Leonard Cohen, Z"L, Baruch Dayan Ha'emett

I really think it's good to take a break from politics, any country's politics, this morning.

mychordbook.com
I find it interesting that in his later years, he performed wearing a hat.

Yes, Leonard Cohen, Z"L, has passed away. Not being a fan of American '60's Folk Music, I can't say that I've been a fan of Leonard Cohen or an expert when it comes to his music, but I did admire his use of traditional Jewish texts for some of his songs.

I even used one of his songs in the classroom when I taught in the yeshiva high school in Beit El.

Who By Fire

And who by fire, who by water,
who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
who in your merry merry month of may,
who by very slow decay,
and who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
and who by avalanche, who by powder,
who for his greed, who for his hunger,
and who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident,
who in solitude, who in this mirror,
who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
who in mortal chains, who in power,
and who shall I say is calling?

I would challenge my students to recognize the source of Cohen's inspiration, the Unetaneh Tokef prayer:
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed
How many shall die and how many shall be born
Who shall live and who shall die
Who at the measure of days and who before
Who by fire and who by water
Who by the sword and who by wild beasts
Who by hunger and who by thirst
Who by earthquake and who by plague
Who by strangling and who by stoning
Who shall have rest and who shall go wandering
Who will be tranquil and who shall be harassed
Who shall be at ease and who shall be afflicted
Who shall become poor and who shall become rich
Who shall be brought low and who shall be raised high
 (credit for translation)



It's obvious that Cohen could not fully escape his Jewish background. My neighbor, Moshe Keinan, recorded a traditional Halleluya to Cohen's tune.

ברוך דיין האמת

Baruch Dayan Ha'emett

Blessed is The True Judge

Yom Kippur in Show Business

Being that the Holiest day of the Jewish Year, Yom Kippur just ended here a few hours ago, I really don't want to write more politics. I also don't want to get into theology.

Tonight while the post-Yom Kippur break-fast meal was heating up I checked my email and found an update from "Jewniverse, When the Hearthrob of the Yiddish Cinema Led Kol Nidre."

If Kol Nidre has never made you shiver with emotion, then you must see the 1940 acclaimed Yiddish film Overture to Glory. Made in New York, the film offers a glimpse at a world—and an art form—that peaked just before its own destruction. With music written by the great Yiddish theater conductor Alexander Olshanetsky and starring Moishe Oysher, a real life cantor and actor, Overture to Glory tells a tale both timeless and deeply evocative of a lost world.
The film follows young cantor Yoel Duvid Strashunsky, played byOysher, as he is lured away by the bright lights and big promises of Warsaw. But the secular world churns him out and he returns to Vilna sick, bereaved and penniless on the eve of Yom Kippur. In the final scene he staggers into his synagogue, hears the Kol Nidre, and breaks in to electrify his community with his beautiful, familiar voice...

Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer

Here's a more modern veriosn, Neil Diamond - The Jazz Singer - Kol Nidrei.




A personal favorite of mine is Leonard Cohen's version of  the “Unetaneh Tokef” Prayer, which he calls, "Who by Fire?" You won't hear his version in the synagogue, but it's impressive none the less.



What's your favorite celebrity version of a Yom Kippur prayer?

Why Won't Leonard Cohen Perform Here?

I understand that Leonard Cohen had tried to set up a performance in Ramallah, besides Tel Aviv, when he visits in the fall.

The Pseudistinians declined the honor.

He'd be welcome here in Shiloh. Maybe our venue is a bit too small, but there's a nice concert set-up in Ariel.

And since he plans on being here during the High Holidays, I trust he'll sing "Who By Fire."

When I taught English EFL, I used this poem as literature.