Pre Rosh Hashana Music in Philly with Shlomo Katz

An intimate concert leading up to Rosh HaShana with quality people, holy words and tunes of inspiration.  What more could we ask for on a Monday night?

The very special Shlomo Katz visited our neighborhood tonight with Pey Dalid as his last stop in America on the way back to Israel.  He shared songs and stories.  He gave over melodies (niggunim) from R' Shlomo Carlebach.  He brought down words of Torah in the name of the Alter Rebbe, Rav Weinberger, the Izhbitzer Rebbe and more.

Thank you Lisa and Michael Wachs for opening your home and bringing Shlomo to town.  Thanks also to Ben Weitz Photography for allowing WholePhamily to post your photos of this special evening.  Not only is Shlomo musically talented, but he is good friends with our very good friends (all former Bronx residents).  So there is no more apt place than to share what we enjoyed tonight than on WholePhamily.  We are all connected.

Ganse mishpucha mamish!

Shlomo talked about the idea of repentence - tshuva, the theme of the month of Elul leading up to Rosh haShana which is in just a couple of weeks.

He said that the Alter Rebbe said that choosing to have compassion on your own soul (neshama) is the first step towards tshuva.

Shlomo then talked about his own rebbe - Reb Shlomo Carlebach.  He said in his name that Reb Shlomo gave over a Torah in the name of the Izhbitzer (yeah, a lot of giving props there).  All year I am fixing the things that I did wrong, but in Elul I am doing tshuva for all the things I did right but I could have done so much better.

He continued on the idea that I'm already keeping shabbat, I'm already eating kosher food, I'm already sending my children to Jewish schools.  But the idea is that you could be even more plugged in and going deeper and doing things with more meaning.

This is the idea of "Bina" which has the same gematria (Hebrew letter numerical equivalent:  Jewish numerology) as the name of this month :  Elul.

Shlomo said that this gematria is 67, and my add is ...1967 was an important year in our history.  This was the summer of love, the summer of be-ins, psychedelia, and the birth of the modern day hippy.  This connection is so relevant because, ultimately, Shlomo Katz was playing inside a room of many Jewish hippies, both young and old.

The dream of the 60s is alive and well.
Well, a little more polished, and the free love thing didn't really work out, but the ethos is here.
Well, at least the music is, and really the music is what is at the core.

He then continued with some Torah from Rav Kook.  When you have compassion for yourself and start doing tshuva you start to lose the fear of death.  Rav Kook also stated once that he is Rebbe Nachman.  Pshhhhhhhh.  What is THAT all about???

Last but not least is a short video I took.



Shlomo said he felt totally welcomed and at home at the Wachs family home.

I couldn't agree more!

Feeling pretty grateful that this happened, that Stango was able to make it after a long day hard at work, that I met some lovely people and saw some friends from the hood, and that I made the effort to slap it all here on to this corner of the Internet.


Time for a Tweezer Reprise, if you ask me!

Return to the Land of Your Soul...Got to Get Back to the Land

There was a time in my life when I would have thought this tune, "Return," was fully cheese.  But now that I know better, now that I am connected to Shlomo chevre, I am so so so grateful that I know this tune.  And so grateful that Stango and I are working on the opportunity to get back to the land in the not-so-distant future!




"Well I came upon a child of God, he was walking along the road...got to get back to the land set my soul free."  -CSN





Remember Blues For Challah is around the corner!!!  Sign up now and join the Whole Phamily there.

Classic Tune All Jazzed Up

Growing up, I never heard the name Shlomo Carlebach.  Unknowingly, I knew one of his classic tunes "Veha'er Eineinu."  I think I heard it at a Chassidic Song Festival that my parents took me to in the late '70s.

Stango, my musical husband, raged this tune tonight on the piano.   Not to be missed!

Here is Shlomo singing his tune, just for comparison sake.  My preference is Stango's funkier one.

 

Tibetan Prayer Flags: Shalom, Janis Joplin.

You've seen 'em, but never before with Jewish prayers.  Tibetan prayer flags are those colorful fabric squares that usually contain traditional Buddist prayers.  A few years ago we saw a Jewish interpretation of them at our friend Jonathan and Gail's very beautiful home, and convinced them to bring one back for us on their next visit to Israel.

from www.tevelbtzedek.org     The prayer is in Hebrew and comes from Rav Natan of Nemerov

The flags are produced by Tevel B'tzedek, which is an Israel-based non-profit organization promoting social and environmental justice and founded by Rabbi Micha Odenheimer.  They do good work in Haiti and Nepal, helping impoverished people benefit from programs addressing education, health, sustainable agriculture and more.  Israelis love to backpack through Nepal after their army service, so it is a win-win.

Finally the flags are available through Tevel B'tzedek directly!

They are $15 each.

You can email tevelflags@gmail.com directly to order as well.

Tell them the Whole Phamily sent you, and please remember that I have no arrangements with any of the products I promote.  At the moment I am doin' it from the goodness of my heart, and because I have a lot of love for chevre (friends).  And I didn't mean goat cheese.

But with all of my good ideas, I do hope to monetize in the near future.

Suggestions?





Kudos to my 11th grade English teacher for playing that one for us on the sleepy Wednesday before Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks, McWilliams.