Bernie Reprise: Two TV Sets & Two Cadillac Cars

Many moons ago, my dear friend Ariela told me that if this is a Phish blog, she'd be lost.  I assured her that it is not.  Sure, I am inspired by much of my favorite band's lyrics, but as stated in the subheader, this is a cultural commentary.  I talk about parenting and other stuff too.

However, it's a presidential election this year.   Me?  I don't get too into it.  I can say I will not vote for a bigoted and racist fool.

So far, the thing that has caught my attention is that Bernie Sanders has wonderful things to say about the band that changed my life.   Yep, Loony gets about that deep when it comes to her politics.  As the old adage goes, "Her life was saved by rock-n-roll" (and the Torah).

I know that most of you reading can't relate to the power of a Tweezer Reprise, but there is incredible power, emotion, depth of heart in experiencing that song live.   Ask any phan and no one will deny the proper respect that a Tweeprise deserves.  There's little debate that this tune is emblematic of the Phish experience.  It's filled with positivity and hope and all good things.  It is a very motivational tune.

So when Bernie walked out to this tune at a recent rally, I was pretty psyched.






I was also pretty psyched to meet the very solid and kind Tom Marshall, one of Phish's essential lyricists and collaborators, recently though a friend.   Sometimes it's hard to keep all of my seemingly disjointed thoughts together, but I shared with his wife, whose name is spelled Lea Lea but pronounced "LiLi" as in the song "Yaalili", that her name reminds me of this really catchy tune that was popular in the Jewish world like 5 years ago.   She definitely gave me a blank stare, but was kind about it.  Am I nuts?  Nah, just got a little bit of the loony thing going on.

When you have a conphergence of a person who loves both Phish and her ancient heritage (that's me you're talking about!), you get one freaky, heady holy chiller!


How I get from a Princeton prep school hippy who writes noodley jamband tunes (the classic one being Golgi Apparatus)  to heart-o-Flatbush observant, chassidic Jews who created a tune that has reached millions of Jews is the power of my ever connecting thoughts.  I attribute this ability to the aybishter, as always.  What can I say, it's a G!d-given gift.  I just want more people in my life who can appreciate this stuff.





I just hope that Tom and Lea Lea got a kick out of the video.  And of the Balki-looking guy towards the end.

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!