There are individuals that when they cross our paths we know we have been touched by an angel. When I arrived in Los Angeles in 2009, I served the community of Shomrei Torah Synagogue, where my partner in crime was Cantor Ron Snow. Ron, born in Detroit, was the true definition of a shaliach tzibbur, a messenger of prayer, who used his simple deep angelic voice to lead us in Shabbat and holiday tefilot. He brought the melodies he learned as a child to the synagogue in West Hills.
As Rav Kook taught: hayashan yitchadesh vhechadash yitkadesh, we should renew the old and make the new sacred. That is what Ron Snow knew how to do. He could chant a meaningful Hineni as equally beautiful as singing Lcha Dodi to a melody of the Beatles or the Beach Boys.
In his other profession, Ron Snow performed voiceovers in movies, commercials, and the like. His face was never seen, but his voice was always heard.
This week Ron left this world. Each morning we pray: kol haneshama t’halel ya, halelluyah, Let every breath of life praise God. Yet, the word kol can also be translated as voice. “Let every voice of the soul praise God.” Even during the most difficult days, from a hospital bed, Ron would zoom into virtual services, his body so weak, yet his voice so strong. Ron’s voice will always be with us. Our voice is what we have to make this world a better place.
