Livre d'Or

And that too is partly a matter of technique. Lowering my voice at the right moment, using my expressions and body language to underline the emotional import, judiciously picking music and texts that will evoke a reaction, making lots of eye contact to give the impression that I'm speaking personally to each member of the congregation, even crying a little if it seems apt. Stagecraft, in short

Speaking as someone who takes services myself, I have to say I can't connect at all to what you're saying here. I thought it might be because what you're doing is more Reformi, to use your term, than I'm used to, but then you say later down that your service was mostly traditional (or perceived as such).

I took the service last night in Yakar; all I had to do there was pick tunes I knew the congregation knew, and sing. No eye contact with anyone was required (they were mostly behind me anyway), no lowering of the voice^*; certainly no crying. (I did have to stop myself from dancing a little, because I could hear snjstar and curious_reader, who had spotted it, laughing.) And, whilst it was not as easy to concentrate on the davenning as it would as a member of the congregation, it was certainly not impossible.

So I'm intrigued to know how your service differed from what I am used to that made all of the above necessary. Could I get you to explain, please?

* Obתּוֹכָחָה today: "Lest anyone think I am losing my voice, or have a pressing luncheon engagement..." (No, it wasn't me.)