Guardians of Sacred Sound

Beshalach – Shirat HaYam
Cantor Dan Mutlu

There are moments in Jewish history when words are no longer enough, so we sing.

When we were liberated from slavery and the sea split before us, the only way our people could respond was with music–not with law or instruction, but with song.

The fullness of that moment was too great for mere words. Only melody could contain all of the contradicting emotions the people felt: terror and gratitude; grief and hope.

This is the great lesson of Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea:
Music is not an accessory to Jewish life.
It is essential for our survival.

Since the early days of our tradition, music has been the primary vehicle of our prayers to God; it has helped bring us together across geographical and ideological divide; it has helped us heal when we have been broken by the turning of history; music has even directly spared Jews’ lives during the darkest moments of our story.

In the Torah it says: “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God.”

In the Talmud, we find a fascinating set of explanations as to how the Israelites actually sang the Song of the Sea.

First, Rabbi Akiva attempts to explain.

He imagines Moses singing, line by line, while the people respond with a single refrain: Ashirah l’Adonai—“I will sing to God.” In Rabbi Akiva’s interpretation, Moses carries the full song while the people affirm it with just the refrain.

Next comes Rabbi Eliezer. He says that Moses sings each verse, and the people repeat it, every word. They don’t just assent; they internalize.

But Rabbi Nechemiah goes even deeper. He imagines Moses singing only the opening words. And then, everyone sings on their own. As if the song had been waiting inside them all along.

Rabbi Nechemiah’s bold vision imagines a leader in Moses who does not perform for the people, but awakens the song within them.

This is what music does at its best. It doesn’t replace our voices. It draws them out.

Now, this might strike you as a fantastical explanation, that everyone at the Sea magically and spontaneously came up with the song together. However, it does underscore just how important music has been for our people since the very beginning.

All the way back in ancient Israel, the Levites were set aside—not just as officials, but as cultivators of sacred sound. They were singers, composers, teachers, and most importantly, guardians of musical memory. Without these musical stewards, Torah and prayer might have become colorless and thin.

And that brings us to this moment.

For 20 years, our own Dave Strickland has acted as a kind of Levite among us. How blessed are we at Central Synagogue to have been shaped, deepened, and held by Dave’s music.

Dave has lived and worked in this community in the most profound way, not as an outsider, but as a full-hearted participant in our sacred life.

Through his extraordinary musical gifts—his sensitive, brilliant playing, his ability to reframe and reimagine our musical tradition—Dave does exactly what Rabbi Nechemiah imagined.

He doesn’t just perform the music.
He awakens the song within us, and he does it with so much care.

It is impossible to hear or watch Dave play without seeing him being 100% locked into the moment. The way he listens, watches, and responds, not only to the music but also to the energy in this space, always surprises and delights us. It takes our music and our prayers to another realm.

And even more than that, is the mensch behind all that skill.

Dave knows us. He reaches out when we need help. He notices absence. He offers comfort. He goes the extra mile to be present and to serve.

In ways both seen and unseen, Dave has acted as a kind of Levite among us—not by lineage, but by calling. A steward of our musical soul. A teacher of prayer through sound. A reminder that holiness comes from the way we care about each other and what we are doing.

At the Sea, Moses sang, Miriam danced, and the people found their voices.

For the past 20 years, Dave Strickland has helped us do the same.

And so, we honor you today, Dave. It feels fitting to let other cantors add their voices to this blessing—cantors who have worked with Dave, and prayed with him, and have been shaped by his generosity, artistry, and heart.