Mizmorei Nevuchim – Psalms for the Perplexed
- Prayer of the Secular
- Escalator
- Traffic Jam of Miracles
- My Longings for Longings
- Nikbat HaShiloach
- Rabbi Joe Kappara
- Man with a Cardboard Sign
- Zalman
- Yediday
- Shav’at Aniim
- Elohay
| Prayer of the Secular | תפילת החילוני |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
| Father, oh merciful Father Be to me a trusted soul-mate Cushion my heart in your faith Lend to me awe at the sound of your name I never found myself a teacher and my laws are improvised Father, oh merciful Father That’s how I prayed at a Jewish minyan Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai (7) wept from on high out of sadness, or maybe happiness All are thy students, Father, oh merciful Father |
אַבָּא הוֹי אָב הָרַחֲמָן הֱיֵה לִי יְדִיד נֶפֶשׁ נֶאֱמָן רַפֵּד לִבִּי בֶּאֱמוּנָתְךָ תֵּן בִּי יִרְאָה לְמַשְׁמָע שִׁמְךָ לֹא עָשִׂיתִי לִי רַב וחוּקוֹתַיי הֵן אִלְתּוּר אַבָּא הוֹי אָב הָרַחֲמָן כָּךְ הִתְפַּלַּלְתִּי בְּמִנְיָן יְהוּדִים רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֵּן זַכַּאי בָּכָה מִלְּמַעְלָה כֻּלָּם תַּלְמִידֶיךָ אַבָּא הוֹי אָב הָרַחֲמָן |
- Haredi – Ultra-Orthodox. The literal translation of ‘haredi’ would be ‘quaker’, or ‘trembler’.
- The phrase “blessed with children” is now, among other things, a political phrase. It recalls the fact that large families are eligible for significant government subsidies, far more per child than small families.
- Here the reference is to the religious settlers who value the land of the Bible. The continued settlement of Biblical lands on the West Bank is, in this song, blamed for Israel’s continuing wars with her neighbours.
- Here Kobi Oz raises a question as to whether Reform Judaism has reformed Judaism, or created an entirely different religion.
- The Khazar nation, that legend has it converted to Judaism after the persuasions of Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi in the Book of the Kuzari, was a blond nation. Sephardi legends have it that the Ashkenazim are descended from the Kuzaris. The tradition of throwing candies at a Bar Mitzvah is a Sephardi tradition. Hence if you are a descendent of the Kuzaris, you will be without candies…
- A Jewish prayer quorum, a minyan, requires 10 people to pray together. In orthodox and ultra-orthodox Judaism, this number refers only to men: women are not counted.
- The story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai that Kobi Oz draws on is from the Babylonian Talmud Gittin 55b-57a. When the Romans were besieging Jerusalem, extremists were in control of the population of the Holy City. In order to hasten the coming of the messiah, these zealots even burned all the food stores of Jerusalem. It was at this point that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai decided to sneak out of the city. The Roman commander Vespasian came upon him, and Yochanan ben Zakkai cried out: “Greetings, Emperor of Rome!” Before Vespasian could explain to ben Zakkai that he was not the Emperor, a messenger from Rome arrived with the decree naming Vespasian Emperor. Vespasian was so impressed with ben Zakkai’s prophetic powers, he offered to grant the Rabbi’s any request. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai did not ask for Jerusalem to be saved, or for the Holy Temple to be spared destruction. Instead, he asked for “Yavneh and her sages” – the permission to establish a Jewish scholars’ academy in the city of Yavneh. In Yavneh, following the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, these scholars built the Jewish religion anew. This religion would have no centralizing Temple, nor would it be ruled by the hereditary Priestly caste: it would be, in Kobi Oz’ words, a privatized religion, interpreted differently in different places. The multi-denominational, multi-customed Judaism that we know today was set in motion – so Kobi would maintain – by the fateful decision of Yochanan ben Zakkai.
- Kobi Oz sees Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai as something of a ‘Patron Saint’ of Pluralism. He is so pluralist, suggests Kobi, that he even has three names! These three names are given to R Yochanan Ben Zakkai on his deathbed, by his distraught students, when asking him to bless them as he weeps. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 28b)
Guiding questions
- In what way is this a personal prayer, in your opinion?
- In what way is this a collective prayer, in your opinion?
- Do you see the first verse as being critical of this non-religious approach to life?
Kobi Oz sees Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai as something of a ‘Patron Saint’ of Pluralism. He is so pluralist, suggests Kobi, that he even has three names! As such, this song offers a vision of pluralism in action. In the song/prayer’s minyan, the protagonist prays alongside those with whom he strongly disagrees and even dislikes.
- Do you accept this as an ideal vision of pluralism and tolerance?
- Do current political issues find their way into your prayers?
- Is Jewish communal prayer the place for thinking about ‘tough stuff’?
Maybe this is another unexpected consequence of the lack of separation between Religion and State in Israel – not only does religion insert itself into politics, but politics also inserts itself into religion!
| Escalator | מדרגות נעות |
music and lyrics by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
| Lying on some rock during a school trip My teacher forgot me with his kova tembel hat I was a little sleepy with an empty water bottle Then I saw an escalator going down and up and down The one seeing the light said Thus they went up and down, up and down, the angels from heaven The enlightened said The escalator no longer went up and down up and down up to the heavens One enlightened, the other seeing the light |
בְּשוֹכְבִי עַל אֵיזוֹ אֶבֶן בְּטִיּוּל שְׁנָתִי מוֹרָתִי עִם כּוֹבַע טֶמְבֵּל שָׁכְחָה אוֹתִי קְצָת הָיִיתִי מְנֻמְנָם עִם מֵימִיָיה רֵיקָה אָז רָאִיתִי מַדְרֵגוֹת נָעוֹת יוֹרְדוֹת עוֹלוֹת יוֹרְדוֹת הַמּוּאָר אָמַר לִי כָּךְ עָלוּ יָרְדוּ עָלוּ יָרְדוּ עָלוּ יָרְדוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים הַנָּאוֹר אָמַר הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת כְּבָר לֹא עָלוּ יָרְדוּ עָלוּ יָרְדוּ עָלוּ יָרְדוּ עָלוּ אֶחָד נָאוֹר שֵׁנִי מוּאָר |
To download the printable pdf guide, click here
- Kobi is short for Yaakov – the Hebrew name for Jacob. Here Kobi is playing with the Biblical tale of Jacob’s ladder. In Genesis 28:11-19 we read: “Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. He came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
- “Enlightened” – Here the word is being used in its European historical context, not in the context of Eastern philosophy! Referring to the period of the Enlightenment, the ‘enlightened’ angel is wedded to the rational, the provable, the material.
Guiding questions
In his dream, Kobi would seem to be faced with a choice: Either commit to the world of the spiritual (“seen the light”), or commit to the world of the avowed materialist (“enlightened”). In the end no real choice is offered, as the layers and layers of unreality folds in on themselves leaving Kobi awake once more with his empty water bottle.
The angel ‘seeing the light’, the angel of faith, is presented as slightly threatening, even violent.
- Is it your experience that the spiritual ‘miracle-believing’ side of religion is threatening or coercive?
- Have you ever asked an Israeli the same question?
- What do you imagine might be their answer?
In the dream Kobi is paralyzed by this angel.
- When you meet advocates of this approach to religion, are you paralyzed, or energized?
The angel of the Enlightenment would seem to be the enemy of beautiful illusions.
- Is it your experience that the more materialist one’s approach to life, the less beauty plays a role?
Kobi teaches that the two opposing angels are, for him, also representative of two religious approaches in Israel. There are, on the one hand, the followers of R. Ovadia Yosef, who is famed for his rational, legalistic, practical approaches to halacha and religious interpretation. On the other hand are the followers of the traditions of R. Kaduri, which places far more of an emphasis on kabbalah, lucky charms, and grave-side miracles.
- Does your Judaism present you with such a dichotomy between the practical and the spiritual?
- Are you, like Kobi, left stuck in between, lacking inspiration?
| Traffic Jam of Miracles | פקק תנועה של ניסים |
by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
|
The miracle is stuck in a traffic jam of miracles Lord, who is like unto you among the silent ones? (1) The miracle is stuck in a traffic jam of miracles Lord, who is like unto you among the silent ones? The miracle is stuck in a traffic jam of miracles Lord, who is like unto you among the silent ones? |
הַנֵּס תָּקוּעַ בִּפְקָק תְּנוּעָה שֶׁל נִסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ רַק נָסִים וּמְנַסִּים בּוֹאוּ נַעֲצֹר בַּצַד אֶחָד אֶחָד נִהְיֶה פִּתְאֹם אָחִים אֲנַחְנוּ לֹא לְבַד זֶה נֶחְמָד בְּיַחַד מַמְשִׁיכִים אֱלֹהִים מִי כָּמוֹךָ בָּאִלְמִים הַנֵּס תָּקוּעַ בִּפְקָק תְּנוּעָה שֶׁל נִסִים אֱלֹהִים מִי כָּמוֹךָ בָּאִלְּמִים יְהֵא חַיִּים וְשָׁבָע וְשֵׁיזָבָא וּרְפוּאָה וּסְלִיחָה וְכַפָּרָה הַנֵּס תָּקוּעַ בִּפְקָק תְּנוּעָה שֶׁל נִסִים אֱלֹהִים מִי כָּמוֹךָ בָּאִלְּמִים חַיִּים וְשָׁבָע וְשֵׁיזָבָא וּרְפוּאָה וּסְלִיחָה וְכַפָּרָה וִישׁוּעָה וְנֶחָמָה וּגְאֻלָּה. |
To download the full printable pdf guide, click here
- Babylonian Talmud Gittin 52b. This phrase is an ironic re-working of the praise “Who is like you among the Gods” When Titus defiled the Holy of Holies in the Temple without any seeming response from the heavens, the house of Rabbi Ishmael changed “elim – gods” to “ilmim – mute”. Some interpret this as a critique of divine silence, and others see it as praise of divine restraint.
- These lines come from the Kaddish recited over the death of a loved one. The Ashkenazi version of this prayer does not include the words forgiveness and atonement. Kobi went with the Sephardi version…
- Mount Nevo is the place from which Moses looked out over the Promised Land into which he was forbidden to enter.
- The phrase comes from Samson, Judges Chapter 14, when discovering a honey-combed bee-hive in the carcass of a lion.
Guiding questions
There would seem to be a two-way lack of communication in this song: We have forgotten how to pray, and God is mute.
- Is this a fair interpretation of the song?
- Is this divine non-communication a situation that you identify with?
Possibly one of the most tragic images of the Bible is of Moses standing on Mount Nevo, looking at the Promised Land he has worked so hard to reach, knowing that he himself will never arrive. A poignant blend of achievement and failure.
- What do you think Kobi Oz is suggesting when he says that we are all standing at Mount Nevo?
- What are we looking out at?
- Where have we not yet reached?
- If this were a comment on the State of Israel, how would you relate to it?
The song speaks of injustice, of God’s silence, and of poverty.
- How would you say the music – its rhythm, its harmonies, etc – is commenting on the words?
- How does the image of a traffic jam of miracles strike you?
- Encouraging? Frustrating? Optimistic? Disappointing?
| My Longings for Longings | געגועי לגעגועים |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
|
Rather than chasing my tail My longing for longings From section to another section My longing for longings I missed you so much My longing for longings
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בְּלִי לָלֶכֶת סְחוֹר וּסְחוֹר זֶה עָשָׂה לִי טוֹב לַחֲזוֹר הִנֵה שׁוּב הִגַעְתִי לַמָּקוֹר זֶה כְּמוֹ עָבְרוּ שְׁנוֹת דּוֹר וְעַכְשָיו חִיבּוּק גָּדוֹל וְשׁוּב הַלְּבָבוֹת בְּיַחַד הִנֵה מִּזְדָחֵל לוֹ הַסָפֵק גַעֲגוּעַי לַגַּעֲגוּעִים מִמָדוֹר לְעוֹד מָדוֹר גַעֲגוּעַי לַגַּעֲגוּעִים חָסֵרָה הָיִיתְ כָּל כָּ גַעֲגוּעַי לַגַּעֲגוּעִים |
To download the printable pdf, click here
- This is a play on a well-known phrase – יגעת ומצאת תאמין – ‘believe that through struggle you will make it’
- “Diversions” is a particular translation, playing on the more straightforward understanding of שעשועים – entertainment – and the underlying suggestion of illusion.
Guiding Questions
Kobi Oz introduces this song by suggesting that the Jewish People spent two thousand years longing for Zion, but now we have a State here, all Israelis do is long for a trip abroad! Incidentally, he lays this critique at both the observant and the non-observant: He refers to the Rabbis’ complaint at how many men leave their families on Rosh Hashana to pray at Rabbi Nachman’s grave in Uman…
- Do you ever feel this dynamic of longing from afar but discomfort on arrival with regards Israel?
- Can you see this circular image of longing – arriving – wishing to leave once more – as referring to more than just a relation to the Land of Israel?
- Do you ever experience a similar cycle when thinking about your relationship to your Judaism?
The music for this song has been likened to the Gypsy Kings.
- Would you say there is anything significant about this song having a ‘gypsy’ feel to it?
- Why do you think this song – describing an almost-tragic lack of satisfaction – is so upbeat?
| Nikbat HaShiloach | נקבת השילוח |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
|
On my way to the Nikbat HaShiloach(1) Maybe I will burst forth(3) When I come out Will I be pure? How much of this is megalomania? Here, I’m outside
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בַּדֶרֶךְ לְנִקְבַּת הַשִּׁלוֹחַ רוֹצֶה לִטְבֹּל בְּמַיִם חַיִּים נוֹשֵם אֲוִיר מִימֵי הַמְּלָכִים זוֹחֵל בִּמְחִילוֹתַיִךְ לְנִקְבַּת הַשִׁילוֹחַ עוֹד מְעַט אֲסִיר תַ’בְּגָדִים מַיִם שוֹצְפִים, רוֹשְׁפִים חָצוּפִים. זוֹחֵל בִּמְחִילוֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לְמַטָּה פִּכְפּוּךְ לְמַעֲלָה סִכְסוּךְ נִלְחָמִים עַל אֲדָמָה וּמְזַהֲמִים אֶת הַמַּיִם אוּלַי נַפְשִׁי תִּמְצָא מְנוּחָה כָּאן בִּמְחִילוֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אוּלַי אֲנִי אָגִיחַ כְּשֶׁאֵצֵא בַּחוּץ הַאִם אֶהְיֶה טָהוֹר? כַּמָּה מִזֶּה מֵגָלוֹמַנְיָה? הִנֵּה אֲנִי בְּחוּץ |
Click here for the downloadable pdf.
- Nikbat HaShiloach is an underground waterway (sometimes known as Shiloah, or Siloah) fashioned in the days of Ezekial, that acted as the water source for the ancient city of Jerusalem.
- The Jewish purification ritual of Mikveh involves naked immersion in natural sourced water.
- The Hebrew for ‘burst forth’ is a play on the word Gichon – the name of the river that feeds Nikbat HaShiloach.
- The song plays with the fear of the Jerusalem Syndrome. This is a medically recognized syndrome, where visitors to Jerusalem suddenly are convinced they are Jesus, or King David, or some other historical/mythical hero.
Guiding questions
- Are there any places in the world that you feel have an intrinsic power, holiness, specialness?
- Have you ever visited a place that left you transformed in any way?
- Have you ever visited anywhere in Israel with a similar concerned expectation of self-transformation?
Kobi Oz undergoes a powerful experience in the waters, yet in the end he emerges more or less unchanged. Some talk of a visit to Israel as an “immersion” into an intense and overwhelming Jewish experience, yet on return to their Jewish life in the Diaspora – outside of the inspiring “waters” of the Jewish State – they find it difficult to reach such poetic heights.
- Is this similar or different to your feeling on leaving Israel?
Kobi Oz considers four motivating factors for why he visits Nikbat HaShiloach: Meglomania, Anthropology, Guilt, and a feeling that his life is dirty.
- What reason might you offer yourself for visiting Jerusalem?
- How would you say this song sees the connection between the biblical Land of Israel and the modern State of Israel?
- How would you say the song expresses the connection between a spiritual Jerusalem, and the humdrum day-to-day Jerusalem (Yerushalayim shel maalah, Yerushalayim shel matah)?
| Rabbi Joe Kappara | רבי ג’ו כפרה |
by Kobi Oz and Danny Recht
℗&© Anana Ltd
| Between the mountains and the rocks A righteous angel lives well A car and two houses The holy spirit is a business for him A long line of the whole clan Requesting a blessing or two For health and for work(1) Rabbi Joe Kappara Agonay megiman hu (2) Every blind man now can see Agonay megiman hu Rabbi Joe Kappara |
בֵּין הָרִים וּבֵּין סְלָעִים חַי צַדִּיק מַלְאָךְ בְּחֶסֶד מְכוֹנִית וּשְנֵי בָּתִים הַשְכִינָה אֶצְלוֹ זֶה עֵסֶק תּוֹר אָרוֹךְ כָּל הָעֵדָה מְבַקְשִׁים בְּרָכָה אוֹ שְׁתַּיִים גַם בְּרִיאוּת גַם עֲבוֹדָה הָרַבִּי ג’וֹ כַּפָּרָה אֲגוֹנָי מָגִינָם הוּא כָּל עִיוֵור עַכְשָׁיו רוֹאֶה אֲגוֹנָי מָגִינָם הוּא הָרַבִּי ג’וֹ כַּפָּרָה |
To download the full printable pdf, please click here.
- This song was the first hit of Kobi’s earlier band Teapacks in 1992. 18 years on, the song has the same satirical sting, and is as relevant as ever.He sings of the Israeli phenomenon of Rabbis, Kabbalists, and Holy Men who make their fortune selling their spiritual/magical services to believers.
- The word ‘agonai’ is used, instead of the word for God that is used in the R. Shlomo Carlebach song that is being referred to.
- Kabbalah, the Jewish spiritual practice, is also the Hebrew word for a receipt, and for ‘receiving’…
Guiding questions
“Every sheep needs a shepherd”
- While this is difficult to question with regards livestock, do you believe this is the case when talking about humans? Do we all need a leader?
“He gives you hope”
- Is there anything wrong with offering hope to those in need?
- What do you see as the ideal qualities of a leader?
- Have you ever been in a situation where a leader has disappointed, or even cheated his or her followers?
- Did the responsibility lie solely with the leader, or also with those being led?
- Would you say that your community is well-led? Or does it lack leaders? Or does it lack those willing to be led?
| Man with a Cardboard Sign | איש עם שלט מקרטון |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
| (1) Every morning he is a pillar of salt beside the Ayalon Highway Always against the traffic, every driver makes a bumper face A hat with Na Nach Nachm Nachman Me’Uman and a pompom too(2) His heart’s mission he holds in both hands on a cardboard sign And there is written: Cars wink at him Moshiach, Messiah I want Messiah” While we wait around for the holy red heifer (3)
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כָּל בֹּקֶר הוּא נְצִיב שֶׁל מֶלַח מוּל נָתִיב בְּאָיָלוֹן הַתְּנוּעָה תָּמִיד תָּבוֹא נֶגְדּוֹ, וְכָל נֶהָג עוֹשֶׂה פַּרְצוּף טַמְבּוֹן כּוֹבַע נָה נָח נַחְמָ נַחְמָן מְאֻמָּן וְגַם פּוֹנְפּוֹן מַשְׂאַת לִבּוֹ מַחֲזִיק בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדָיו עַל לְבָבוֹ בְּשֶׁלֶט מִקַּרְטוֹן וְשָׁם כָּתוּב: מְכוֹנִיּוֹת קוֹרְצוֹת אֵלָיו “מָשִׁיחַ מָשִׁיחַ אֲנִי רוֹצֶה מָשִׁיחַ” בְּעוֹד אֲנַחְנוּ מְחַכִּים לְפָרָה אֲדֻמָּה |
To download the full printable pdf, click here
- The song is written about a real person who does stand by the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, holding his cardboard sign.
- Among the followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav, there is a belief that this combination of letters and half-words have sacred powers. They are painted on many walls throughout Israel, and decorate many of the white hats Breslavers tend to wear.
- It is believed that the birth of an unblemished red heifer (cow), such that would be appropriate for sacrifice at the Temple, is the heavenly sign that the Messiah is due.
Guiding Questions
- Is the man holding the cardboard sign crazy? A hero? Both?
- Have you come across people who insist on proclaiming their beliefs and desires in the face of unanimous opposition?
- How do you relate to them? (Do you ‘drive past’? ‘Sing along with them out of the window’? Join them by the side of the ‘road’?)
- If you were in the place of the man with the cardboard, holding up a sign that states your most strongly held beliefs in the face of huge opposition, what would be written on it?
Sometimes it feels that the State of Israel is a little bit like the man in the song… standing against the global traffic, challenged by international mockery, a little crazy?
- How do you see the song as analogous to Israel in the world?
| Zalman | זלמן |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&©Anana Ltd
|
Zalman wandered the world confused And then a heavenly voice spoke out: Zalman that’s not you Zalman phoned here and there And hop! A heavenly voice spoke out: Zalman that’s not you Zalman looked at his good wife And then a heavenly voice spoke out: Zalman that’s not you Zalman lay back in his salon armchair And again a heavenly voice called out: Zalman that’s not you Zalman asked his ailing father And a heavenly voice called out with the answer: Zalman you are he who questions You are just Zalman…. |
זַלְמָן הִסְתוֹבֵב בָּעוֹלָם מְבוּלְבָּל וְאָז יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה “זַלְמָן זֶה לֹא אַתָּה זַלְמָן הִתְקַשֵר לְכָאן וּלְכָאן וְהוֹפּ יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה “זַלְמָן זֶה לֹא אַתָּה זַלְמָן הִבִּיט בְּאִשְתוֹ הַטוֹבָה וְאָז יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה ” זַלְמָן זֶה לֹא אַתָּה זַלְמָן נִשְכַּב עַל הַכּוּרְסָא בַּסָלוֹן וְשוּב יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה “זַלְמָן זֶה לֹא אַתָּה זַלְמָן שָאַל אֶת אָבִיו הַחוֹלֶה וְיָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל הַפַּעַם עִם תְשוּבָה “זַלְמָן אַתָּה זֶה שֶשוֹאֵל אַתָּה פָשׁוּט זַלְמָן.” |
To download the full pdf click here.
- Shmitta is the sabbatical year for the land. Every seven years, the land in Israel is left fallow, according to Biblical commandments.
- On Shabbat, the Sabbath, observant Jews refrain from work.
- Niddah is the custom that dictates a husband and wife refrain from touching during the menstrual period.
- For the 7 days of the festival of Sukkot, the family spends its time in a make-shift booth, a Sukkah, whose thatched roof must be open to the stars.
Guiding Questions
Zalman keeps getting tripped up by identifying himself either by his material possessions of his relation to others.
- In what ways do you define yourself?
- How do you imagine the heavenly voice might respond to your definition?
Kobi Oz sums up mitzvoth, commandments, as “pilates for the personality”.
- Do you relate to mitzvoth in the same way?
- Is your Judaism also a form of discipline, or is it an unlimited route to freedom, or something else?
“Your Children are not your Children,” states Khalil Gibran in The Prophet.
- If your children are not your children, and your wife not your wife, do we ever own anything?
- Does this ecumenical teaching resonate with your understanding of Judaism, or not?
| Yediday | ידידי |
Lyrics by Yehuda HaLevi, music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
|
O my friend end now your love of drunken wine And with song sung we will tell, Dweller on high Love above, power of our hour of strength Of compassion and of passion from within Miracle full of the wonder underway From oppressed pressed turned to light bright of the pure Yesterday’s daze in my heart starts newly born With a song sung I will raise praise all my days. |
יְדִידַי-דַּי בְּאַהְבַת-בַּת כְּרָמִים וְנָשִיר-שיר לְנֶאְדָּר-דָּר מְרוֹמִים. אֲהוּבָך-בָּך וְעוּזָּך-זַך עֲצוּמִים רְחוּמָך-מָך וחוֹמֶר-מַר רְחוּמִים פְּלָאוֹת-אוֹת ונִיסִּים-שִֹים לְחוֹסִים עֲשׁוּקִים-קִים והָאֵר-אוֹר תְּמִימִים כְּאֶתמוֹל-מוֹל לְבָבִי-בִּי עֲדֵי כִּי בְּפִשְׁרוֹן-רוֹן אֲהַלֵּל-לֵיל וְיָמִים. |
| Savior of the Poor | שועת עניים |
Psalms 38, music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
| Saviour of the poor from the powerful
And the needy and the destitute from the thief. The clamour of the poor shalt thou hear You hearken to their faint cry and bring them salvation |
תהילים לה
מַצִּיל עָנִי מֵחָזָק מִמֶּנּוּ וְעָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן מִגּוֹזְלוֹ שַׁוְעַת עֲנִיִּים אַתָּה תִשְׁמַע צַעֲקַת הַדַּל תַּקְשִׁיב וְתוֹשִיעַ |
- This is a psalm that is recited every Shabbat as part of the morning prayers.
- The initial tune is from a traditional Moroccan melody, and is interwoven with the original melody of Kobi Oz.
- There is something noteworthy about the way a traditional Moroccan, Sephardi, Mizrachi tune eventually leads into the Ashkenazi sounds of a niggun (wordless tune) – a musical blending of traditions.
Guiding questions
In the concerts Kobi talks of the powerful message in this Psalm which does not call on the heavens to protect the poor from the rich. It calls on the heavens to protect the poor from those more powerful. The enemy of the poor is not necessarily the rich person, but rather the person willing overpower the other.
In order to emphasize this strong call for social justice, Kobi worked with photographer Ziv Koren and video artist Doron Solomons in creating the video clip. The images, of the poor in Israel, are striking and disturbing.
- Does the knowledge that these people are in Israel, and not in your own country, make them any more or less poignant in your eyes?
- Do you find that these images spoil or increase your appreciation for the song?
Kobi also points out the notion that one cannot bring salvation to those whose cry we do not hear. The listening must first happen in order to offer appropriate help.
- Can you imagine this forceful cry for social justice resonating in your synagogue experience?
- Do you feel that prayer and social action ought to be kept separate, or does one feed the other?
| Elohay | אלוהי |
Words and music by Kobi Oz
℗&© Anana Ltd
אַתָּה אֵל אֱלוֹהַי אַתָּה אֵל אֱלֹהַי
אַתָּה אֵל קַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלוֹהַי
קַבֵּץ נִדָּחֵינוּ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ
וּשְׁלַח מְשִׁיחֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ דָוִד בֶּן פֶּרֶץ
(1)
|
I have so much to tell you, I give you a little smile for every thing of beauty I notice, I have so so so so many thankyous standing in line at your door, but my thankyous always come out corny Lord if you hear my prayer I have so so so so many thankyous standing in line at your door, but my thankyous always come out corny |
יֵשׁ לִי כָּל כָּךְ הַרְבֵּה דְּבָרִים לְסַפֵּר לְךָ וְאַתָּה הֲרֵי הַכָֹּל יוֹדֵעַ יֵשׁ לִי הַרְבֵּה בַּקָּשׁוֹת לְבַקֵּשׁ מִמְּךָ אֲבָל אַתָּה הֲרֵי חָפֵץ בְּטוֹבָתִי מִמֵּילָא אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לְךָ חִיּוּךְ קָטָן עַל כָּל דָּבָר יָפֶה שֶׁבּוֹ אֲנִי מַבְחִין, יֵשׁ לִי הָמוֹן תּוֹדוֹת תּוֹדוֹת תּוֹדוֹת עוֹמְדוֹת בַּתּוֹר מוּל דַּלְתְּךָ אֱלֹהַי אִם אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִילָתִי יֵשׁ לִי הָמוֹן תּוֹדוֹת תּוֹדוֹת תּוֹדוֹת עוֹמְדוֹת בַּתּוֹר מוּל |
אַתָּה אֵל אֱלוֹהַי אַתָּה אֵל אֱלוֹהַי
אַתָּה אֵל קַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֱלוֹהַי
קַבֵּץ נִדָּחֵינוּ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ
וּשְׁלַח מְשִׁיחֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ דָוִד בֶּן פֶּרֶץ
אַתָּה אֵל
1.
“You are the Lord my G-d
You are the Lord who gathers the scattered of Israel my G-d
Gather our scattered from four corners of the earth
And send the Messiah our King David son of Peretz”
2.
Kobi talks of how he was in Tel Aviv one Yom Kippur. He came across a group of people who had started praying in the middle of the cross-road between Dizengoff and King George Street. Ordinarily this is a busy commercial crossing but on Yom Kippur was empty of cars. He joined the prayers as more and more people gathered. As he looked around, at religious and secular praying together next to a (temporarily) closed shopping mall in the centre of Tel Aviv – he was struck with this image of the Land of Israel as one large synagogue.
3.
Kobi’s grandfather was a paytan – a writer and singer of piyutim (hymns). On arriving in Israel, and realizing that piyutim were not in the mainstream of Israel culture, he recorded all of his piyutim onto cassettes that were found after his death. For more about the renaissance of piyutim, go to piyut.org.il
Click here for the printable pdf.
Guiding Questions
In writing, we may also hesitate between G-d, or inserting the ‘o’…
- Do you share the singer’s discomfort with naming G-d?
- Do you find yourself searching for other words or concepts that fit your understanding better?
- What does ‘basically fine’ mean?
- In what way do you see yourself as ‘basically fine’?
- If you were to look at Israel, would you say that Israel is ‘basically fine’?
Kobi Oz talks of the way in which his Grandfather – a Rabbi who made aliya from Tunisia – would not force his religiosity on his grandchildren, and always searched for the compromise rather than the conflict on religious issues. This is a familiar trope in mizrachi families – families whose roots are in Arab lands. To the ear of a secular Israeli listening to this song today, moderation and tolerance on religious matters would be a rare experience.
- Have you experienced extremism or intolerance on your Jewish journey?
- What are your opinions?
- Have you heard of any examples of religious extremism or intolerance in Israel?
- Do you appreciate the degree to which this issue is pivotal in shaping Israeli society?
Kobi conjured up the idea of the Land of Israel as a ‘great, or large, synagogue’.
- What does this image do for the way you relate to Israel?
- Would you choose an alternative image to sum up what Israel means for you?
- Is it significant that the phrase is ‘Land’ of Israel, and not ‘State’ of Israel?
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