An Interlude, for the House of Israel in a Time of Darkness and Danger. Betach Bashem.

The musical item I present here was brought to my attention by a posting at the excellent Israeli blog, “Israellycool”, made by one of his regular guests, Varda Epstein.

The full posting can be read at this link. Do please click and read.

http://www.israellycool.com/2015/10/12/israel-trusts-in-god-but-bibi-didnt-get-the-memo/

The first half of Ms Epstein’s article cannot be matched as an introduction to the song, so I reproduce it here.

“There was a blog I posted when I first heard about the Henkin massacre (that is, the Muslim murder of Eitam and Naama Henkin, in Samaria – CM) on which one of my faithful readers commented, “Ve’ein lanu al mi lehisha’en ela al Avinu shebashamaim”.

‘It’s from [the] Midrash Tanchuma, and it means, “We have none else to rely on but our Father in heaven.”

‘During the subsequent long week of terror (that is: of Jihadi terror attacks – CM) that followed, the words kept coming back to me, interrupting me…at regular intervals, until finally, on Thursday night, I let them fill my head completely.  

‘Not just these words, but with another verse from Psalm 115:9, that together, complete a tune called Maaminim (Believers).

‘Israel, trust in God;

‘their help and their shield is He!

‘We are believers, children of believers,

‘And we have none (else) to rely on but our Father in heaven.”

‘Yisrael betach ba-shem…”

‘Now, if you know anything about me [Varda] you know I hate popular Jewish music.  Just hate the entire genre. But I found myself singing bits and pieces of the first verse, at first just loud enough for me to hear it, a bit unsure how it felt, and then, closing the door to my bedroom, I sang it right out loud, and found I didn’t want to stop.

‘That’s when I realized it – the singing, or perhaps the words – was somehow helping me and giving me inspiration. “Wow, I’m really whacked up tonight”, I thought to myself, and then looked for a clip of the song on youtube. And then another, and another. My husband came in the room, and I thought, “Oh, boy, I’m in for it now. He’s going to say, “What’s up with that whining? Quit it.”

‘But he didn’t.

‘What he did say, “I’ve always liked that song.”

‘So I said, “Well, it’s giving me ‘chizuk’.  Strengthening me. So I figured, what the heck”.

‘He nodded.’

‘Here’s a Shlomo Carlebach version of the song, recorded live for Israeli television in 1973….’

 

Note well that date: 1973.  The year of the Yom Kippur war.  Was he singing it before, during, or after the war? 

Having found the Carlebach version on youtube I – like Varda – went exploring, checking out other versions.  And found another rendition of the same song – this time by a group of young IDF soldiers.  

 

 

 

May this interlude give to at least some others – in Israel, but perhaps also far beyond Israel – what it gave to Varda – ‘chizuk’, strengthening.