Song is Prayer. Prayer is Song: My Approach to Prayer Leadership

This is the second post in a series of 10 posts prior to the inaugural gathering of Minyan Midbar-Desert Minyan on Shabbat morning, April 25, 2026. RDG 

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As many of you know the American/Jewish musician and educator, Joey Weisenberg, has been a profound inspiration for me for many years. His compositions and brilliant teaching is behind the founding of Shabbat with Friends in 2022 and our popular Musical Shabbat Gatherings.

His teachings on building spiritual and singing communities is very much an inspiration for the new Minyan Midbar.  Since I will be the ba’al tefilah-prayer leader for the first Minyan gathering, I want to share with you an approach to Jewish prayer leading that I have learned from Joey as he describes below. 

“At the beginning of every service, I invite anybody and everybody to surround me, saying, ‘Please, come join me here at the shtender-lectern to sing harmonies, whether you know what you are doing or not.’ You will have to say this at the beginning of every service, for as many months and years as it takes for people to get the idea. Of course, ahead of time I’ve already drafted a few people to stand with me to make sure it works. I ask for at least 6 people, but it's fine if everyone wants to stand in the middle with you! Each of these musical gabbaim (assistant prayer leaders) are responsible not just for singing, but for paying close attention to the cues and direction of the ba’al tefilah. 

Joey explains the purpose of this approach.   

“The main purpose of gathering this group of singers is to create communal musical energy-not to create musical perfection. So, of course, everybody is invited to participate. Our prayer service isn’t a performance, it’s a community effort, to which everybody contributes in his or her own way.” Building Singing Communities: A Practical Guide to Unlocking the Power of Music in Jewish Prayer. Joey Weisenberg. 2011. 

Following Joey’s advice, I have asked the newly formed Nigun Song Circle (our musical gabbaim) to help me lead the Shaharit service at the inaugural Minyan from 9:30 to 10:15am  We will be sharing melodies from the liturgy as well as a couple of beautiful nigunim-wordless melodies that we have sung in our circle. I will also invite anyone who attends to join me at the “shtender” if you are so inspired.  



I invite you to join us at the inaugural Minyan Midbar. Not only will we have beautiful and soulful singing, we will also have inspired learning, and the joy of gathering in a new community. Feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more about Minyan Midbar.  

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg 

Shalom@rabbidovnm.com or 

Mobile/Text: 505 500-9040