Elokai Neshama - Kivi & Tuki

Elokai Neshomo has been duly and daily noted in the background spirit of this blog for its lovability.

It is, to me, one of the most humbling and empowering ways to start every morning: My God,* You gave my soul to me clean; You made it; You designed it; You made it live**...and you'll know when it has run its course. Then you'll take it off the scene to be returned in a new form for a new purpose. So, so long as it is in THIS place by YOUR choice: Thank you. And let us rock and roll.


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*Now you can't throw out our blog. **If you are Peretz, you read that "LIE-v" as you should have.

Tanya - Avraham Fried

This goes out to a dear friend and his mommy.

(Yes. It is weird.)

DivShare Is Down

And therefore no load is up. Stay on tune, y'all!

Boruch Hu - Avraham Fried

Remember why we started this blog? For this; songs that begin in your dreams or maybe that are cued by them; that stick with you through the day, singin' ba-ba-ba-BA-BA ba-ba-ba-BA-BA... Ding-ding-da-dee-da-da... oyoy v'ihivdeelaaanu, min hatoyim, vinosan lanu Toyras eh-heh-mess!



Forever One is the recording.

Turetzky Choir - "Kosher Potpourri"

May I be extra petty this morning? I saw this more first than you.



Things to note:

The actual translation of "Кошерное попурри" is Kosher Medley. But isn't Kosher Potpourri that much more, I dunno, fragrant? And isn't it cool that there are two "r"s ("p"s) in the Russian spelling of potpourri too?

See 1:47 and the scrolling text on the back-of-stage screen. What does it say? It says "סימן טוב ומזל טוב". Only it says "בוט לזמו בוט ןמיס".

Speaking of starting words with Nun Sofit,* I saw a tallis bag in shul this morning with the initials: .מ.י.ן Now, is he a מין? Probably not. Does his last name begin with a Nun Sofit? No.

Another thing--and I was reminded of this as I typed "Nun Sofit" instead of "Lange Nun"--a random person walked over to another random person and asked if he might comment on Person Two's Kabbolas Shabbos hav'ara. This was all in 770, so we'll assume this backstory: Person One davened in a minyan led by Person Two. Okay.

So, Person Two was obviously an American Baal Teshuva and Person One was possibly an Israeli Baal Teshuva and possibly not, but he was pretty insistent but also rather patient about it. I was just standing behind, listening as he outlined the Komatz Gadol (BAH-rooch AH-TAH), Komatz Koton (KOL Yisrah-el, OM-nahm); Shva na, Shva noch, Rav Moshe Feinstein's assertion that it is preferable to choose a hav'ara that is not necessarily the common one of the shul over mixing and matching throughout the Tefilla, and a correspondence of the Rebbe with Rav Moshe on the topic. All while I wrapped up my Rash"i Tefillin. How awesome are your works, Oy L-rd?

I'm pretty sure I've read all of the published correspondence between Rav Moshe and the Rebbe and this conversation wasn't any of them. Person One did preface it with "I even think..."

Is it true that the common pronunciation "Tzaddik" is from the tendency to say "Tzadi-Kuf"? Or is there an actual letter "Tzaddik"?

HT:Ber-hyphen-Bom, SK, YA
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*OOOOPS! Embarrassing. I kept typing "Chof Sofit" where I meant "Nun". Thanks Brrr.
**I made a number of other non-issue tweaks to this post during lunch. Good bloggering dictates I admit this. Slate has a cutesy (read: self-conscious) Err-o-meter or such that tracks the site's mistakes. It's dumb, in my opinion.

Niggun Shabbos v'Yom Tov - Chabad Centennial

Shabbat Shalom.

Darkecha - Precise Melodies

I feed you small doses :) Dunno. I just love this entire recording. This here is Darkecha Elokeinu; Your Darkness, our L-rd.

8th Day - Yai'lili

Without gettig into the specifics of whether you liked the video or not. I think it is undeniable that this raises the bar for Jewish music videos in general.

Agreed?

Devai Haser - Shlomo Carlebach

Master of the world:
Protect our soldiers,
Protect our Holy Land,
Protect all the Yidden,
Protect the world
Protect Yerushalayim Ir Hakoidesh



The Piyut "דוי הסר" is said in the nussach ashkenaz zimun to Sheva Brachos. I don't really know what it means and I can't find the translation. It has to do with taking away nonsensical aggression, oppression and apathy and making way for new and joyous melody. Amen.

דוי הסר וגם חרון / ואז אלם בשיר ירון
נחנו מעגלי צדק / שעה ברכת בני אהרן

Redden mit Taamim -

Sorry for not posting for the past few days... איך האב געווארט אויף שלישי. ;)

Happy post-Purim!

Kanei L'Shimcha - Avraham Fried

From today's Selichos. Noted by OldBrisker for its particular relevance this week.



קנא לשמך נורא ונקדש,
חזה כרמך נהרס ונדש,
זרויינו קבץ ושיר לך יחודש,
קימם והחים בבנין בית המקדש.

וכעשותך נוראות באותן הימים,
אתנו הפלא תשועת עולמים,
מצוא לפניך כפר ותנחומים,
א - ל מלך יושב על כסא רחמים.

I don't know the exact translation, but in rough:
Avenge Your majestic, hallowed Name!
See how Your vineyards are destroyed and trampled,
Gather Your offspring and we'll sing a new song to You
Make them eternal, make them live, by rebuilding the Beis Hamikdosh

And as You acted so fiercely in those days,
Act wondrously to save and rebuild the world today,
Place comfort and condolences before You for our finding,
G-d, King, sitting on the Throne of Mercy
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Correction: The first line of the piyut previously said "נורא ונשגב" /majestic and mighty/ and has been changed to the more likely "נורא ונקדש" /majestic and hallowed.

REALLY Old McDonald

I realize from the upload date that this has been around for a really long time. It is still excruciatingly funny! Happy Purim!

Nishba Hashem - Shlomo Simcha

There was a time when I was really in love with this song, I still am.

Meshoych Chasdecha - Avraham Fried

There's Kabbala about this zemer. I've never learned Kabbala; Google it and tell me what it says.

Dedi - Pi Tzaddik

This is a nice enough song, sung by a nice enough fellow, now to be enriched by a very nice side note, preceded by a word of gratitude: Thank you S&RK for gifting me an evening of Jewy Shmoozic™ with Yossi Green last night. After the concert, I asked Yossi about this and that and he gave the backstory to this. (This was not one of things I asked about, though.):

There was a tekufa in 1992 during which three Tzaddikim--the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Gerrer Rebbe and the Ribnitzer Rebbe--stopped speaking, and Yossi was moved to compose the song Pi Tzaddik. He recorded himself singing it and sent it to the Ribnitzer Rebbe's court by whom he was later informed that the Rebbe listened to it on headphones around the clock and would not let it be removed.

זכרוני צדיקים וקדושים לברכה

Tehillim 37:30, 31, 29
פי צדיק יהגה חכמה, ולשונו תדבר משפט
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks justice.

תורת אלהיו בלבו לא תמעד אשריו
Hashem's law is in his heart; his steps never slide.

צדיקים יירשו ארץ וישכנו לעד עליה
Tzaddikim will inherit the land and live upon it forever.

Tzena, Tzena, Tzena - The Weavers + Arlo Guthrie (updated)

Wiki-p says: "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" is a song, originally written in Hebrew by Issachar Miron (a.k.a. Stefan Michrovsky), a Polish emigrant to what was then The British Mandate of Palestine but is now Israel, and Jehiel Hagges (Yechiel Chagiz).

צאנה צאנה צאנה צאנה הבנות וראינה חיילים במושבה
אל נא אל נא אל נא אל נא אל נא תתחבאנה מבן חייל איש צבא

The sober version


"...Dancing with my Tzena..." Uhu. Very inneresting.
S'iz eppes Shabbosdik oich. Why? Maybe it's the B-track of L'cha dodi likras Kalla.

The fantastical version!!!!!!!!!


HT:BomHyphenBom

Elokai Neshama - Dudu Fisher + Benny Friedman

We love Birchos Hashachar! Shehechezarta bee nishmosi (=He chose to wake me up), Osid litla mimeni (=He'll one day knock me out); Hanosein lasechvi vina (=He makes quacks sound bright), Pokeiach ivrim (=He gives extra brains to Jews)*, Matir assurim (=He gives heteirim where others asir), and on and on...

Elokai Neshomo set to a beautiful tune by Moshe Laufer and recorded, first by Dudu Fisher and then by an amateur Benny Friedman. Each recording has a little something going for it and neither does the song justice. Benny: Efshar arrange and rerecord for your upcoming? Gd bless!

a

Find more artists like Benny at Myspace Music

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*If you eventually discover this post through a Google search for "Are Jews smart?" "Why are Jews smart?" "Why do Jews think they're smart?" "What blessing do you make when you meet a smart Jew?" or similar, know that Jewish people are not particularly brilliant and only slightly prophetic. Which I didn't even know until you just pointed it out with your search!

New Post

This is a post. Vda"L.

The Duck Song (aka The Best Song Ever)

This was actually returned to my Youtube query: Best Song Ever. the funny thing is that it may just be!



Family people: this is a variation of Sawale's famous "Do you have any scwews?" story...

Al Kol Eileh (Naomi Shemer) - High School Performance

I've been after a really awesome performance of this song and somehow the choreographed innocence of this one really, really does it for me. Actual music begins at 1:12. (It gets posted tonight since this morning's was posted as yesterday's, so tomorrow's can be posted tomorrow and appear sequential.)


קול נשים*

Once more: Thank you Chaim Fogelman for your design guidance :D

על הדבש ועל העוקץ,
על המר והמתוק,
על בתנו התינוקת
שמור אלי הטוב.

על האש המבוערת,
על המים הזכים,
על האיש השב הביתה
מן המרחקים.

על כל אלה, על כל אלה,
שמור נא לי אלי הטוב.
על הדבש ועל העוקץ,
על המר והמתוק.
אל נא תעקור נטוע,
אל תשכח את התקווה
השיבני ואשובה
אל הארץ הטובה.

שמור אלי על זה הבית,
על הגן, על החומה,
מיגון, מפחד פתע
וממלחמה.

שמור על המעט שיש לי,
על האור ועל הטף
על הפרי שלא הבשיל עוד
ושנאסף.

על כל אלה...

מרשרש אילן ברוח,
מרחוק נושר כוכב,
משאלות ליבי בחושך
נרשמות עכשיו.

אנא, שמור לי על כל אלה
ועל אהובי נפשי,
על השקט, על הבכי
ועל זה השיר.

על כל אלה...

The Other Keli Atah - Precise Melodies of the Chabad Rebbes

Keli Atah, Elokai. I am Yours in pain, You are mine in kindness. Happy content. Joy. Content. Hodu. Yodu. Hallel. Adar. Too.

The musicians on this recording are a Russian-born husband/wife team of a classically-trained violinist and pianist living in Israel. The song they here play is called Keli Atah. I don't know its origins. Do you?

Shabbos Hayom LaHashem - Shloime Gertner

One of the sweetest sounding Jews...


NOTE: Many of the DivShare links expire after a time. If something in the archives doesn't work, please leave a comment. If it is worth re-upping, I will bl"n re-up it. :)

Shabbis shulim,
a

Say Goodbye to Hollywood - Billy Joel

"Life is a series of Hellos and Goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for Goodbye again." What a vort.

(Hello?)

Special thanks to Chaim Fogelman for his design guidance.

Shirat Ha'asavim - Hamadregot

From Rabbi Nachman miBreslov, edited and melodized by Naomi Shemer.