Song, Resurrecting the Dead, and What Separates Judaism from Paganism

In thrice-daily prayers, devout Jews praise the God “who brings life to the dead”—a phrase that occurs four times in a single blessing. Matt Austerklein analyzes the now-commonplace tune to which that prayer is sung, and then points to the historical evidence that “the root of music across the world [lies] in sorcery and supernatural power, including over life and death itself.” Take, for instance,