;.cR. SC, Best of SC, 60s, Stories
;.l1,6,60,66,1,0,10,75,192,2,15,20,25,127,10,0,
=sh_bst60
Transcription of R. Shlomo Carlebach stories, from commericallypublished tape:  Jerusalem Star, The Best of Shlomo Carlebach I: [songs and] stories of the 60s.  Copyright Circle-C Circle-P 1991Noam Productions Ltd. Jerusalem, Tel: 02--514-410, FAX 972-2--511073, All Rights Reserved (darned if I know what that means & ain'tsure they do), for sale outside of North America only.

Summary, from =invstory

60s, SIDE A
1) Ocean of Tears:  {A strange & beautiful story}
REB YITZAK VOLKER:
Everybody in knows in KOTSK, the truth was the most importantsthing.  In VOLKER, loving G-d was the most important thing in theworld.

SOLDIERS' STORIES:  3 stories about soldiers in Israel:

1) A tank driver in the 6-Day War  (Sinai).
2)  After the War in Lebanon
3)  A story -- concert during the Yom Kippur War [probably Sinai] 

SIDE B:
The Holy Hunchback -- [a story of] Rav Klonimus Kalman [ofPieretznetzne] 
He buried the manuscript 
He took it to the chaplain, who at that time was Rabbi Hollander
Children, remember, the greatest thing in the world is, to dosomebody else a favor. 
After that I was privileged to meet another person who saw RebKolonimus Kalman ... in the Warsaw Ghetto ... 

================================================================
START SIDE A:

You know friends, for us, we are so far from a human beingstanding  next to us, for us to be a communion -- to communicatewith somebody who's in another worlds sounds -- a little bit wayout.  
	But for the Rebbes -- the holy people -- our masters -- ourgiants -- from this world to the other world was very close.

	?When? The holy Reb YITZAK VOLKER died -- when he left theworld {it sounds as if R. Shlomo is over-riding his term 'died'with 'left the world'} -- and he and the Kotzker Rebbe were thebest friends in the world -- as much as their way of serving G_dwas different --     

	Everybody knows, in Kotzk, the truth was the most importantthing.  {Half-singing:} In Volker, loving people was the mostimportant thing in the world.  
	So after Reb Yitzhak Volker left the world, his son RebMendele was very worried -- because he was sure his father wouldcome back and talk to him a dream at least -- didn't hear from himfor 4 weeks -- he got worried -- 
	He went to Reb Mendele Kotzk-er-le, his father's best friend,and he says to the Kotzker Rebbe:  You know, I'm so worried aboutmy father, I haven't heard from him in -- four weeks. 
	Kotzker Rebbe says to me [R. Shlomo corrects himself] - saysto him -- Mendele, let me tell me the truth, I was also worriedabout your father, could not understand why he doesn't come backto let me know what happened to him in the other world.   Says: Since he didn't come to me, I decided to go to him.  
	 I went from palace to palace.  I went to the palace ofRashi, of the Rambam, of Rabbi Akiba, Moshe Rabbenu, Avraham Avinu-- wherever I went, they told me, yes he was here {100} -- but heleft.  I asked the angels -- where's my best friend, the holy RebYitzhak Volker -- and they said, you have to go to a very darkforest, and at the end of the forest you'll find him.
	I summoned all my strength -- all my energy -- I walkedthorugh the forest -- never seen something so dark, so awesome, sofrightening -- 
	At the end of the forest, there was an ocean.  I never heard,I never heard in my whole life, waves crying this way.  Every wavewent up to heaven, crying, begging -- 
	And here my friend Reb Yitzhak, leaning on his stick, didn'ttake his eyes off the Ocean --
	I said Yitzhak, my best friend, what are you doing here -- 
	He says to me:  Mendel, do you recognize the Ocean?
	I said No, what is it.
	He said:  Mendele, my best friend, this is the ocean oftears, -- this is the ocean of tears of G_d's holy people -- ofall of Israel -- and I swore by G_d, I will not leave the Ocean,'till G_d has dried all the tears.                                
{R. Shlomo humming a niggun:  short, minor key, I don't think I'vehitherto heard it -- a phrase that got taken up into 'Hashivenu''' }                                       

{sa79}
From =sh_bst60, Best of Shlomo Carlebach, 60's, Stories, Side A:
{190}

Stately, maybe MM=60 .  Poignant. 

B^2   F  B^ / A^2 F2 /   !
B^ B^ F  B^ / A^4    /
B^2   F  B^ / A^2 F2 /   
F  B^ A^ G  / F4     / 

	{207}
	You know my friends -- a lot of times you and I come to ourhouse -- our little children are crying -- and the parents say,Stop crying -- you're grown up now.  Sometimes parents say -- Ach,Stop crying.
	People cry in the streets of the world, nobody paysattention.   I bless you and I, whenever you see tears, stay thereand don't leave, until the ONE, the only ONE, dries the tears.
	You know, children when they're crying -- you know the tearsreaching heaven, the waves -- reach heaven.  {Singing:} Don't walk away, don't walk away.
	And I want you to know:  Each time you say to G_d, I'm notmoving from those tears -- it will bring redemption to the world.
{R. Shlomo singing the same niggun, but this time is a triumphantmode:}
{FADE}
	{275}
---------------------------------------------------------------
I want to share with you 3 stories about some 3 holy soldiers inIsrael. 
The first story is:
-'65--'66, a sweet little yiddele from Tel Aviv came to me, and hesays to me, please, can you get through to my son, he's a highofficer in the army, he just hates -- really he hates Yiddishkeit. But now he has a new kind of craziness.  In my house, in my diningroom, there's a big picture of my grandfather, a yid {300} with along beard and a streiml, and he says, unless I take out thepicture, he refuse to come to my house -- he says, it's nauseatingto think to be the grandson of such an idiot.   What should I dowith him.

	I tried to get through to him, he was a very cute person,sweet like sugar but -- {R. Shlomo sounds a bit incredulous, in avery low-key way} I don't know, he had some kind of -- blocks --blocks against religion.  And what can I do.
	1967, after the 6-Day-War, one day the door opens, the yidfrom Tel Aviv walks in, with his son, the officer.   Has a littlebeard, and little pey[ot]-ele -- and tzitzis -- he looks like anew person.  I said to him, what happened to you.  This is what hesaid:
	He says, I mentioned to you, I'm a tank-ist.   During the 6Day War I was driving a tank [in the Sinai].  Suddenly I noticed,an Egyptian tank is on my tail, and I have to get as close to theother tanks as possible, because I cannot fight an Egyptian tankall by myself.  And the closest to the other tank is a straightline.  I'm driving as fast as I can.  Suddenly in the middle ofthe road, I see a yid with a tallis and tfillin praying.   And youknow what I think of religious people; they're crazy.  I knewthey're crazy -- but that crazy, in the middle of a war -  andhere in the desert -- standing here praying ?!?
	My first reaction was, I should really run him over; but howcan you run over another Jew.   So I made a detour.  The Egyptiantank didn't make the detour, and ran -- drove right over the placewhere the Jew was standing.   It was blown up by a mine. 
	When I came back to my father's house, I looked at thepicture of my grandfather.  It was him.  My holy grandfather --came down from heaven, to protect me.  {R. Shlomo almostwhispering:}  What an honor -- to have such a grandfather. 
{R. Shlomo whistling a niggun:  one of the classical hasidicniggunim; I forget which.}
{400}
---------------------------------
[Second story:]

	After the [ 1982 ] war in Lebanon, a professor of Englishliterature, walked into one of the great giants in Israel, one ofthe holy rabbis.  This professor had come out in the newspapers alot of times, he says the most terrible thing which can happen toany Jewish child is to have -- religious education; cripples themforever.  And, he says, I wish we could abolish Jewish education. 	He walked into this great rabbi and he says, rabbi, I came totell you, I'll dedicate my life to Jewish education.  The greatrabbi looked at him, and he says, are you for real, or did youcome to make fun of me.  He says, let me tell you the story.
	I was up in Lebanon, in the mountains, I was shot.  I wasbleeding very heavily, it was clear to me, unless the soldiersfind me, I'll be dead in two hours.  Here I'm lying on the ground,bleeding, and I have two hours to live.  And what should I do. What am I going to think about.  Ah, I'm teaching Englishliterature, I'll think about Hamlet.  Na, it doesn't go.   KingLear.  Ach.  I'm also a Zionist.  I remember every word Achad haAmever wrote.  Doesn't go.  Before I know it -- I've got a few tearsrunning down my cheeks -- {singing} -- I remembered -- Iremembered my Zeyde holding me by my little hand-l(?) and walkingwith me Yom Kippur night to the synagogue.  I remember the mosthappiest hours of my life sitting on my father's shoulders,dancing on simchas torah.  I remembered my mother kindling lightsFriday night, it was so holy, it was so beautiful.  And suddenly Iremembered.  If my grandson, G_d forbid, would ever be wounded,with two hours to live -- he has nothing to think about -- becauseI never gave him anything.  Then I realized -- do you only need itthe last two hours of your life -- don't you need it every secondof your life -- something holy to remember -- and somethingbeautiful to be attatched to -- so I made a vow -- I said, masterof the World, if you hear my prayer, if you let me live, {500} Iwill dedicate my life to Jewish education.          
	When I woke up, I was in the hospital, and here I am.

---------------------

	One more story, but this is a gvalt story, friends.   One ofthe greatest stories of my life.  
	It was after the Yom Kippur War [ 1973 ] -- in fact, it wasstill in the middle -- was an unbelieveable concert -- withthousands of soldiers -- ah, the spirit was so high, the spiritwas so high.  Every soldier poured out their heart before G_d; weall are praying for the deepest redemption of Israel.  
	After the concert, the soldiers walked out, and just theofficers had a little get-together.  And here, an officer came upto me, he says, I have to tell you my story.
	I want to know -- I'm a real -- from a left-wing kibbutz -- Idon't believe in G_d .  I told my children that religious peopleare fakes, they're living in a world of lies.   I told them, weJews are the same like everybody else --- I told them Israel is asholy as Tokyo -- and as Moscow.  
	When the War began, I found myself fighting next to anofficer who was from a very religious kibbutz.  And the moment thefighting begins, early in the morning, he's yelling, {singing:}Shma Yisrael, '' Elo(k)enu, '' Echad.  G_d is one.  And the wholedavening he's yelling on top of his lungs.  
	I said to him:  Listen, my friend, I like you, but you'regoing on by NERVES -- you know the way I feel about G_d, I can'tSTAND it, all day long,  yelling `G_d is ONE' -- I KNOW youbelieve in G_d -- and I appreciate it, but please, you're makingme nervous.

{Comment (sa):  I can't capture with a written text the way R.Shlomo, with his intonation, evoked the orientation of that antireligious officer.  It was not merely that R. Shlomo had unlimitedtolerance, he seems to have had an extraordinary capacity forempathy -- which is the precondition to compassion.
	So, once more:  a written transcription is handy, but it'snot an equivalent substitute for a tape.}

	He says to me:  You fight your way, I fight my way.
	This goes on all the time.  

	(This was Saturday night, the concert.)
{Editorial note, sa:  this remark seems out of place here.  For R.Shlomo is telling a story of a concert given for the IDF duringthe 1973 War (at which concert, I assume, he was a featuredperformer); and within that story he retells a story told to himby an officer.  So the following reference to 'on Thursday' doesnot mean, the Thursday after the concert.}                   


	I want you know:  Thursday morning, early at dawn, thefighting begins.  I'm already conditioned, that he yells, '' Echad, G_d is ONE.  He didn't yell.  I look on the ground.  Myfriend -- is dying. He was shot.  Suddenly, it was clear to me:  Iwish I could die for him -- he was so precious.  I fell to theground, I took his dying hand, and I said, my sweetest friend,please let me die for you.  Is there anything I can do for you? And this is what {600} he said:  I want you to swear to me, thatwill yell HaSHEM Ehad, G_d is ONE, instead of me.

	And Gvalt was this officer crying.  He says, I swear to you:
	I said to my friend, I swear to you, {singing, majestic}, Iswear to you by the living G_d, my whole life, my whole life, Iwill yell HaSHEM Echad, G_d is ONE -- and I will tell my children,they should also yell, HaSHEM Echad, as long as they are alive.

	And he says to me:  You know, the strangest thing:  Iabsolutely did not believe in G_d.  At that moment, G_d opened allthe gates of heaven for me -- it was not that I believed in G_d; Isaw G_d.  It was clear to me there is one G_d.

	So you hear, my beautiful friends, my beautiful children. You know what you and I have to do.   Instead of all the holysoldiers who gave their lives in the holy land, instead of all theyidden from 2000 years dying for G_d, you and I -- we have to yellfor them.  

	{Singing, to the tune of Moishele Gut Shabbos 

{BZ2 -- the 2nd song in Ben-Zion Solomon's 'Shlomo Shabbos') -which is the niggun of an ultra-orthodox hero of the anti-NaziResistance in Austria, on the outskirts of Vienna:}
Shma Yisrael, haSHEM Elokenu, haSHEM Echad.  G_d is ONE.  G_d isONE.  G_d is the only ONE.

(R. Shlomo notes, BZp4: "He was an Apter einkel and a Rizhinereinkel.  He was bascially the old Kopitchnitser Rebbe's brother,and he was Apt and Rizhin together.  But then he says at one timin his life he was in Lublin for Rosh Hashonoh, Yom Kippur, andthere he saw Breslover chassidim, and from that time on he's aBresolver chassid.  This is mamash the first time my brother and Iheard about Reb Nachman.)  
	Join me: {R. Shlomo hums the previous hassidic niggun:}
	{693}
{END RECORDING, SIDE A}
About 17 Minutes:
================================================================
.p
{START SIDE B} {000}

{R. Shlomo singing:  Borachu}
This is a special story.  I'm telling it to Neshoma and to Dari --and to all the children -- 
	You all have heard that the Holocaust -- you heard whathappened to 6 million.  But it's just not the number, the 6million.  {Singing:}  We lost so many holy people. Gvalt, gvalt,gvalt, gvalt. Until the Messiah's coming, our heart will be sobroken. 

	One of the greatest, one of the very very {100} greatest______ on the Warsaw Ghetto, was Kolonimus Kalman of?Piorazetzna?, the great-grandson of the holy Maggid, of the holyPreacher, of Koznitz.
	Pierazetzna is right outside Warsaw.  He became a Rebbe whenhe was 18 years old.  But you know, Neshoma-le and Dari, to becomea Rebbe in Poland before the Second World War, when you're 18, youhave to be something special.
	But his specialty was -- he said:  Children, when they're 5years old, they already need a Rebbe.  They need somebody toconnect their souls to the highest place in heaven.  
	He had a kingdom of children.  And you know, my beautifulbrothers and sisters, and my beautiful children, imagine an oldyiddele comes to the Piazetzner, and a little boy or a little girlof 5.   To the man of 80 you talk for 2 minutes; with a child of 5or 6 or 7, or 10 or 12, you'll talk all night.
	He had a yeshiva with thousands of kids, he was their father,their mother -- their best friend.  
	He was in the Warsaw Ghetto, and while he was in the Ghetto,he wrote a book, it's called ?Lochshomes Abrechem?, Young PeoplePrepare Yourself.  And the book Aish Kodesh, Holy Fire. 
	The holy fire are the toras, the teachings.  He said, onShabbos, in the Ghetto, Lochshomes Abrechem is like after theMessiah had come, like he was talking to you or to me,  to all thechildren -- let's become prophets again.
	He buried the manuscript under -- a broken house.  In Warsawafter the War, a little Polish boy walked up to an Americansoldier, and he says:  I have some -- papers here; would you liketo buy it for a dollar.                   
{200}

{Comment (sa):  In some places I try to indicate R. Shlomo's tempoof speech -- it adds nuance, a subtlety to the teaching that wouldbe quite obscured by conventional punctuation. [FN1sa]}  

He gave him a dollar.  He realized it's Hebrew, he took it to theChaplain [ N.B.:  Religious officers, regardless of denomination - Ministers, Priests, Rabbis -- were termed 'Chaplain' in the U.S.Army ] who at that time was Rabbi Hollander.  He printed  thebook.  And there it says -- in Hebrew and English and in German: 

	` When you find this book, there'll be no more Jews inPoland.  Maybe no more Jews in Europe.  Maybe no more Jews in theworld.  {Singing:} But in Yerushelayim, in Yerushelayim Ihr ?Ha_B_?Rachamin ?Ihr Ha_Toshuv? , there'll always be Jews, becauseYerushelayim cannot live without Jews. Please find the first Jew,beg him in my name to print this manuscript, and I'll swear toyou, whoever [will] learn my book, whoever will print thismanuscript, I will pray for them -- I will lie before G_d's holythrone and pray for them.'             

	When the book came out, I couldn't believe it.  It pierced myheart, I'm sure it pierced your heart -- your hearts, too.  And Iwas {R. Shlomo starts to say a word and cuts it off} -- askingeveryone, where are those kids -- is anybody alive -- I'd love tospeak to them.  And I was told, there's nobody left. 

	Now open your hearts, my friends:
	{Singing:}  One day, one day, one day -- a few years ago -- Iwalked down HaYarkon, the street by the beach in Tel Aviv.   Andhere I saw a hunchback -- so broken, so broken.
	His face was beautiful, and most handsome.  But his wholebody was completely disfigured.  Sweeping the floor -- sweepingthe streets. 

{Comment (sa):  probably 'sweeping the floor' is a mis-speak;probably he was a muncipal street-sweeper, carrying a broom andpushing a bucket on wheels.}

I had a feeling this person is special, and I said, Shalom Lecha,Peace unto you.  He answered back in very heavy Polish-Yiddish,and Hebrew, he says:  Alakem Shulam [ 'Aleichem Shalom' ].  AlakemShulam.  I say, are you from Poland.  He says Yes, I'm fromPiorazetzna.
	I couldn't believe it, Pierazetna!  I said to him, have youever seen the holy Reb Kolonimus Kalman.  He says, What do youmean, if I saw him.  I learned in his Yeshiva, in his school. From the age of 5 'till I was 11.  When I was 11 I came toAuchwitz. 
	I was so strong, they thought I was 17.  I was whipped andkicked and hit.  I never yielded.   That's [the reason for] theway I look now.  He says, I have nobody in the world.  All alone. 
	He kept on sweeping the floor.      
{Floor: common translation by native-Hebrew-speakers of  ?rizpah?;may be used to indicate whatever one stands on, eg the street.}

	I said, my sweetest friends [sic, friends], do you know, mywhole life I'm waiting to see you -- a person who saw RebKolonimus Kalman, a person who was -- one of his children.  Please, give me over one of his teachings.
	He looked at me and he says:  Do you think ------ I can be inAuchwitz for 5 years and still remember teachings.
	I said Yes, I'm sure.  The heilige Reb Kolonimus Kalman'steachings -- how could you forget them.
	But he was a real hassidische yid -- he says OK, wait:
	He went to wash his hands -- fixed his tie -- put on hisjacket -- he says to me, one more time:  Do you really want tohear it.
	I said to him, I swear to you, I'll give over your teaching,all over the world. 
	I've never seen such big tears in my life.  He says, I wantyou to know:  Until the Messiah comes, until Meshiach is coming,there'll never be such a Shabbos again.  Can you imagine theheilige Rebbe, the holy master, dancing by ?B_Sholem?  ByB_Shlolem(?)  [?the song 'Shlolam Aleichem', before the Shabatevening meal?] is maybe hundreds and maybe thousands of children. {R. Shlomo singing, with an outburst of strenght:)  Can youimagine, the heilige Rebbe singing, Friday night, Shalom Aleichem,Aleichem Shalom, greeting the ?new? holy angels -- with hundredsof angels.  
	I want you to know, the Rebbe said tora between the fish[course] and the soup, the soup and the chicken

{Comment (sa):  And indeed, that was the pattern R. Shlomofollowed whenever Shalom Schwartz fed the multitudes -- who weremultitudes, because everyone knows that no-one was ever turnedaway from a "Shlomo Shabbos" -- }

and then, the chicken and the desert.  The tora, the teaching fromthe portion of the week, I don't remember.  But here he says, openyour heart:  it pierced my soul, like he gave me over the deepestdeepest depths of his heart --  he says, I want you to know, afterevery teaching, this is what the Rebbe said:  Kinderle, toirekinderle -- children -- most precious children -- Gedenkt-che --remember -- Die greste sach in die Welt iz -- ?ti ne metza nittora? -- Chidren, remember, the greatest thing in the world is, todo somebody else a favor. '

	And join me:  {Singing:}  Children remember, the greatestthing in the world is, to do somebody else a favour.

	I came to Auchwitz.  I knew my parents are dead.  My wholefamily -- doesn't exist anymore.  

{Comment (sa):  I'd not hitherto noticed how often R. Shlomo'sspoken teaching takes on the dual cadence of the Psalms (or,Proverbs). } 

I wanted to commit suicide.  At the last moment, I could hear myRebbe's voice saying, Kinderle, Gedenkt-che:  The greatest thingin the world is to do somebody else a favour.
	He says, do you know how many favours you can do in Auchwitzat night.  People are lying on the floor, crying, and nobody evenhas strength to listen to their stories any more.   I would walkfrom one person to the other and would say, why are you crying.  They would tell me about their children, about their wife -- whomthey'll never in this life again, until Meshiach is coming -- Iwould hold their hands and cry with them.  I would go up toanother person.  Gave me strength for a few weeks.  When I was atthe end -- I would hear my Rebbe's voice.

	I want you to know:  Here in Tel Aviv, I have nobody in theworld.  Do you know there are moments when I take off my shoes,and I'm going down to the beach, I'm already up to my nose in theocean -- But I can't help it, I hear my Rebbe's voice again,saying:  The greatest thing in the world is -- remember, preciouschildren -- the greatest thing in the world is -- to do somebodyelse a favour.

	He looked at me for a long time, and he says:  Do you knowhow many favours you can do on the streets of the world.
{500} 

{R. Shlomo almost whispering:}  He kept on sweeping thestreets.{FN2sa}

This was before Rosh HaShana.  I had to go back to New York.  {R.Shlomo seems to say it with regret.}.  The first night of Hanuka Icame back.  The next morning, early, I'm back on the Yarkon [ie,Rehov HaYarkon] looking for my holy hunchback -- couldn't findhim.  I asked some people, have you ever seen, the holy hunchback,the street-cleaner?  
	They said, don't you know, don't you know -- on the secondday of Sukkos, he left the world.

	Listen to me children:
	{Singing:  The Meshiach is coming -- let it be today, let itbe tonight, let it be soon -- when G_d will redeem the world --and when all the holy people will come out from their graves --and the holy hunchback -- the holy street-cleaner -- he will comeback again.  He will clean the streets of the world.  Do you knowhow he will clean the streets.  By teaching the world, thegreatest thing in the world is:  to do somebody else a favour.

	But now listen to me my beutiful children: {FN3sa}

	After that I was privileged to meet another person who sawReb Kolonimous Kalman -- he was not really really one of hisstudents, but he saw him in the Warsaw Ghetto.    This was thelast year -- of the Ghetto.  And the Germans made it clear,anybody who will dance Simchas Tora, will be shot immediately. But again,  who has strength to dance.  
	Suddenly word got around:  Reb Kolonimous Kalman, the holyRebbe of Pierasetzna, invites -- everyone.  They found a bombedout house, and there's a cellar -- 5000 people can be there -- hewants to dance, Simchas Torah.
	And maybe you know, my beautiful friends:  With some Rebbes,all the hasidim dance.  In Koshnitz, in Pierasetzna, only theRebbe is dancing.  But where he takes you when he dances -- 
	And the Rebbe of Pierasetzna still had the torah of theKoznitzer Maggid -- 

{Comment (sa):  I suppose this means:  he still followed theteachings (tora) of the Koznitzer maggid; and does not mean thathe (still) had a Sefer Torah that was used by (or even writtenby?) the Koznitzer Maggid.}

he invites everyone to come to dance --             

	The Yiddele told me the story: 
	I'm coming to the cellar -- and there's nothing else what'sgoing on in the Warsaw Ghetto -- maybe 20,000 people -- werestanding there -- it was -- impossible to breathe -- it was hell - everybody was ?standing together?, how many people died -- howmany people were dying, how many people were sick, how many weresent to Auchwitz.  I thought to myself, what did I need this for. {600} It was hell.
	But everybody said one thing:  I don't believe in G_d anymore, there is no G_d, what I am doing here Simchas Torah, I don'tbelieve in the Torah -- and every second I think I'm leaving.
	Suddenly the word got around, the Rebbe's not coming. Becausehis holy son, his only son, ?Rebbe Elimelech? -- was shot on thesecond day of Sukkos.  
	But then people said, No, the Rebbe's coming.

	A few minutes later, word's getting around -- the Rebbe's notcoming -- his holy rebbitzin, his daughter-in-law, was shot twodays ago -- Hoshana Rabba -- the Rebbe's not coming.  No, theRebbe's coming.

	Suddenly, suddenly -- close your eyes friends -- come with meto the Warsaw Ghetto Simchas Torah night -- there won't be another Simchas Torah like this till  Meshiach's coming --  {singing:}Sudddenly, suddenly, the door opened, and the heilige Pierasetznawalked in -- and he began singing:  {R. Shlomo says:  Join me, andstarts singing the schema of the Borachu::}  Barachu Ha_es HaSHEMhaMvoirah.   Blessed is G_d, who is to be blessed -- 

	And the Yid-ele tells me:  I want you to know, I swear toyou:  suddenly we were not in hell any more.  {FN5sa}
Suddenly was not one person, to whom it wasn't clear, there is oneG_D .  There was not one person who didn't know, that we are Jews,we are the Chosen People, we are G_d's people.  The Torah is soholy, what a privilege to be a Jew {R. Shlomo emphasizes the word'privilege' with a tone of heartbroken triumph}.  Despiteeverything.  

	And he says to me, until Meshiach is coming, there'll neverbe such a -- listen to me -- 20,000 people answered back -- {in astrong intonation  of great strength}:  Boruch haSHEM {hazzanut}   haMvorach l'olam vo-ed [congregational response to the Borachu ].
{R. Shlomo almost whispering:  G_d is blessed for ever and ever. } {R. Shlomo, in an even lower voice:}  The hunchback.  The holyPiersetzner.


	I want to bless you and me -- especially my children --always remember those two holy people -- and maybe G_d will blessme -- give me the privilege to study it together with my beautifulchildren -- 
	I'm begging you, parents -- tell your children:  [singing:] Children, remember  -- most precious children remember -- thegreatest thing in the world is -- to do somebody else a favor.

	Sing with me, one more time:  Forever:  {R. Shlomo sings ,very strongly:}   Borachu  -- if you want to bless G_d -- dosomebody else a favour -- do somebody a favour -- {singing,strongly:}  Borachu -- es haSHEM HaMvorah -- Boruch haSHEMHaMVorah {hazzanut} l'olam Voed.

	{734}
{END RECORDING}
{END PASS 2 (PROOF-READING PASS}
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COMMENTS FROM THE TYPIST:

{Comment (sa):  When I first bought this set of teachings, Ithought, I'll do folks a favor by detaching them, in transcription, from that synthetic background music.  And I still think that'sa good idea.  But for better and worse, we've got these teachingsin this form, and they need to be kept in oral form; the writtentranscription loses dimensions which I can barely perceive.}

 [FN1sa]
	I guess that's a projection (as in Plato's cave-metaphor) of 
multiplicity, multi-dimensionality, of meaning, though it may (asin PaRDeS) stem from a sense of the necessity [in Divineutterance, although not necessarily in inspired utterance (eg,Delphi!) of the given terminology (and that is 'will not alter aword'), may also stem from an acknowlegement of the provisionalityof mortal utterance.  
	But I digress.}

{FN2sa}
{Comment (sa):  Well, this is one of those teachings one wants toE-mail out to everyone -- but so much of it is contained in theway R. Shlomo speaks it, and cannot be conveyed in writing -- 
	I always thought it was a shame that R. Shlomo didn't sitdown and write books, in good academic style.  I'm just beginningto see why.}

{FN3sa}
{Comment (sa):  Ostensibly, R. Shlomo is directing these stories - that is, all the stories on the Best-of Series -- to children. (And as noted, he has explicitly dedicated them to his children,and that must be taken as a statement of intent regardngcopyrights for any further form these stories may take, this formincluded):  and these stories are in simple words, withpractically no Hebrew, as if they were directed to children.  Andthat synthetic background wallpaper-music, which is irrelevant atbest, and really not music,  may make one think so.  But, I think,these are stories for adults.  And also, I think, they are notstories for children. }

{Comment (sa): As I've said, I once heard R. Shlomo say, as memoryserves, at a concert at Menahemia, probably 1992, 'I'm not here toentertain you, I'm here to fix your souls. [ As I've noted, hemust have said it in Hebrew, which I don't hardly understand, so Imust have heard this in translation, after the concert probably, from Rinatya Nachman. }

{FN5sa}
{Comment (sa):  But of course whenever R. Shlomo retells a storythat he heard from someone else, he has changed the words, andreally prettified it, and made it much safer.  But I reckon, mostof us, if we heard the original story, even if we understood theYiddish or the Hebrew, we would not have understood it, in itsoriginal words. And maybe even the person who told the storydidn't altogether understand it.}
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