Photo by Glenn Triest

THE SHOFAR BLOWER: EVEN YOUTH HORN IN ON THE HOLIDAY

At 10, Aaron Lewis practices
under the eye of his father, Joe.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

ASSISTANT EDITOR

A

aron Lewis' cheeks are
puffed out and his face
s getting red and his
little sister, Hannah, sitting
beside him, has her hands
over her ears.
"What you want to do is
make sure your lips aren't
chapped at all," his instructor
tells Aaron, who is practicing

the shofar. "And if they get
tired on Rosh Hashanah, try
putting a little warm water
from the tap on a washcloth
and holding it against your
lips at night and in the morn-
ing."
Hillel Day School, violin
lessons, two sisters — as if a
boy didn't have enough to han-
dle. Now Aaron Lewis is learn-
ing to master the shofar, too.
Rosh Hashanah just days
away, Aaron is almost ready.
He will be blowing the shofar
for Federation Apartments
residents and others at High
Holy Day services held each
year at the Jimmy Prentis
Morris Jewish Community
Center (JPM).
Blowing the shofar is some-
thing Aaron, 10, has always
wanted to do.
"The first time I heard the
shofar, I thought it was really
neat," he said. "So when my
zayde came — he comes to vis-
it on Sukkot and Rosh
Hashanah — I asked him to
get me one."
Zayde did just that. But the
first shofar is no longer. "That
one I think the dog ate," Aaron
said.
Zayde would later buy a
second shofar for his grandson;
meanwhile, Aaron found one
at a family friend's home.
"They let me play their
shofar," he said. "But they
always told me, 'Do it in

the basement.' "
For a number of years,
Aaron's father, Joe Lewis, of
Oak Park, has served as can-
tor for High Holy Day services
at the JPM. When he learned
the usual shofar blower would
be out of town this year, he
suggested Aaron instead. The
lessons began soon after.
"Take a big breath, from
down here." Daniel Barth,
Aaron's shofar teacher, points
to his lower stomach. Aaron
raises the shofar to his lips.
"That will really help when
you do your teruah."
Mr. Barth is one of three
shofar blowers at Congrega-
tion Beth Shalom, where the
Lewises also belong. He has
been instructing Aaron for the

"My friends let me
play their shofar, "
Aaron said. "But they
always told me, 'Do it
in the basement.' "

past several weeks and is well-
versed in the territory.
"Doing two days in a row
can be really tough on your
lips," he tells Aaron. "Espe-
cially that second day. Be sure
to rest a lot."
Wearing a gray T-shirt and
a white kippah, Aaron listens
carefully as his teacher speaks.
He holds a shofar which, if

THE CANTOR: A VOICE FORA SWEET YEAR

Cantor Larry
Vieder readies
himself for the
High Holidays.

LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER

glass ashtray sits on
Cantor Larry Vieder's
esk at Adat Shalom
Synagogue.
"It's for guests; I don't
smoke anymore," Cantor
Vieder said. "I've got to take
care of my voice."
The 69-year-old cantor
must be especially careful to
take good care of his health
and mind as the High Holi-
days approach. The length of
the services, the consecutive
performances and Yom Kip-
pur fasting make the High
Holidays an emotional and
difficult time, he said.
"The cantor must prepare
himself well because he is the
messenger from the people to
God," Cantor Vieder said.
'When he prays, his voice

Ad

should be sweet. He must put
the prayer into proper per-
spective, using proper enun-
ciation and emphasis."
Since July, Cantor Vieder
and Adat Shalom's eight-man
choir have been practicing at
least once a week for the three
holiest of days.

"The cantor must
prepare himself well
because he is the
messenger from the
people to God."

"You always have to prac-
tice; you're never finished," he
said.
He also helps congregants
participating in the services
learn their readings. Often,
he must jump in when some-
one has not mastered the por-
tion.

One of the ways in which
Cantor Vieder prepares him-
self for the High Holiday ser-
vices is by reciting the prayer
Hineni Heone Mimas.
"It means the cantor is ask-
ing for God, but he acknowl-
edges he is not worthy of
being His messenger and the
messenger of the people."
"That prayer is my spiritu-
al motivation," he added.
Cantor Vieder prepares his
body for the Rosh Hashanah
service with juice, hot coffee
or tea and vitamin C — some-
times he adds a tea biscuit.
He eats when he is finished
chanting.
"I've been a cantor for 40
years. It's kept me well all
these years," Cantor Vieder
said. "Of course, that makes
Yom Kippur all the more dif-
ficult." ❑

stood straight, probably °
wouldn't be much shorter than
Aaron himself.
But don't be fooled by his
size or age. When Aaron blows
the shofar, the sound is full
and powerful, resounding,_
throughout the house.
"My older sister complains
about it," he said of his prac-
ticing. "That's because she's al-
ways on the phone with her
friends."
In addition to his lessons -
with Mr. Barth, Aaron said he
has picked up some good tips
from Hillel instructor "Mrs.
Tzeel, who teaches third and
fifth grade and who has been
there since the school opened.
She's a great teacher.
"She told me it's like blow-
ing the trumpet," Aaron said.
"She taught me to make the
teruah just like a tekiyah, but,
what you do is make a hole
with your mouth, then stop it
up with your tongue really
fast."
Aaron, who also played the
violin for Selichot services at
Beth Shalom, admits that it
took him "quite a long time" to
get any sound the first time he
picked up the shofar. But now
he's not the least anxious
about blowing it for Rosh
Hashanah.
"It's the kind of thing
anybody could do," he said.
"All you need is a lot of
practice." 0