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On that Day...a path to Oneness and Unity

2/18/2013

Below are a series of posts that I put onto Facebook before and after the 2012 election. The centerpiece of this flurry of expression was a melody for the text from Mishkan T'filah, the prayer of Reform Judaism in the United States (Central Conference of American Rabbis). The text originally came from the High Holy Day prayerbook On Wings of Awe, edited by Rabbi Richard Levy. Since November, I have been using this new original melody for this text every Friday night, and had the honor of singing it at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque during the New Mexico Statewide Synagogue Musicians Shabbaton on February 8-9.

November 3, 2012
I am going to try to say this carefully - these thoughts came to me when we read the Prayer for our Country this morning.
I pray that every citizen who wants to vote will have a chance to vote and that his or her vote will count.
I pray that, when the election is over, winners and losers will be able to even begin to strive to live out the motto on the Great Seal of the United States - E Pluribus, Unum - Out of Many, One. Our diversity of ideas can make us stronger, but it will take some work to get to that point. For all of our sakes, let's hope we still can get there.

November 5, 2012
In preparing for my Pirket Avot - Sayings of the Sages - class tonight at Temple, I came across a famous statement that certainly has implications for the American voter tomorrow....
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, what am I?
If not now, when?
Thank you, Hillel, for your all-purpose declaration!

November 6, 2012
I woke up this morning thinking about the polarization in our country, the passionate feelings that sometimes keep us from recognizing our highest shared values. Some of those values are expressed in one of my favorite readings from the Ref orm prayerbook, Mishkan T'filah, which I set to music this afternoon as election day was winding down. May all of us blessed with unity, wholeness, freedom and peace. Based on a reading from the Mishkan T'filah prayerbook

May we gain wisdom in our lives
overflowing like a river with understanding
Loved, each of us, for the peace we bring to others
May our deeds exceed our speech
And may we never lift up our hand
but to conquer fear and doubt and despair
V'neemar v'hayah adonai l'melech al kol ha-aretz
Bayom hahu yihiyeh adonai echad ush'mo echad
(Thus it has been said, the Eternal One will be Sovereign over all the earth
On that day, the Eternal will be One, and God's name will be one).
Rise up like the sun, O God, over all humanity
Cause light to go forth over all the lands between the seas
And light up the universe with the joy of wholeness, of freedom, and of peace. V'ne-emar.....

Here is the link to a multi-track recording:
http://www.reverbnation.com/larrykarol/song/15411778-may-we-gain-wisdom-bayom-hahu

Below is the YouTube Video...

November 7, 2012
I got in my car this morning to go buy the morning newspaper to see what happened in local elections, having been well-schooled in the national results. As I started on my short drive, the words of a central declaration from Deuteronomy about God's oneness came to mind. The first and last word of Deuteronomy Chapter 6 verse 4 leaped to prominence:
SH'MA - Hear/truly listen - to yourself and to o thers
ECHAD - One - unity, oneness, interconnection
Communication - both expressing ourselves AND listening, whether we agree or disagree, is priceless because it necessarily creates interconnection.
Perhaps there is a path that we can tread together, on which we can speak, and listen, and do it over and over, until we find an unexpected place of intersection of ideas and commonality in feelings and objectives.
That is my hope today.

Here is a link to a live performance of this song at the Hava Nashira Songleaders' Workshop (held at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute Camp in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin) on May 31, 2013, during a Friday morning service)

http://www.reverbnation.com/larrykarol/song/17534348-may-we-gain-wisdombayom-hahu-live

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Don't Let Me Fall

2/17/2013

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On January 5, I attended a meeting of CAFe', Communities in Action in Faith of Southern New Mexico, the local affiliate of PICO (People Improving Communities Through Organizing). I listened to the stories told by those who had gathered for training on the issues of immigration reform and preventing financial institutions from foreclosing on homes while homeowners were in the midst of seeking a loan modification. The experiences of foreclosures and family-splitting deportations are very real, and the causes are, quite often, policies that fall short of acknowledging the humanity of the people being affected by narrow-minded rules and decisions.
That evening, I began to hear in my mind the words of a reading from the Reform Jewish prayerbook, Mishkan T'filah, taken from a poem by Yiddish poet Katya Molodowsky (translated by Kathryn Hellerstein). Katya Molodowsky immigrated to the United States in 1935 after living in Russia and Poland (she was born in 1894 and died in 1974).
This is the text in the prayerbook:
Don't let me fall
as a stone falls upon the hard ground.
And don't let my hands become dry
Like the twigs of a tree
when the wind beats down the last leaves
And when the storm raises dust from the earth
with anger and howling,
don't let me fall.
I have asked for so much,
but as a blade of your grass in a distant wild field
lets drop a seed in the lap of the earth
and dies away,
sow in me Your living breath
as You sow a seed in the earth.
(the next two lines are the ending blessing for the reading about creation in the morning introductory prayers)
Baruch atah adonai, Rofei chol basar u-maf-li la-a-sot
Blessed are You, Adonai, who heals all flesh, working wondrously.
The melody began with four descending notes, the first three a step apart and the last note a fourth below the third note. It was a musical way of illustrating the sense fo falling, but the major key turned the phrase into a plea, even a proclamation that "falling" was not going to happen if God was present. At the beginning of the poem, the chords move and then pause while the first line is sung, as if to represent either breathing or a heartbeat, the pulse of living. As I constructed the music, I felt as if I was interacting with the lines of the poem to fashion independent melodies that echoed each other and that always came back to the "don't let me fall" theme. The ending blessing about healing and wonders completes this prayer with a declaration that even when we feel that we are falling, God - and people around us through whom God is working - will offer us support and hope.

(I made the recording on YouTube just after I created the melody).

To learn about CAFe', go to http://www.organizenm.org/

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Why Do We Hold On to What We Should Leave Behind?

2/17/2013

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We all carry our past with us every day. There are many reasons to carry with us memories of loved ones who touched us in a positive way and experiences that left a lasting impact on us so as to build our character. In those cases, we retain the adornments and enhancements of those moments, even if we were actually facing a challenge that seemed insurmountable, and even if we found a way to snatch a "victory" out of a "defeat."
Yet, memories and experiences can also be "baggage." Lasting hurt, grudges, regrets, anger and hatred can weigh us down more than we realize. The past, rather than being behind us, is in front of us, before our eyes, creating our lens for the here and now, preventing us from seeing the good that could be a part of our lives.
It may be, too, that we are so attached to positive relationships - friends, colleagues, or leaders - from our past that, when a new person enters into those positions, we refuse to accept that they might have anything to offer in comparison to a cherished predecessor.
The Jewish High Holy Days attempt to guide us to "let go" of our hurts, our grudges, our hatred, and even our own mistakes and errors in judgment, so that we can move forward with a sense of feeling unburdened by aspects of our past. It means forgiving others and ourselves, even if we can't forget.
The images in the song "Why Do We Hold On?" came from the descriptions in the Torah about the Pillar of Cloud/Fire that led the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. There were times with the people moved from one place to another, and other instances when the Pillar rested in a certain spot, directing the people to rest and remain in that location for the time being.
In our lives, we may not know when it is time to "leave" or "stay." Sometimes we may actually "leave" without moving to a new community. Sometimes "staying" might mean that we should open our eyes and see that the new place where we have arrived has many gifts to give us, even if it is not perfect. That notion can apply to people as well.
I have always told Bar/Bat Mitzvah families: "Your special day doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be meaningful and memorable." It is the same with life, and if we have the wisdom to let go of anything that we should leave behind, we will be better able to find contentment in the future. When we relinquish the pain that we no longer need as a traveling companion, the days ahead will be filled with peace and, yes, even happiness.

Why do we hold on? (L. Karol) - Copyright 2008 Larry Karol
Based on Psalm 25, High Holy Day Prayers and Parashat B’ha-alot’cha
I can see where You’re going, will you let me follow?
There hasn’t been a time when you’ve led me astray
Can I trust how you tell me not dwell upon the past
To look ahead without regret to make tomorrow a better day
to make tomorrow a better day

CHORUS: Why do we hold on to what we should leave behind?
Why do we choose our pain over peace that we could find?
Forgiveness can lift a broken soul and ease a worried mind
Why do we hold on, hold on, why do we hold on to what we should leave behind?

There are signs all around us telling us to stay
To rest inside the goodness that guides us on our way
There’s a fire that is burning, giving light when darkness falls
Can we let go of the familiar so we can answer when You call?
so we can answer when You call - CHORUS

When we stand in confusion, not knowing where to turn
Point us in the right direction to live the lessons we have learned
To live the lessons we have learned - CHORUS
Why do we hold on to what we should leave behind?

Live at Hava Nashira June 1, 2012 - Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute Camp, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
http://www.reverbnation.com/larrykarol/song/13502793-why-do-we-hold-on-live

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A New Heart and Spirit

2/17/2013

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“And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you: I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh; and I will put my spirit in you. Thus I will cause you to follow My laws and faithfully to observe my rules.”
(Ezekiel 36:26-27)
    As I studied this passage in the summer of 2010 with the intention of expressing its meaning in music and lyrics, I wondered how this declaration by the prophet Ezekiel to his people of God’s message of enduring presence and partnership could apply to us today. In that passage, Ezekiel told his people, Judeans (Jews) living in exile in Babylonia, that they could regain their if they replaced their “heart of stone” with a new “heart of flesh” that would restore and raise their spirits and bring them close to God once again.
   I wrote this song as many American citizens were losing jobs, homes and financial security in the wake of a national crisis.   Reducing hours of workers put many in dire straits, forcing many people to make difficult choices. The attitude and culture of financial institutions that made clients secondary to the profit motive led to this untenable situation.
In ancient Israel, it was the prophet who was called to deliver God’s message. The prophets did not choose to take on their crucial role in society, but they knew they had to speak out when they saw injustice and the need for change.   The message of Ezekiel that resonated with me at such a trying time was that everyone – including organizations, institutions, and government - needed to preserve within themselves the “heart of flesh” that sees all people as created in the divine image. We need to recognize that no one is immune to finding themselves in a difficult situation which might require assistance and compassion from others.   The prophet Micah articulated well the meaning of a “heart of flesh”: be fair, just, merciful and humble, and see all people as equals.
   The prophetic voice of ancient times reminded the people to listen to the still, small voice inside of them that would open their hearts to their fellow human beings with genuine concern.
  My song “Heart” attempts to renew Ezekiel’s message for the here and now. Seeing the best in each other will ensure that we will care about the well-being of all people as we care about our own well-being.   That is the true meaning of community.  May such a spirit prevail among us in our nation and throughout the world.

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What it means to be free - and American - February 15, 2013

2/17/2013

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The PICO Network (People Improving Communities Through Organizing) requested in the beginning of 2013 songs on the theme of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented Americans. One of the commercials during the Super Bowl, created by www.defineamerican.org, struck me as the most poignant message of the night. Here are some of the messages it conveyed about American values:

*We are all American, no matter what we look like and where we come from.
*In America, families stick together, people look out for each other, and hard work should be rewarded.
*It is not what you look like or where you were born that makes you an American
*It’s how you live your life and what you do that defines you here in this country
In President Barack Obama's inaugural address, he declared: "Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'"
In the last few weeks, I thought a great deal about my grandparents who arrived in 1892 and 1905-1906, at a time when there were no quotas that limited the number of people from their respective countries of origin (it was, most likely, mainly Jews coming from Lithuania/Poland at that time - the quotas came in 1924). Early in February, I watched a local DREAMer tell her story to the local Catholic priests (in Las Cruces, NM) through her tears. I was struck by a video of Native American man who, while taking part in a demonstration for immigration reform, confronted protesters with the words "I have been here for many, many centuries - YOU are illegal!"
All of these thoughts and expressions came together, after many attempts, in the lyrics below, that waited for the right melody. This is my statement about American identity in 2013, which, for me, is driven by Leviticus 19:33-34: "When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens, and you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Eternal your God." Justice, compassion and freedom are the value that, I hope, will guide us as we consider how to make many more people living among us feel at home as Americans, our neighbors, and fellow dreamers who will keep before our eyes a vision of liberty enlightening the world.

What it means to be Free (L. Karol – Copyright 2/8/2013)
New recording - June 20, 2013

It’s not where we come from
It’s not the color of our skin
Or just the faiths we live by
That make us American
It’s how we treasure one another
It’s what we do, the way we live
It’s working for equality
That makes us American

CHORUS:
So bless this land with justice
Bless the people with compassion
Make us proud of what we can be
We are neighbors, we are dreamers
Still learning together
What it means to be free, what it means to be free

It’s not the closing of our borders
It’s not the fear of the unknown
It’s not hatred in our hearts
That makes us American.
It’s looking out for each other
It’s holding out a helping hand
It’s a pioneering spirit
That makes us American. CHORUS

Some of us are truly recent arrivals
When some have lived here thousands of years
When aspiring citizens want to join our project in democracy
It’s not the time to close our minds and drive them to tears

Can we overcome our differences and reach an understanding
The possibility of compromise makes us American
We’re a rainbow of community when all is said and done
Our nation’s founders put it best - Out of many One
CHORUS
What it means to be free - what it means to be free

Here is a revised multitrack recording of the song - completed June 20, 2013
https://soundcloud.com/larry-karol-music/what-it-means-to-be-free-1

"What it means to be Free" video - images compiled by Pastor Linda Mervine, First Christian Church, Las Cruces, NM

To learn more about CAFe', go to http://www.organizenm.org/

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On that Day...a path to Oneness and Unity

Don't Let Me Fall

Why Do We Hold On to What We Should Leave Behind?

A New Heart and Spirit

What it means to be free - and American - February 15, 2013

"What it means to be Free" video - images compiled by Pastor Linda Mervine, First Christian Church, Las Cruces, NM

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