Choir Practice

By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER

American folk-singer Bill Raines (1936-2021) wrote and performed “A Place in the Choir.” The song’s refrain declares that “All God’s critters got a place in the choir / Some sing low and some sing higher….”

Among the musical “critters” mentioned are the bullfrog, hippopotamus, cow, honeybee, cricket, etc….

“It’s a simple song of living sung everywhere / By the ox and the fox and the grizzly bear / The grumpy alligator and the hawk above / The sly raccoon and the turtle dove….”

Raines’ ballad was anticipated by more than 1000 years by Perek Shira, a rabbinic work of unknown authorship which describes 85 “critters” (rooster, lion, fish, ant, etc.), as well as inanimate elements of creation (the heavens, desert, wind), joining in a song of praise to God, many singing apt verses of Psalms (“The elephant says, ‘How great are Your deeds, O Lord’” — Psalm 92:6).

Both “A Place in the Choir” and Perek Shira may have been inspired by Psalm 148, which calls upon the moon, stars, fruit trees, cedars, “all wild and tamed beasts, creeping things and winged birds” to praise God.

The Festival of Spring has passed. As the season continues to unfold in all its splendor, may we grow increasingly attuned to the beautiful symphony God’s creation performs for us every single day.

Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the editor of “Masorti: The New Journal of Conservative Judaism.” The latest edition of Masorti was published online for the winter of 2025-26. A subscription is $18 per annum.