Rosh Hashana Countdown #5

Tekiyah is the call to listen to the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn) on Rosh Hashana.

Wake up Don't you hear it calling you Arise and live your life anew Tekiyah
Wake up See the flaws inside your soul Nurture them till you are whole Tekiyah
This is the calling This is the time to make things right This is the warning With the day of judgement now in sight
Wake up Purge the grudges from your heart Try to make a brand new start Tekiyah
Wake up Give the world all you can give Love each moment that you live Tekiyah
This is the warning This is the time to make things right This is the calling With the day of judgement now in sight
Wake up Take the time to make amends Open up and start again Tekiyah
Wake up From your sorrow you are torn On this day you are reborn Tekiyah
This is the calling This is the time to make things right This is the warning With the day of judgement now in sight

By Eliana Light
Category:Music
License:Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)


 

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Rosh Hashana Countdown #6

Not in a million years...not in my house...uh uh....N -E-V-E-R!!!

Shana Tova!




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Rosh Hashana Countdown #8

What can I tell you? I never saw this in my synagogue...

Shana Tova!


 

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Rosh Hashana Countdown #9

This one is just good old country singing from a rabbi in Georgia, USA...

Shana Tova!




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Rosh Hashana Countdown #10

Last year in the weeks leading up to Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) I posted this great song by The Fountainheads and explained all the symbolism in it and what it meant to me. I still love that song the best out of all the Rosh Hashana songs.

This year there are so many funky music videos for Rosh Hashana I thought I'd do a Rosh Hashana Countdown. There are 10 days to go so I'll feature a song a day for the duration.

Number 10 (although they are in no particular order) is a tribute to Israeli technology and features robotic dancing from The Technion (University) in Haifa. There are no special effects here, it is all 100% Israeli robotic genius.

Enjoy and Shana Tova (Happy New Year)!




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A Woman In Her Forties

That's me, a woman in her 40s. I'm trying to savour the moments which is quite hard with a 3yo who won't go to sleep and keeps calling out very important questions from the next room. In just over three hours time I'll be a woman in her 50s. It doesn't matter how much I savour and dwell on being 49, it's going to pass and there's nothing I can do about it.

So what? It's just a number? True, but it's a significant one. There's a bigger difference between being in your 40s and in your 50s than there is between 20s, 30s and 40s I think. Twenties to 40s are all getting married, building families, establishing careers (some earlier some later). In your fifties you are not having any more babies (not that I wanted to), you are a mere 10 years away from the retirement 60s (even though the age of retirement will be 67 by the time I get there), most of your friends are organising weddings for their children and becoming grandparents (which is a good thing). You see how I've contradicted every moan about the 50s? So what is it that is so heavy about tonight?

I'm probably more than half way through my life. I'm not old but I am no longer a young woman with my whole life stretching out before me full of endless possibilities. On the other hand I have far more now than I did when I turned 40.

My daughter has fallen asleep finally in her own bed in our own home. I have work to do because my career as a teacher requires work at home, as do most careers. And when I'm turning 70 I'll probably look back on this night with amusement and wistfulness.

Generally I like the zero years. The nines are tough - 29, 39, 49 - because I feel the pressure to achieve everything I ever aspired to before my decade is out. Twenty and 30 had big fat zeroes at the end of the number like a clean slate. Ten years ahead of me to do it all. Forty was harder because it was the beginning of the end of 'young enough' adulthood and I hadn't yet done very much of 'it all.' I'm hoping 50 will bring the zero effect with it once more. I won't know until tomorrow morning whether it will or not - I'll let you know.

Dammit, I'm a young mother! I don't feel middle aged!

Goodnight,
Rachel (aged 49 364.9/365)

A Trip Down Saccharine Lane

I saw the title of the latest Listography from Kate Takes 5 (click on the link to read the other entries) and I knew my evening was shot. Who could resist finding five songs that you grew up to? Not me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the best year for pop music was 1976. If you read the list of hits from that year it's winner after memorable winner. So it's back to my tweens and early teens for a little trip down Saccharine Lane.

1. My first choice from 1976, of course, is the theme tune from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?) sung by Diana Ross. I've already written a whole post about being 14 years old and in love with myself, full of hope for the future, etc...,etc... Read it and listen to it here. It'll take you back to those innocent years of open doors and unburnt bridges.

2. A collection of three songs (I know I'm cheating a bit) featured in this post about Songs I Have Loved:

Georgy Girl by The Seekers (my Dad's favourite group) from the 1960s. I loved the film too. Click on Songs I Have Loved and see a very young Lynn Redgrave having a bad hair day. My personal memory is of eating lamb chops and mashed potato for lunch and hearing this track whilst waiting for Listen With Mother on the radio. I also remember dancing around the house singing it without any clue as to what it meant.

The other two are both from 1976 (also in Songs I Have Loved with videos) Both songs that almost define the 1970s. The decade I needed to have long straight hair with a centre parting like Marcia Brady but never quite managed it. The only other must have was a flat stomach above my hipster stonewashed jeans. Oh, and more than one pair of Kickers.

3. Anything by Neil Diamond. When Love At The Greek came out in 1977 after his concert at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles (in 1976 of course) - I was in love. I only had 20 Golden Greats at home but used to put on the tape next to my bed and end each day with Neil (just the two of us). Here is Beautiful Noise for you.



4. Other childhood loves included all the Davids: David Essex (he didn't look anything like he looks in Eastenders, honestly), David Soul (from Starsky and Hutch), David Dundas (Jeans On), and David Cassidy (obviously - I was a tweenager in the 1970s so it would have been odd not to). I Think I Love You. I think I saw the original episode of The Partridge Family in 1970.




5. Aw poor Karen Carpenter. Possibly the best female voice pop music has ever known. :(



With apologies to ABBA - I still listen to you as I wash my floors but they only allow 5 items in Listography. And thanks to Kate  - not (I actually had things to do this evening.)