I have had a quote on my bulletin board for a number of years: “Change is inevitable.  Growth is optional.”  As I begin my service as the Cantor of Sinai Temple of Springfield, and as we rapidly approach the Jewish New Year, I am particularly conscious of the many changes that that both the Levson family and Sinai Temple are experiencing.  This awareness of change reminds me of the following words about musical change written by my friend and colleague, Cantor Erik Contzius of New Rochelle, New York:

CHANGE IS GOOD. I have found that our worship is always better served when it feels spontaneous and heartfelt. Often, new music breathes life into old texts. Of course, the challenge is teaching a congregation how to sing such new melodies, but I find that innovation revitalizes and energizes our community—challenging us to learn a new melody in order to think of our sacred text in a new way.

CHANGE IS BAD. Our traditions and practices have preserved us as a people for thousands of years. Their preservation ensures the continuity of future generations. Certain tunes and melodies are ingrained in our Jewish psyche, and to change them is tantamount to heresy.

CHANGE IS... inevitable. Our people, faced with countless challenges, have gone through transitions and changes which have modified the nature of our Judaism, but preserved us as well. For example, were it not for the changes the Reform Movement brought to American Judaism, the American Jewish community might not be as vibrant and alive as it is today. 

I am deeply honored to serve as the new Cantor of Sinai Temple, and I am aware that my presence is a significant change for this congregation.  I look forward to meeting you, praying with you, getting to know you, teaching you, learning from you, and becoming a part of the life of this warm and vibrant congregation.  Together let us embrace change in the best possible way: by preserving what has been good and beloved, and by opening up to the wonder and possibilities of new opportunities.

Ivdu et Hashem B’simcha!  Serve the Holy One with JOY!

-- Cantor Martin Levson