"Return again, return again. Return to the land of your soul. Return to who you are. Return to what you are. Return to where you are. Born and reborn again."~Reb Shlomo Carlebach
It is within us all to become the person we wish to be.
Reviewing the Situation (from Oliver!) Music and Lyrics by Lionel Bart
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 28-Give
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."~Winston Churchill
When people are given the ability to work towards a decent way of life, they are given dignity.
7 1/2 Cents (from The Pajama Game) Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
When people are given the ability to work towards a decent way of life, they are given dignity.
7 1/2 Cents (from The Pajama Game) Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Monday, 22 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 27-Intend
"The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding."~Albert Camus
Where we end up may be far from where we began. Our passions will dictate the roads we follow.
Corner of the Sky (from Pippin) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Where we end up may be far from where we began. Our passions will dictate the roads we follow.
Corner of the Sky (from Pippin) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 26-Hope
"Where there is no hope, there is no vision."~George Washington Carver
Hope is what nurtures us, feeds us, and sustains us.
Time Heals Everything (from Mack and Mabel) Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Hope is what nurtures us, feeds us, and sustains us.
Time Heals Everything (from Mack and Mabel) Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 25-Begin
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."~Oscar Wilde
New beginnings are filled with possibilities. It is what we do with the middles that determines the depths of those possibilities.
Here I Go (from If/Then) Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
New beginnings are filled with possibilities. It is what we do with the middles that determines the depths of those possibilities.
Here I Go (from If/Then) Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Friday, 19 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 24-End
"Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning, and under every deep a lower deep opens."~Ralph Waldo Emerson
What we perceive as endings are actually new norms. We move forward not always because we want to, but because we need to.
Hard Candy Christmas (from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: This is NOT a Christmas song, even though it is often mistaken for one and sung as such. It is a song of lament and of what happens next. It is so often associated with Dolly Parton that many people think that she wrote it.)
What we perceive as endings are actually new norms. We move forward not always because we want to, but because we need to.
Hard Candy Christmas (from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: This is NOT a Christmas song, even though it is often mistaken for one and sung as such. It is a song of lament and of what happens next. It is so often associated with Dolly Parton that many people think that she wrote it.)
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 23-Love
"I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."~Mother Theresa
The pain of losing can only be salved by the remembrance of the love.
Falling Slowly (from Once) Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
The pain of losing can only be salved by the remembrance of the love.
Falling Slowly (from Once) Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 22-Dare
"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game."~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We dream, we dare, we accomplish.
Defying Gravity (from Wicked) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: This was not the best performance that Idina Menzel gave of this song. She suffered an asthma attack just before The Tonys that year and the wheezing is audible in her voice. That said...I saw these two glorious women perform in Wicked. This song brought me to tears. Cliched or not, it was stunning in its power.)
We dream, we dare, we accomplish.
Defying Gravity (from Wicked) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: This was not the best performance that Idina Menzel gave of this song. She suffered an asthma attack just before The Tonys that year and the wheezing is audible in her voice. That said...I saw these two glorious women perform in Wicked. This song brought me to tears. Cliched or not, it was stunning in its power.)
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 21-Change
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever does."~Margaret Mead
Change can only come when one dedicates body and soul to the cause.
The Egg (from 1776) Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Change can only come when one dedicates body and soul to the cause.
The Egg (from 1776) Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Monday, 15 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 20-Judge
"Once, the Hassidic rabbi Zusya came to his followers with tears in his eyes. They asked him:
"Zusya, what's the matter?"
And he told them about his vision; "I learned the question that the angels will one day ask me about my life."
The followers were puzzled. "Zusya, you are pious. You are scholarly and humble. You have helped so many of us. What question about your life could be so terrifying that you would be frightened to answer it?"
Zusya replied; "I have learned that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Moses, leading your people out of slavery?' and that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Joshua, leading your people into the promised land?"'
Zusya sighed; "They will say to me, 'Zusya, why weren't you Zusya?'"Martin Buber from Tales of the Hasidim
At the end of the day we will be judged on who we are and not who we pretend to be.
Take Me or Leave Me (from Rent) Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
"Zusya, what's the matter?"
And he told them about his vision; "I learned the question that the angels will one day ask me about my life."
The followers were puzzled. "Zusya, you are pious. You are scholarly and humble. You have helped so many of us. What question about your life could be so terrifying that you would be frightened to answer it?"
Zusya replied; "I have learned that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Moses, leading your people out of slavery?' and that the angels will not ask me, 'Why weren't you a Joshua, leading your people into the promised land?"'
Zusya sighed; "They will say to me, 'Zusya, why weren't you Zusya?'"Martin Buber from Tales of the Hasidim
At the end of the day we will be judged on who we are and not who we pretend to be.
Take Me or Leave Me (from Rent) Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 19-Ask
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."~Voltaire
Only a self-righteous fool thinks that they have all of the answers. Asking the right questions can bring us to a heighten sense of our own existence.
Maybe This Time (from Cabaret) Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note. This video is a bit odd in colour and a bit shaky, but it is from a live production of Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles on Broadway in 1998. Her Sally had a vulnerability that just lingers and really resonates, so I chose it over Liza's. She is missed.)
Only a self-righteous fool thinks that they have all of the answers. Asking the right questions can bring us to a heighten sense of our own existence.
Maybe This Time (from Cabaret) Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note. This video is a bit odd in colour and a bit shaky, but it is from a live production of Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles on Broadway in 1998. Her Sally had a vulnerability that just lingers and really resonates, so I chose it over Liza's. She is missed.)
Saturday, 13 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 18-Pray
"The issue is whether we're reaching people and helping them pray. Whatever we can do to facilitate their worship experience and spiritual exploration, we're obligated to do."~Debbie Friedman
"The purpose of prayer is to be able to transcend the traffic and the hustle of the daily routine-to begin the day by acknowledging the magic of each day, the miracle of our lives, our bodies, our breath, and our minds. Once we can appreciate ourselves as living breathing miracles, we can celebrate and give thanks to The Creator of All That Was, All That Is, and All That Will Be."~Debbie Friedman
Our prayer lets us become a little less self-involved and a little less in control. When we acknowledge the Divine Spirit and our minuscule place in the universe, we can be at peace.
Say A Prayer (from Memphis) Music by David Bryan; Lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
"The purpose of prayer is to be able to transcend the traffic and the hustle of the daily routine-to begin the day by acknowledging the magic of each day, the miracle of our lives, our bodies, our breath, and our minds. Once we can appreciate ourselves as living breathing miracles, we can celebrate and give thanks to The Creator of All That Was, All That Is, and All That Will Be."~Debbie Friedman
Our prayer lets us become a little less self-involved and a little less in control. When we acknowledge the Divine Spirit and our minuscule place in the universe, we can be at peace.
Say A Prayer (from Memphis) Music by David Bryan; Lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Friday, 12 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 17-Awaken
"Beauty awakens the soul to act."~Dante Alighieri
We spend most of our lives with our eyes closed to the possibilities. When we finally open them, we awaken our souls to its limitlessness.
Waiting for Life (from Once on this Island) Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
We spend most of our lives with our eyes closed to the possibilities. When we finally open them, we awaken our souls to its limitlessness.
Waiting for Life (from Once on this Island) Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Thursday, 11 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 16-Understand
"Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."~Neil Armstrong
When we finally understand the passions within, we can truly start to live an authentic life.
Electricity (from Billy Elliot) Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Lee Hall
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
When we finally understand the passions within, we can truly start to live an authentic life.
Electricity (from Billy Elliot) Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Lee Hall
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 15-Learn
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."~Benjamin Franklin
We learn from each and every experience, even those which seem banal and idiotic. They all become a part of the fabric of who were are.
Nothing (from A Chorus Line) Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
We learn from each and every experience, even those which seem banal and idiotic. They all become a part of the fabric of who were are.
Nothing (from A Chorus Line) Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 14-Remember
"Remembrance and reflection how allied. What thin partitions divides sense from thought."~Alexander Pope
"There are stars whose light reaches the earth only after they themselves have disintegrated and are no more. And there are people whose remembrance lights the world after they have passed from it. These lights that shine in the darkest night are the lights that guide us."~Hannah Senesh
My remembrance is schizophrenic. I laugh and cry all at once as I remember her.
If You Remember Me (from They're Playing Our Song) Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
"There are stars whose light reaches the earth only after they themselves have disintegrated and are no more. And there are people whose remembrance lights the world after they have passed from it. These lights that shine in the darkest night are the lights that guide us."~Hannah Senesh
My remembrance is schizophrenic. I laugh and cry all at once as I remember her.
If You Remember Me (from They're Playing Our Song) Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Monday, 8 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 13-Forgive
"Great is the power of repentance, for on account of one true penitent the entire world is forgiven."~Rabbi Meir (Talmud Yoma 86b)
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."~Mahatma Gandhi
True forgiveness is not played out in words, but in deeds.
Sue Me (from Guys and Dolls) Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: The sound on this is not great, but the performance of Faith Prince as Adelaide is worth the effort. Nathan Lane is a much better Nathan Detroit than was Frank Sinatra in the movie.)
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."~Mahatma Gandhi
True forgiveness is not played out in words, but in deeds.
Sue Me (from Guys and Dolls) Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note: The sound on this is not great, but the performance of Faith Prince as Adelaide is worth the effort. Nathan Lane is a much better Nathan Detroit than was Frank Sinatra in the movie.)
Sunday, 7 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 12-Trust
"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."~J.M. Barrie
With our freedom comes an inherent trust and faith that we can make the world a better place; tikkun olam.
Run Freedom Run (from Urinetown) Music by Mark Hollmann; Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
With our freedom comes an inherent trust and faith that we can make the world a better place; tikkun olam.
Run Freedom Run (from Urinetown) Music by Mark Hollmann; Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Saturday, 6 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 11-Count
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."~Albert Einstein
Count on yourself and trust your instincts. The blessings will come.
Count Your Blessings (from White Christmas) Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Count on yourself and trust your instincts. The blessings will come.
Count Your Blessings (from White Christmas) Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Friday, 5 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 10-See
Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.~Jonathan Swift
We long for the foresight and vision to see the improbable and do the impossible.
Superboy and the Invisible Girl (from Next to Normal) Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
We long for the foresight and vision to see the improbable and do the impossible.
Superboy and the Invisible Girl (from Next to Normal) Music by Tom Kitt; Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 9-Hear
Music is perpetual and only the hearing is intermittent.~Henry David Thoreau
We can only hear the Divine Presence if we actively listen for it. The prayer is in the music and the music is prayer.
I Love to Hear the Music (from the Boy from Oz) Music by Peter Allen; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial Note. Stephanie J. Block does a remarkable Liza in this number.)
We can only hear the Divine Presence if we actively listen for it. The prayer is in the music and the music is prayer.
I Love to Hear the Music (from the Boy from Oz) Music by Peter Allen; Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial Note. Stephanie J. Block does a remarkable Liza in this number.)
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 8-"Believe"
Life's like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.~Jim Henson
We need to believe in ourselves and our own abilities before others will.
If you Believe (from The Wiz) Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note. This song is fantastic especially with Lena Horne singing it, but the movie clip is kind of creepy in my opinion. The floating babies are unnerving. Yet another example of Hollywood ruining Broadway.)
We need to believe in ourselves and our own abilities before others will.
If you Believe (from The Wiz) Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
(Editorial note. This song is fantastic especially with Lena Horne singing it, but the movie clip is kind of creepy in my opinion. The floating babies are unnerving. Yet another example of Hollywood ruining Broadway.)
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 7-"Be"
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."~Dr. Seuss
We all have stuff about ourselves with which we are unhappy or would like to change. If you are true to yourself, the change comes with the discovering of passion and purpose. The rest takes care of itself.
It Sucks to Be Me (from Avenue Q) Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
We all have stuff about ourselves with which we are unhappy or would like to change. If you are true to yourself, the change comes with the discovering of passion and purpose. The rest takes care of itself.
It Sucks to Be Me (from Avenue Q) Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
Monday, 1 September 2014
Blog Elul Day 6-"Search"
"Man-A being in search of meaning"~Plato
There is a wistfulness in aging that sometimes materializes in the realization that our searching is never concluded.
Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
There is a wistfulness in aging that sometimes materializes in the realization that our searching is never concluded.
Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
**Blog Elul is the brainchild of Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. Her blog and various links can be found at http://imabima.blogspot.ca
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