Lech Lecha 

Sometimes we just have to move on

Leave behind what we know

Sometimes we have to move on

Move on in order to grow

So when Hashem said to Avram and to Sarai

It’s time to get out of this place

They packed their things and headed down the road

Walked away from their birthplace  (they walked away)

Hashem said Lech Lecha

Put on your walking shoes

And walk till you reach a new land

A land that I will show to you 

keep on walking across the sand – until you reach that new land

Its not easy to leave your mother’s  home

Its not easy to go to somewhere new

But that’s the way we learn and grow

So that’s what people do

Hashem said Lech Lecha  . . . .

Sometimes we just have to move on

Leave behind what we know

Sometimes we have to move on

Move on in order to grow

 

Yakov’s Dream

Yakov dreamed a dream, and in his dream it seemed

There was a ladder to heaven, and angels were there

Hashem spoke in this dream, and Yakov understood

He was standing at the gateway to heaven

Yakov left Be’er Sheva and journeyed to Charan

When dark night fell he gathered stones to rest his head upon

And in his sleep he had a dream, the message it came through

In the morning, when he awoke, he knew the dream was true

Yakov dreamed a dream . . . . 

He took the stones which were lying down and piled them up high

And thought about his dream while he gazed up to the sky

Then he understood the future and bowed his head down low

Because this was the place where Hashem’s house would go.

Yakov dreamed a dream . . . . .

 

The Dealing Stone

In olden days there was a place to go, and everyone thought it was fair

If something was lost or something was found, the dealing stone was there

I wish we could all have a dealing stone, a big ole stone right on the ground

I would love it if there was a dealing stone

A place for the lost, a place for the found, a place for the lost and the found

We should each create a dealing stone, return the things we find

So everyone will have what belongs to them

And nothing and no one is left behind – and nothing is left behind

I wish we could all have . . . . .

I wish there was a great big dealing stone , if I felt lost that’s where I’d go

I’m sure that someone would be there to find me

A healing stone for my soul, a healing stone for my soul

I wish we could all have . . . . 

 

 

 

The Food Song

Ya gotta eat to stay alive

Ya gotta eat to grow and thrive

But in order to protect your soul

Be careful what you put into your bowl

Some things are good for you

But there are some things you shouldn’t chew

We’re talkin’ ‘bout food – oh yeah

We’re talkin’ ‘bout food

Hashem gave us some directions

It is for our own protection

There are lots of things that we can eat

Fish and milk and and plants and meat

Some things are good for you …..

Hashem said that all creatures are good

But some should never be eaten as food

We have to look at all the details

Like does a fish have fins and scales

Some things are good for you …..

Some animals we can eat

If they chew their cud and have split feet

Creepy crawlers from the ground

On our plates will never be found

Some things are good for you …..

 

If We Follow the Commandments

Hashem gave us a world, a world that has a plan

We need to learn that plan.

The Torah teaches everything, everything we need to know 

To do what we can.

Be in synch with the creator, and the blessings they will flow through you

The commandments are our guide, they teach us what to do.

If we follow the commandments and do them the best that we can

Hashem will give us rain, the rain that we need for our land

Hashem will grant us peace, Our families will increase 

and gratefully we’ll stand.

If we follow the commandments and do them the best we can

The Torah gives us guidelines, guidelines 

for every thing we do

Like growing food and having friends  and knowing

when to say thank you

How to treat our family and how to treat the neighbors in our ‘hood.

In war time or in peace time there are always ways to make it good.

If we follow . . . . .

 

Come Up To the Mishkan

In early days in order  to pray

When we wanted to thank Hashem

We brought special presents up to the Mishkan

And waited for our turn to give them

And the Kohen said Come on up,

Come on up, come on up to the Mishkan

Come on up, and bring everything you brought

Come on up to the Mishkan

The people there brought calves and sheep

And birds and goats and bulls 

Special flour that was  mixed with oil

And everything was used

And the Kohen said . . . . .

And after all, the gifts were received

Something wonderful occured

A fire came down to burn the offerings – so

People knew their voices were heard

And the Kohen said . . . . .

 

Bikurim

When our people returned to our land

They were given a new command

Farmers were to take their first ripened fruit

To the place where the Kohanim prayed

The holy mitzvah of  bikurim, its not as easy as it may seem

Bikurim, bikurim, the mitzvah of bikurim.

Some farmers came from far away

They traveled there for many days

With their fruit they thanked Hashem

They were back on their land again

The holy mitzvah . . . . . .

Farmers worked so hard in their fields

To grow the biggest, most bountful yields

Think of them traveling for night and day

Just to give their fruit away

The holy mitzvah . . . . . .

Giving their fruit was a special act

To thank Hashem and to give something back

Hashem please bless our  plants and trees

You give us what we need

The holy mitzvah . . . . . .

 

 

Here’s To The Women

Here’s to the women, The mothers of our nation

Sarah was the first, Of all the generations 

Here’s to the women, The mothers of our nation

Sarah was the first one, the mother of us all

These women were examples of people who relied on

The one above to show them the way

They thought about others, Showed kindness to strangers

Turned the darkness to day

Here’s to the women, the mothers of our nation

Rifka was the second and she was found

By the well where she was working, To bring water to others

To quench the thirst of man and beast as well

Generations later, having learned from their examples

Women continue, giving of their lives

Showing us that kindness, is a form of beauty

From them the next generation will arise.

So Here’s to the women, The mothers of our nation

Sarah was the first, Of all the generations 

Here’s to the women, The mothers of our nation

Sarah was the first one, the mother of us all

 

Shmita

On this earth, there are lots of gifts that we have

Wind and fire, and rain for seas and the land

The earth can give us exactly what we need

Quench our thirst, and give us food from plants and trees

Yes we have what we need, but its up to you and me

To keep the land healthy, for people and  birds and bees

Yes we have what we need, but its up to me and you

The Torah tells us, just what we must do

So when it’s Shmitah year, in holy Yisroel,

We give the earth a rest, from the work it’s done so well

Shmitah means, that every seventh year

We don’t plant or harvest, anything all year

Yes we have what we need . . . .

In Eretz Yisroel, when it’s a shmitah year

The farmers walk away, from what they hold so dear

They follow the rules, and leave their land alone

Its not easy, but they do it cause Israel is their home.

Yes we have what we need . . . .

 

The Cloud

When the mishkan was completed

Everyone under the sun

Came to watch the ark carried up

From Ir David it was done

From Ir David it was done

A cloud hovered over the Mishkan

Everyone knows what that means

The spirit of Hashem is over us all

To help with our hopes, to help with our dreams

To help with our hopes and our dreams

When the Ark was set inside 

And ready for the spirit of Hashem

A big white cloud came down from above

It was seen by both women and men

It was seen by both women and men

A cloud hovered over the Mishkan . . . . 

When we look up and see clouds in the sky

It reminds us of that special day

We can feel the spirit of Hashem

The one to whom we pray

The one to whom we pray

A cloud hovered over the Mishkan . . . . 

 

Glossary of Hebrew words found in the lyrics:

Lech Lecha – “Go” 

Hashem – literally “The Name” used in lieu of saying G-d.

Be’er Sheva – a town in southern Israel from biblical times until today (“seven wells”)

Charan– a biblical city probably located in what is present day Turkey

Kohen – the high priest

Bikurim – first fruits 

Mitzvah – commandment

Shmitah – the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel which is still observed in contemporary Judaism.

Mishkan – Tabernacle – a portable sanctuary that the Israelites carried with them in the wilderness

Ir David – the City of David – the original city  of Jerusalem

The Ark – aka The Ark of the Covenant –a gold-covered wooden chest described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.