Musical Excerpt From Cantor Louis Danto’s Funeral

Musical Excerpt From Cantor Louis Danto’s Funeral

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It was with a sense of great loss that I learned of the passing of Cantor Louis Danto.  I sang for many years under his tutelage in the Beth Emeth Choir with Charles Heller as conductor.

Further details about Cantor Danto and his life can be found here:

http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19571&Itemid=86

During his funeral there was a poignant recording of his played.  It is called “Elohai Neshama” which is recited in the Shacharit (morning) prayers.  The text for the prayer derives from the Talmud (Berachot 60b)

The text is as follows with audio below:

“My G-d, the soul which You have placed in me is pure. You fashioned it in me, You breathed it into me, and You preserve it within me and You will one day take it from me and restore it to me in the time to come. So long as the soul is within me I give thanks to You, LORD my G-d, and the G-d of my fathers, Sovereign of all worlds, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You, Lord, Who restores souls to dead corpses.” אלהי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה אתה יצרתה בי אתה נפחתה בי ואתה משמרה בקרבי ואתה עתיד ליטלה ממני ולהחזירה בי לעתיד לבא כל זמן שהנשמה בקרבי מודה אני לפניך ה׳ אלהי ואלהי אבותי רבון כל העולמים אדון כל הנשמות ברוך אתה ה׳ המחזיר נשמות לפגרים מתים׃

 

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One thought on “Musical Excerpt From Cantor Louis Danto’s Funeral

  1. This is a heartrending tribute to Cantor Danto and illustrates his death as an irreplaceable loss to our community and the world-at-large.

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