Coming Home: Kinor David Welcomed To Temple Institute
Published by the Jewish Press
By:  Yocheved Golani
January 23, 2008

 Shoshanna and Micah Harrari with the Temple Harp  

 

Shoshanna and Micah Harrari of Harrari Harps joyously completed a yearlong project to create a huge Kinor David for the Temple Institute in Jerusalem on September 25, 2007. They, along with hundreds of awestruck Jews in Israel, greeted the arrival of the harp (mahogany wood with silver and ivory inlays) in Jerusalem’s Old City with the sound of shofar, trumpets and smaller Harrari harps escorting the holy instrument to its new home in the Temple Institute. Shoshanna Harrari, a musician in her own right and administrative coordinator of the Kinor David creative effort, gushes that “The most moving moments of making the harp came when we saw it completed in all its magnificence. The spiritual effect of watching it be positioned in its display case in the Temple Institute was indescribable. Everyone involved with the project and everyone watching the placement realized that it might be actually be used in the future Temple itself someday soon. It was a great honor to build it. It will be a greater honor to see it in service, culminating this labor of love and befitting pomp and circumstance.”  Her husband Micah, the prime architect of the six-foot tall harp (it is 32 inches deep and 13 inches wide), indicates that “Building the base for the harp was a really big challenge, very involved woodworking. My team had never built anything this size before. We weren’t sure it would have a good sound or that it would even play. When we finally finished the harp, we were pleasantly surprised at its beautiful tone and excellent resonance as Shoshanna tuned it. It was a wonderful reward for the year of work we’d put into building it.” The primary materials used in the harp were African mahogany wood, silver for the inlays, and nylon strings. “Using African mahogany continues the tradition started by Shlomo HaMelech,” explains Micah. “He received three boatloads of that wood from the Queen of Sheba. Tradition tells us that he used half the wood to build the steps that the Levi’im stood upon, and the other half to build their harps.  Kinor David (The Temple Harp) in its display at the Temple Institute (flanked by smaller harps)  Though we don’t know exactly which wood the Queen of Sheba sent, we do know that it came from Africa, so we felt it was important to continue this tradition. The silver for the inlays comes from Israel. In the past we’ve used sheep gut strings for all our harps. The commercial source for those strings is in the British Isles. However, about ten years ago, a communicable disease that was transferable to humans broke out among the sheep and cows there. Thousands and thousands of sheep and cows were destroyed for health precautions. At this late date, we used nylon strings to be safe.”             Micah Harrari playing the Temple Harp  Anyone who appreciates humility as a particularly Jewish value might be amused to know that the Temple Institute harp was built in the Harrari’s harp workshop, a former chicken coop on the Harraris’ moshav home. Shoshanna remarks, “Making harps for holy reasons is a much better use of the space.” Micah grins and adds, “We have another half-dozen smaller harps in the Temple Institute. They’re models of what was once a common sight.”  With over 20 years of experience at constructing harps, Micah is delighted to note, “We also created and now sell a new type of kinor, set with Eilat stones, for Levites or anyone who cares to buy one. It’s a third of the price of the normal harps we usually sell. It sounds beautiful.” Shoshanna notes, “We’re considering the creation of a music school for young Levi’im who can learn how to play these instruments in order to be ready, b’ezrat HaShem, when the time comes.     A smaller version of the new Kinor- Temple Harp Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, is preparing a special brochure for future donors who can help fund many more harps. These harps will be placed in a special music house to be prepared for future Levi’im, who will perform in the actual Third Temple.  The Temple Institute is located at 19 Misgav Ladach Street in Jerusalem. The phone number is 02.626.4545. Learn about it online at www.templeinstitute.org.  Contact Harrari Harps by phone at +972 2 5340 329, Fax +972 2 570 9075 and at harrariharps@harrariharps.com. See www.harrariharps.com for more information about The Harrari House of Harps.