Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
I wasn't there when he talked to Abraham
I wasn't there when Moses freed the slaves
I would have walked right up to that burning bush
But I wasn't there, and Moses was
I wasn't there when Judah led the Maccabees
I wasn't there when Esther took a stand
In every age we get to make a choice
To rise up and take a stand
Or ignore the outstretched hand
But if I'm here, God, and if I can help
Let me be the one who is the first to say
Oh, if I'm here, God, and if I can help
Let me be the one who is the first to say
I'm going to be the one who is the first to say
Hineni
I wasn't there on the eve of Crystalnacht
I wasn't there when they packed the trains
Millions were crying
Could nobody hear a sound
I wasn't there, but I feel the pain
Oh, if I'm here, God, and if I can help...
B'chol dor vador chayav adam lirot
Et atzmo k'ilu hu yatzah mimitzrayim
Here I am
B'reshit (Genesis) 22:1
In every generation you must see yourself
as if you left Egypt
Sh'mot (Exodus) 3:4
Soundtrack from the 1948 U.N. Partition Vote
establishing the State of Israel
2.Lo Yisa Goy
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
The stage is set, the bets are in
The world is waiting for the show to begin
We keep the peace with arms of steel
We're building bombs instead of bridges of healing
Lo yisa goy el goy cherev
V'lo Yil'm'du od milchamah
Lo yisa goy el goy cherev
V'lo Yil'm'du od milchamah
We sell our souls, we seize the day
As if our future is so far away
Who's gonna fall in the balance of power
The stakes get higher with every hour
Lo yisa goy el goy cherev...
Sim shalom tovah uv'rachah
Cheyn va'chesed v'rachamim
Aleynu v'al kol Yisrael
Al kol Yisrael amecha
Nation shall not lift up its sword against nation
Neither shall they learn war any more
Isaiah 2:4
Establish peace, goodness, blessing, graciousness,
kindness
and compassion upon us and upon all your people Israel
Liturgy
March music: "Zemer Haploogot", (Song
of the Night Squads)
performed by the Israel Army Band
3.Y'varechecha
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
Y'varechecha Hashem miTziyon
Ur'eh b'tuv y'rushalayim
Kol y'may chayecha
Y'varechecha Hashem miTziyon
Ur'eh vanim l'vanecha shalom al Yisrael
May Hashem bless you from Zion
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
All the days of your life
And may you see your children's children
Peace be upon Israel
Psalm 128:5-6
Soundtrack from 1967 Jordanian broadcasts
during the Six Day War
Shalom Aleychem (instrumental)
Traditional melody
4.Shabbas
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
Working so hard, I keep on wondering
If there is a chance I will ever be through
Coming so far, but just as I'm finishing
It seems there is always some more work to do
I need a day to collect my thoughts
To spend some time with you
Shabbas, Shabbas, Shabbas
Come Friday Eve, the beggar and the billionaire
Will each have a feast that will last through the night
Who could believe that families everywhere
Are singing the songs by the same candlelight
Taking the time to appreciate
The wonderful things you do
Shabbas, Shabbas, Shabbas
When it gets darker on Saturday
I feel so sad as it goes away
I try to bring a little Shabbat in my shavua tov
Shabbat, Shabbat, Shabbat, Shabbat shalom
L'hadlik neir shel Shabbas
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach, Shabbat shalom u'mevorach
Shabbas, Shabbas, Shabbas
Shabbas and Shabbat both mean the Sabbath!
Shavua tov means "have a super week"
To kindle the lights for the Sabbath
May you have a blessed Sabbath
5.Pitchu Li
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
Pitchu li sha'arey tzedek, avoh vam odeh Kah
Zeh hasha'ar Lashem, tzadikim yavo'ooh, voh
Open the gates of righteousness for me
I will enter and praise God
This is the gateway to Hashem
Through which the righteous may enter
Psalm 118:19
6.Eitz Chayim Hi
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
No matter how far away you wander
No matter how long you've been away
You'll find her waiting where you left her
She knew you'd be back for her someday
Eitz chaim hi lamachazikim bah
V'tom'cheyha m'ushar
If you want the tree of life, you've just gotta
reach out
The closer you get, the better you feel
The fruit of the tree of life is yours for the taking
She'll always be waiting for your call
She'll be your roots when you're unsteady
She'll offer you comfort for your pain
She'll give you shade in case you need to cool down
She'll be your shelter from the rain
Eitz chayim hi...
D'racheha darchey-no'am
V'chol n'tivotehah shalom
She is a tree of life for those who grasp her
And her supporters are praiseworthy
Her ways are ways of pleasantness
And all her paths are peaceful
Proverbs 3:17-18
P.S. The tree of life is our Torah!
7.Ani Ma'amin
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
Ani ma'amin be'emunah sh'leyma
Be'viat ha'mashiach ani ma'amin
V'af al pi sheyitmamaya
Im kol zeh achakeh lo
B'chol yom sheyavoh
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of
the Messiah
Although he may tarry, I wait daily for his coming
Rambam's (Maimonides) Principles
8.Am Yisrael Chai
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
On the road five thousand years
You'd think we'd seen it all by now
Wait and see, the best is on its way
Slavery to victory, we always see it through somehow
We are one, we are free
We can shape our destiny
Am Yisrael chai, am yisrael chai
Am Yisrael chai, od avinu chai
Carry on the holy book, you'd think we'd read
it all by now
Can it be there's always more to learn
Older than we can imagine, yet it still makes sense somehow
We are strong, we are proud
It feels good to sing out loud
Am Yisrael chai...
Mother to daughter, father to son
A different meaning to everyone
Passing the wisdom down from hand to hand
The Jewish people lives! Our father yet lives!
Soundtrack from an address given by David Ben
Gurion
to the new State of Israel in 1948
9.M'arba Kanfot Ha'aretz
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
Up from the ashes, planting our feet on solid
ground
Looking beyond the yellow star
Taking some chances, rising above the underground
Gathering in from near and far
Who'd have thought that we would ever see
Such a grand reunion
Every color, language, history under a single flag
M'arba, m'arba kanfot ha'aretz
From the four corners of the earth deliver our people
M'arba, m'arba kanfot ha'aretz
From the four corners of the earth
We're coming home
Sounding the shofar, waking up your heart and
soul
Ushering in the golden age
So get in the action, see who is really in control
And you'll get a seat close to the stage
Set your sights on the mountaintop
Stranger things have happened
Command central is about to drop
For all the world to see
M'arba, m'arba kanfot ha'aretz...
T'ka b'shofar gadol l'cheyruteynu
V'sa neis l'kabeytz galuyoteynu
Sound the great shofar for our freedom
Raise the banner to gather our exiles together
From the four corners of the earth
Isaiah 11:12
Soundtrack from Rabbi Shlomo Goren's prayer for the fallen at the Western Wall just after it's liberation in 1967
10.Kol HaOlam
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
It's a bridge that is long and narrow
That we cross each day and every year
It's a bridge that is long and narrow
When we cross, there is no need to fear
Kol ha-olam kulo gesher tzar m'od
Kol ha-olam kulo gesher tzar m'od
It's a dream that we are fulfilling
Every time we take another step
Though our feet sometimes are unwilling
We press on knowing you are near
Kol ha-olam...
V'ha-ikar lo l'fached klal, lo l'fached klal
Just remember not to be afraid at all, not afraid at all
The whole world is a very narrow bridge
But what matters most is not to be afraid
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav
Tov L'hodot
Tov l'hodot, l'hodot lashem
Ooh l'zamer l'shimchah elyon
L'hagid baboker, l'hagid chasdechah
Ve'emunatechah baleylot
Mizmor shir, mizmor shir l'yom haShabbat
Mizmor shir, mizmor shir l'yom haShabbat
Mizmor shir
Oh how good to offer our thanks
To sing out loud your holy name
To recognize your precious gift
Of kindness in the morning
And then to praise your faithfulness at night
Mizmor shir...
Aley asor, v'aley nayvel
Aley higayon beh chinor
It is good to thank Hashem
And to sing praises to Your Name, O Exalted One
To relate Your kindness in the dawn
And Your faith in the nights
Upon a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre
With singing accompanied by a harp
Psalm 92:1-4
11.Asey L'chah Rav
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
You know that you're not going to be right every
time
Sooner or later you step across the line
You might need a guide just to let you know
Which is the way that you ought to go
Asey l'chah rav, uk'neh l'chah chaver
Vehevey dan et kol ha'adam l'chaf z'choot
Get yourself a teacher, earn yourself a friend
Judge all people charitably our fathers recommend
Chovah al kol adam
There's gonna be times when you're feeling all
alone
You're gonna need someone to call up on the phone
Someone who's friendship is tried and true
Someone who just wants the best for you
Asey l'chah rav...
Provide for yourself a teacher
Acquire a companion
And judge all men charitably
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 1:6
12.The End of the Line
Composed by Sam Glaser
©1992 Glaser Musicworks
www.samglaser.com
A few millennia ago the words were carved in stone
The single greatest gift mankind would ever see
In your image were we cast not to ever be alone
And you gave us a working world to show your love eternally
Given the precious connection, we have the opportunity
Passing it on or we will lose it forever
Look into our people, take a little time
To be a new beginning or the end of the line
The merit of generations binds our people to the
text
Our ancestors have given their lives just to say a prayer
So how is it we're gonna pass the blessing to the next
When most of us cannot recall the reason we should care
Quietly stand on the sidelines, slowly we throw
it away
Watching our birthright disappearing forever
Look into our people, look into our mission
Don't deny our children our beautiful tradition
Look into our people, take a little time
To be a new beginning or the end of the line