‘Don’t Do Ka’eleh’: Baal Koreh Challenges Growing Shul Practice
Watch: After becoming part of shul life, the popular “Ka’eleh” chant during Torah leining is challenged by a baal koreh R’ Moshe Shor of North Miami Beach.
by COLlive Reporter · COLliveBy COLlive reporter
R’ Moshe Shor, a baal koreh at Bais Menachem Chabad of North Miami Beach, Florida, delivered an unusual but pointed announcement during Shacharis on Chol Hamoed Pesach, addressing a widely embraced practice.
In recent years, the recitation of “Ka’eleh” during leining has evolved into a familiar, spirited moment, with the minyan joining in before the baal koreh continues.
The practice, while lighthearted and engaging, has been a source of enjoyment for many mispallelim. Singer Joey Newcomb even has a song about it.
The custom itself is a relatively recent development. The phrase “Ka’eleh” appears repeatedly in kriyas haTorah, and in some communities it gradually became a musical cue. What began as a spontaneous, rhythmic response evolved into a short, catchy chant—simple enough for a crowd to pick up instantly.
Over time, particularly in yeshiva and camp settings, the tune spread and took on a niggun-like quality, eventually becoming a semi-regular feature of leining in certain shuls.
Before leining, however, Rabbi Shor clarified that the custom runs counter to halachic standards governing kriyas haTorah.
“Just a reminder,” he said, “there’s a din of trei koli lo mishtamei, and it’s an issur gadol to sing any part of leining at the same time. So just don’t do Ka’eleh.”
He went further, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter with a striking comparison: “In a certain way, it’s worse than chometz even—because it’s a farhesia deRabbanan, which in some senses is worse than a tzina de’Oraisa.”
The reference to trei koli lo mishtamei underscores the halachic principle that two simultaneous voices cannot be properly heard, thereby compromising the shul’s obligation to listen attentively to the Torah reading.
To date, rabbonim and baalei koreh have neither stopped nor attempted to stop this chant.
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