.
(Speaking of the virus, “Grandpa, I’m really proud of you,” said his sensitive-to-everything-going-on granddaughter. “What’s to be proud?” he asked. “I notice that when you sneeze you’ve learned to put your hand in front of your mouth. Nowadays though, grandpa, it’s better to put use your elbow.” Her grandfather replied, “You’re right, but I really have to put my hand in front of my mouth. How else can I catch my teeth?”)