Looking closely at Shoshana’s harp, I notice the letters of the Hebrew alphabetengraved along the soundboard of the harp. “Our harps have 22 strings. This gives musicians a wide musical range and yet stays within Biblical parameters. Beside each string, we engrave a Hebrew letter, so you can actually play a word,” explains Shoshana. “For example, the word ahava, love, is made up of four letters, aleph hay vet hay. By plucking the notes that correspond to these letters, you can play a simple melody. With a little imagination, you can connect this sound to the word love.”
Musicians can actually expand their music into words and prayers. I close my eyes once again and am swept away by gentle waves of exquisite melody.
The Musical Scale Of The Future “The music of the future is going to be different from the music of today,” says Shoshana when I ask about the ten-stringed kinor crafted in the workshop. “From the Talmud, we learn that the lyre used in the Beit HaMikdash had ten strings. This is because the lyre is connected to the coming of Moshiach and the beautiful song that will rise from the day when the world is united in one harmonious whole.”
Shoshana explains this in more detail: “Some cultures, notably in Asia, base their music on a scale of five notes. The western world uses the octave. But there are two more notes that are beyond our present hearing range. One day, we will use a scale of ten notes and then our ears will be able to hear them,” she says. “Music is mathematical: one day, mathematics will change and there’ll be a different progression.”
Perek Shira is a beautiful prayer that details how the entire universe, from the inanimate world of stars and planets to the animate world of lions, frogs, and even rats, sings the praises of Hashem on a daily basis. “I haven’t heard the song of the sun,” says Shoshana. “We just can’t hear it. But in the future our ears will be open and everything will change.” Recent research in Amboseli National Park, in south-west Kenya, has already proven that elephants communicate, not only with the trumpeting that the human ear can pick up, but also with an impressive range of ultra-sounds that travels miles and cannot be perceived by our ears.
Making Possible the Impossible There is little doubt that music is a unifying force that brings people together on a very deep level. For Shoshana, one incident in particular stands out. One day, after hosting a group of women in her studio, Shoshana was approached by one of the women who confided that her fifteen-year-old grandson, who struggled tremendously with the effects of cerebral palsy, excelled in music and could play different instruments. Since his talent enabled him to find some joy and peace, she felt very strongly that he would benefit from the sweet sounds of David’s harp. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the finances to turn the wishes of her heart into reality. At that moment, another woman from the group walked over. “My diamond ring was recently stolen,” she said. “Just before this trip to Israel, I received the insurance money for it. I’d like to do something special with the money: I’d like to buy your grandson a harp.” While Harrari harps are usually crafted by custom order, one harp in the store just “happened” to be there ready and waiting…the harp had found its destiny.
“Harps,” says Shoshana, “are Jewish instruments. The fact that they’ve returned to the Holy Land means good times will be coming. The time is close when we will play these instruments in the Temple and thank Hashem for everything and bring into this world a great, great joy.”
