Lyrics from "Turn It" (2001

Lyrics from "Turn It" (2001) Back to Main Lyrics Page

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1. Turn It
2. These Are the Words
3. Tov L'hodot
4. L'chu N'ranenah
5. Parents' Prayer
6. Modeh Ani
7. Round and Round
8. You Shall Be Holy
9. Sim Shalom
10. Thank You God
11. Your Soul and Mine
12. Hakafah

Liner notes
Credits

Turn It
Hebrew text from Pirkei Avot 5:22

In Pirkei Avot (Sayings of Our Ancestors), we are taught to study our way through the Torah, year after year, for everything important can be found within its teachings — all that we need to know in order to learn, love, and live meaningfully.

The Torah is our life, it is the length of our days
Its lessons still inspire us in so many ways
So if you’ve got a question, open up and take a look
After all, we are the people of the book

From how to love your neighbor
To the way we treat the poor
The proper way to hang your new mezuzah on the door
Honoring your parents, how to hear the shofar’s sound
By peeling back the layers any answer can be found
You’ve got to...

Chorus:
Turn it, turn it, again and again, for everything is in it
Turn it, turn it, turn it again
Turn it, turn it again and again for everything is in it
Turn it, turn it, turn it again

It’s not up in the heavens so that someone has to say
“Who will bring it down for us to do and hear today?”
The Torah is so close, it’s in your mouth, it’s in your heart
But knowing that it’s near is just the start

Study by itself is not enough for us to do
Acting on these teachings is what it means to be a Jew
Learning it and doing it are two halves of a whole
Living Torah, being Torah, this is our true goal...

Chorus

Ha-foch ba, va-ha-foch ba d’cho-la ba
Turn it over and over again
Ha-foch ba, va-ha-foch ba d’cho-la ba
Turn it over and over and over and over
And over and over again

Chorus

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These Are the Words
Based on Deuteronomy 1:1-32

Our biblical ancestors lost faith in God from time to time, despite the many ways in which God had provided for them. We, too, lose faith sometimes. But the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy reminds us that God loves us like a parent, that God carries us in ways we don't always notice. That reminder can help us to believe.

These are the words
Words that were said
After forty years of wandering
Forty years of wandering
These are the words

Moses spoke these words
He told the tale
The reasons for our wandering
The lessons of our wandering
He spoke these words

"God carried you
Like a parent does a child
God carried you
All these years
God carried you
But you did not believe
Ein-khem ma'a-mi-nim bA-do-nai"

We read these words
Return to these words
The story of our wandering
The reason we our wandering
Is found in these words

Through all the pain
Despite all the pain
God is there God cares for us
So why is it so hard for us
To say these words?

God's carried us
Like a parent does a child
God's carried us
All these years
God's carried us
But we do not believe
Ei-nei-nu ma'a-mi-nim bA-do-nai

We know these words
We are these words
All of us our wandering
Learning from our wandering
Learning from these words

Sometimes I know it's true
Sometimes I know for sure
I'm sure that God is carrying me
I know that God is carrying me
And I know these words

God, carry us
Like a parent does a child
God, carry us
All our years
God, carry us
Help us to believe
A-nu ma'a-mi-nim bA-do-nai
A-nu ma'a-mi-nim bA-do-nai

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Tov L'hodot
Hebrew text from Psalm 92:2

Psalm 92 is our people's biblical Song for Shabbat. It is our declaration that giving thanks to God with the melody of our hearts is the perfect way to welcome the Sabbath.

Chorus:
Tov l'hodot LAdonai ul'zamer l'shim'cha Elyon
Tov l'hodot LAdonai ul'zamer l'shim'cha Elyon

On this, the day of days
My lips shall sing Your praise
For I know that You'll always be
Here, surrounding me

Chorus

My spirit takes release
I close my eyes in peace
And from my soul, heard far above,
Springs a song of love

Chorus

I wish to understand
The wonders of Your hand
For all the blessings that are mine
Rise from Your design

Chorus

(It is good to thank the Eternal, to sing to Your name, O Most High.)

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L'chu N'ranenah
Based on Psalm 95

At the beginning of Shabbat evening services, Jews all over the world sing the words of Psalm 95, which acknowledges God's majesty in our lives and in our world. The Psalmist urges us to listen for God's voice, for it can be heard throughout creation.

CHORUS:
L’chu n’ranenah - yai, lai, lai, lai, lai
Ladonai - yai, lai, lai, lai, lai
Naria - yai, lai, lai, lai, lai
L’tzur yisheinu - yai, lai, lai, lai, lai

Let us sing out to God, the Maker of all, sure and strong
Let all of creation, from mountain to sea hear our song

CHORUS

For all of the wonders in all of God’s light we rejoice
So now let us listen with all of our hearts to hear God’s voice

CHORUS

(Come, let us sing out to Adonai, let our song ring out to our sheltering Rock.)

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Parents' Prayer
Based on Genesis 48:20

It has become a treasured custom around the Shabbat dinner table for parents to bless their children. Our inspiration for this is our patriarch Joseph, who blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Menasheh. Today, we pray that our sons and daughters will gain strength from the loving words we bestow upon them.

Here with you beside me, I feel so greatly blessed
This moment means much more than I can say
A time to be together, a time for us to rest
Shabbat is here, the time has come to celebrate the day
So I hold you close, my hands upon your head
And from me to you, my child, these words are said

Chorus:    Y’sim-cha E-lo-him k’Eph-ra-im v’chi-M’na-sheh
               May God give you life and strength like Joseph’s sons
               Y’si-mech E-lo-him k’Sa-ra Riv-kah Ra-chel v’Le-ah
               May God make you like our mothers, like our blessed ones

As I watch you growing, I smile through my tears
Sometimes I wish you’d stay forever small
But then I see you blossom, and I befriend the passing years
I love you now, I’ll love you then - I love to see it all
So I lift my voice to offer you this prayer
For every step along the way, I will be there

Chorus

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Modeh Ani
Hebrew text from morning liturgy

According to Jewish tradition,the first words we utter upon awakening every morning should be words of praise. We begin each day by thanking God for sharing the gift of life with us once again.

Wake up, you sleepy head
Open your eyes and get out of bed
The sun is up, and it’s a beautiful day
There’s so much to do, let’s go out and play

Chorus:    Modeh ani lifanecha
                Melech chai v’kayam
                Shehechezarta bi nishmati
                B’chemla rabbah emunatecha

But before we get up to wash and dress,
Before we brush our teeth you know we’ve got to bless
And say “Thank you God for takin’ care of my soul
You returned it to me, yeah you make me whole”

Chorus

   I thank you God,
   I just know you’re out there
   You give my soul back to me,
   Now I’m gonna make today all that it can be!

Late last night before we went to sleep
We prayed to God for our souls to keep
But now that we’re up and feelin’ fine
We say “Thank you God” one more time

Chorus

(I give thanks before You, O living and enduring Sovereign, for You have returned my soul to me in compassion. Great is Your faithfulness.)

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Round and Round
Inspired by morning (Yotzer Or) and evening (Ma'ariv Aravim) liturgy

Both evening and morning worship services include prayers of gratitude for the wonders of creation. We express our appreciation for the passages between day and night, for the movement through the seasons, each filled with its own delights.

CHORUS:      Every morning the sun comes up
                        And every evening the sun goes down
                        It's a beautiful thing the way it all works together
                        And the world goes round and round
                        The minutes and the hours and the days pass by
                        Months turn to years, but I don't know why
                        God makes it all happen right before our eyes
                        And the world goes round and round

The Torah tells the story of the days of creation
God worked hard for six and then took a vacation
The moon and stars were quite a sensation
And the world goes round and round
The beasts of the ground and the birds of the air
Some with feathers and some with hair
And then woman and man, well they were quite a pair
And the world goes round and round

CHORUS

Spring leads to Summer and then comes Fall
Followed by winter but that's not all
When the snow comes down we're gonna have a ball
And the world goes round and round
But before you know it, the first day of Spring
The flowers will bloom and the birds will sing
It's really quite amazing, this seasons thing
And the world goes round and round

CHORUS

The wonder of the universe is hidden everywhere
If we only take the time to look around
The million tiny miracles that happen every moment
Are presents from the Holy One
Just waiting to be found

CHORUS

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You Shall Be Holy
Hebrew text from Leviticus 19:2

At the very center of the Torah is a section known as the Holiness Code - the fundamental ethical guidelines for Jewish living. At the heart of those guidelines is the obligation to strive always to emulate God

God said to Moses, tell the people
God said to Moses, tell the world
The right way to act, the kind way to give
The right way to think about how to live

CHORUS: And you shall be Holy, for I am holy
                And you shall be Holy, I am your God
                It's not for a reward, it's not the price of heaven
                I created you to be like me, to make a better world

CHORUS

K'doshim, T'hiyu, Ki Kadosh, Ani Adonai Eloheychem

CHORUS

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself
Love your neighbor as yourself
Life has a meaning, God is in this place
The commandment to be holy
Can be found in your neighbor's face

CHORUS (2x)

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Sim Shalom
Hebrew text from the morning Amidah

The Amidah, the central section of every Jewish worship service, always ends with Birkat Shalom, a blessing of peace. It expresses our deepest yearning for shalom, for wholeness - in our personal relationships, among our people Israel, and for the entire universe.

For Hemene Davis Zweiback, 1939-1999.

Chorus:    Sim Shalom, tovah u-v’racha
                Chein v’chesed v’rachamim
                Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael amecha

V’tov b’einecha livarech et amcha Yisrael
B’chol eit u-v’chol sha-ah bishlomecha

Chorus

Baruch ata Adonai
Ham’varech et amo Yisrael bashalom

Chorus

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Thank You God
Inspired by Modim prayer, from the Amidah

Our tradition encourages us, all throughout the day, to express our gratitude to God. Me must get into the habit of noticing the blessings in our lives and acknowledging God's presence in our good fortune.

Thank You God for giving me this day.
Thank You God for the good You’ve brought my way.
For my breath, for my life,
For my soul that’s in Your care.
I thank You God for all the gifts You share.

Thank You God for the mountains and the seas.
Thank You God for the birds and the trees.
For the grass, for the air,
For the water and the ground.
I thank You for the wonders all around.

There are so many miracles
I take for granted every day.
But my eyes are open now, I see them all.
So I’ve got to say . . .

Thank You God...
Thank You God...
I thank You for the blessings that are mine.

Thank You God for my family.
Thank You God for the love they shine on me.
For my teachers, for my friends,
For those I never got to know.
Thank You God for all who’ve helped me grow.

Ba-ruch a-ta A-do-nai
Ha-tov shim'cha u-l'cha na-eh l'ho-dot
U-l'cha na-eh l'ho-dot

For the mountains and the seas,
For the birds and the trees
For my teachers, for my friends
For love that never ends
For my breath, for my life
For my soul that’s in your care
I thank you God for all the gifts you share
I thank you God for all the gifts you share

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Your Soul and Mine

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Hakafah

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Liner notes

Ben Bag Bag says: Turn it. Turn again. Everything is in it.
- Pirkei Avot 5:22

Now that is quite a statement. Rabbinic exaggeration? Jewish chutzpah? A product of a narrow-minded, almost two-thousand-year-old world view that posits Torah as the only Truth? We don't think so.

Ben Bag Bag, a teacher in the first century of the Common Era, is expressing a belief confirmed, no doubt, by his own experience, as it has been by ours and by that of all who love Torah. If only we are willing to open ourselves to them, the texts of our tradition are always relevant, always meaningful, always instructive. Upon reflection we will see what Ben Bag Bag saw: everything is in there. True, we might not always like the answers that are given. But that's okay. Struggling with these teachings and then acting on them is what it means to be a Jew.

And - best of all perhaps - the questions raised and the conversations sparked will enrich our lives in ways we won't even be able to describe.

This recording represents our effort to express our love of Judaism and Torah - our attempt to proclaim our pride, joy, and gratitude in being inheritors of such a tradition.

-Mah Tovu
July, 2001

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Credits

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