=sc_b20 R. Shlomo Carlebach -- Input (sa) of typescript B20 Copied (sa) from Witt Collection, ca. 1989. Inputting from a copy of a copy in the BZ Collection Typescript, with Hebrew block-letter typing interspersed. Electric typewriter, or maybe printer. 4 pages, single-spaced. Heading: BsD Transcription: Shlomo Carlebach, February 27, 1974 Ch' ADaR TSL""D Brandeis University Copy has my handwritten notatin: B20 -- Purim Convention: Where the typist has 3-dots, instead of continuing to note this as: " ... [3-dots typescript] , I'll simply use 3 dashes, thus: " --- " I think these 3-dots are used, not to indicate that the transcriber elided text from the tape, but simply that the speaker paused ================================================================= Dear friends, can I ask you the biggest favor in the world? The bigget favor in the word --- Can you all please come very close, all that are sitting. Eventually we'll have to get up anyway, we might as well not waste time. Thank you. Let's all get up and let's get very close, closer, and even closer. So Shalom , Shalom there be Peace. Because you know my darling friends, there is a Shabbas'dik Peace and there is a Purim'dik Peace. On Shabbos it says, ShaBaT ShaLOM V_NOvORaKh: The Peace of Shabbos and the pleasantness of Shabbos is very high; but there is no law that on Shabbos we have to give each other a gift. On Purim -- on Purim we have to give each other a little gift. It's a diferent kind of Peace. I'm fighting six days a week. but I say, from now on let there be Shabbos. On Purim , I'm so high that I realize I was never at war; there was never fighing between us. I just didn't know -- We made a mistake, we didn't see each other properly. We were looking at each other, but we didn't see each other. We have to look at each other with Purim'dik eyes, with drunk eyes, with fine eyes. The whole world says when you're drunk you don't see straght, and we Yiddalech say the other way around, that only on Purim, only when you're so so high --- so high , then you REALLY see. So Shalom, Shalom ... Shalom, Shlaom. You know, it's so strange, how much we Jews love the world --- how much we don't give up -- ever! I want you to know something unbelieveably beautiful. The Gemara says: M_BNeI BNeIN SheL HaMaN LaMeD TORaH B_BNeI BaRaQ that the great grandchildren [transcript sic; but it seems: 'grandchildren'] of Haman were learning Torah in Bnei Barak. You know what we want? We want the whole world to know that there is one G_d. We want the whole world to know that G_d spoke to us at Mount Sinai, and even the children of Haman finally came to Bnei Brak and were learning Troah. You know, Rabbi Akiva had a pupil, and his name was Reb Meir (Meir literally, in Hebrew, means light). He was called Reb Meir because he was shining from one corner of the world to the other. And everybody knows Rabbi Meir was a grandson of the Ceasar who destroyed the Holy Temple, but ultimately his grandson realized that it's time to rebuild the Holy Temple. He came and he taught and he is still teaching. -- Let there be Peace. So Shalom, Shalom --- Shalom, Shlaom. I gave a concert in Munich, and it doesn't sound Purim'dik, but to tell you the sad truth, after the concert I went to a coffee shop. It wasn't super kosher there, so I said to the people, "Can you please get me some apples and some grapes." Suddenly, out of nowhere, I see this really beautiful German looking woman, really Aryan, two thousand miles away, and her husband looking like an Aryan, like two billion miles away. And she said to me, "Shlomo don't worry. I'll go into the kitchen and find out what's going on there." And I asked, "Who is this?" So his name is Peter from Holshein. Anyway, this Peter of Holsehin --- his grandfather was one of the closets [typescript typo sic; but 'closest'] co- workers, I don't want to say of whom [many dots in typescript] But {B20-1} [END TYPESCRIPT PAGE 1] --------------------------------------------------------------- [START TYPESCRIPT B20 PAGE 2] Peter has converted; now Peter and his wife are learning Torah. Last year I was giveing a concert in Ramat-Gan. Suddenly, after that concert, a young man with long payos and a beard, coming up to me -- - Peter of Holshein. He is already in Bnei Brak. He has already a long bare and long payos. He still looks Aryan, but he looks so holy. So Shalom, Shalom ... Shalom. Shalom. I'll tell you something strange. The last Shabbos I was in Israel, three weeks ago, on Friday I walked into this coffee shop and I meet this little Arab boy who lived in Hebron. Hebron, everybody knows, was always not too fond of the Jews. {Note (sa): RSC refers to the 1929 Arab riots in Hebron.} But anyway this Arab boy --- I invited him, "Do me a favor, don't you know it's time we should meet by the Holy Wall?". So he came that Friday night. It was very heartwarming -- very heartwarming. And we danced Lecha Dodi (L_KhaH DODI), we greeted the Shabbos; not an ordinary Shabbos, but a Purim'dik Shabbos, when everything is turned over, when Haman stops being Haman, when the whole world knows there is one G_d. Do yuou know how holy Purim is? In all the stories of the Bible we mention Gd's name, because you have to make sure that you know what I'm talking about. But in the whole story of Esther G_d's name isn't mentioned -- because do we have to say it's G_d? Don't you know by yourself? Because Purim wants so deep and so holy, every word I utter is G_d. Every sound I make is G_d. Every story I tell is G_d. Every person I see is G_d. Every sound I think of is G_d. Every wind that is blowing G)_d. There is nothing, nothing but G_d. So Shalom, Shalom ... Shalom, Shalom. I'll tell you somether very forceful. A name is words, a name is very deep. But imagine if I would be all alone in the word, I wouldn't need a name, because my name is for someone to call me. someone can know my name and call my name an I can still be very lonesome, because the deepest depths of "I" is beyond a name . On Purim we are so close to G_d, not only do we know His name and call His name, but we reach the level of G_d Himself, beyone all the names of the world. Beyond even G_d's name. And do you know that the Talmud says that Purim is even deeper than Mount Sinai. Becuse on Mount Sinai G_d says: ANoKhI '' AeLoAQeI_Kha", ""I am the LORD your G_d." He still mentioned his name. But on Purim G_d didn't tell us his name, he just told the story -- without a name. It's so deep --- so deep. I'll tell you something very deep, even deeper. On Purim we send gifts to each other, but i'm not giving it to you face-to-face. I'm sending it through somebody else. And I'll tell you, if I get a gift, how do I know from whom it is. Because if there is somebody I love very much, my first thought is that it's got to be from that person I love so much. I don't have questions, I know where it's coming from. G_d gives us gifts on Purim. He doesn't say His name, but we know it's Him, the One who is living. The one who is there forever. So Shalom, Shalom ... Shalom, Shalom. [END MS. B20 PAGE 2] -------------------------------------------- [about 13 minutes input Pass 1,] + 7 minutes correct. About 53 mistakes. About 70 chars/line, 50 lines. Hence 700 words, @ 5 chars/word. 54 wpm gross speed 41 wpm net speed, deducting 5 words per error. 35 wpm net speed, adding correction time to gross speed. And I used to hit 80 wpm net before I went out to the bar for lunch. And sometimes maybe broke 100 wpm gross. Put me out to pasture, the kids can do it with their noses. If they keep at it for more than 5 minutes a week. ----------------------------------------------------------- [START MS. PAGE 3 ] We have to get much much closer, because we're not Purim'dik close, yet, we're like Chanuka close. {B20-2} You see, on Chanuka the canldes really need to have a little distance between each other, but on Purim when we send gifts to each other, there is no distance. You know what is going on Purim? Something very strong. Two weeks before Purim the Holy Cout (Beth Din) {B20-3} would send out messengers. And they would say, "Everyone give half a shekel to buy due sacrifices for the whole year, and also make sure you don't mix up the seed." Everything has to be clear. An apple has to be an apple, an orange an orange, grapes have to be grapes, wheat has to be wheat. Everything has to be so clear. You know what is happening in the world? The saddest thing in the world is that a lot of things are beautiful, but the momet you mix them up you don't know any wmore where they're coming from . The saddest thing in the world is, if you don't know your own roots any more. And I hate to say bad things, but since it's Purim I can say everything - - it is on a Purm'dik levl. You know who has the most trouble with their roots? Our own little Jewish children. Gevalt! I'll tell you, an apple never asked G_d, "Please let me be an orange", and a dog never asked G_d to be a cat. {b20-4} But the Jewish kids who ask to be non-Jews --- they don't even know what a Jew is all about; they don't even take the time. They have time for every religion in the world. They have time for every rally [sic, rally] in the world, those things which we could really do without. But for their own thing? Heartbreaking. So Purim is the time, friends, to become clear on your own roots, clear who you are , where you are. Because Purim is the time that we live in another world. Let me tell you something very deep. You know why there's war in the world? Because people don't know where they belong. People who have no roots fight with each other. The whole world should know exactly who they are, that they are, when they are. This is the world, big enough, beautiful enough for all the human beings in the world. There is the saying: M_LoA Ha_AReTz QvIN-Kha : The world is filled, is filled, is filled with everything holy. Enough for every human being --- enough for eery creature in the world. So let's feel a prayer from all of us. We should find our roots. Then maybe we can face the wordl and tell them -- "Why don't you find our own roots also?" Why don't you find your own place? You know friends, war is always over space, not over time. People say, "You took away my palce." If they would know their place in the world, there would be no more war in the world. On Purim we're asking, not only for people to find their places, but even to send gifts to each other. I want you to know someth very very deep Imagine I'm sitting at a table and eating. How do you know that it is my feast'la. [END MS. B20 PAGE 3] ---------------------------------------------------------------- [START MS. B20 PAGE 4] maybe I was invited. The answer is very simple. If I can invite somebody else, then most probably it's my featt. If I was only invited I can't invite somebody else, right? So Purim --- you know what we are dong? The leve of Shabbos is -- I'm only invited in the world, and I'm eating. But on Purim I'm taking an apple and a piece of cake and I'm giving it to somebody else. I know my place. I know what G_d is giving me. And if I know what G_d is giving me, I'm so glad in giving it up. Only if I don't know where it's coming from I have trouble giving it. You know what !it says in Chassidus? What's wrong with the miser? why can't he give? Because he hasn't properly received.! If you know how to receive, you know how to give. So let there be Peace. So Shlaom Shlom ... shlom, Shlom. You now friends, according to the world there are four seasons. According to us there are only two seasons: winter and summer. Taht's all there is to it. In the winter the world doesn't know what's going on, it doesn't even know what it is living for. Here I know I have an apple tree. It is supposed to have apples, but nothing happens. I'm just starving. I don't know w what to do with myself. Then there's summer. I hae an apple tree and I have apples -- Tht's all there is to it. But then there is one season in between -- the time of Purim. Somehow it's not winter anymore. I'm not an apple tree yet, but someting is happening. I know G_d has great plans for me. I don't know yet what it is all about. But I know the time of winter is over. The time of not knowing what to do with myself is over. G_d is teaching me slowly. Such a holy time, it is the deepest time in the world. You hear what happens to people when they love each other? They tell each other, "I don't know yet what to do with myself, and you don't know what to do with yourself. In the meantime, let me give you a gift, give you strength to wait. So Shalom, shlom ... shalom, Shlaom. Right now -- Purim. The custom before the reading of the Megillah is that we give everybody half a shekel, half a dollar. Let me tell you something so beautiful. The Ten Commandments are a whole Shekel, and the broken commandments are half a dollar -- it is a broken thing. You know, every person has whole commandments which he didn't break yet, and then eveyrbody has little broken commandments deep dowm in their souls. And you know what a good friend is? someobody who puts his broken tablets and my broken tablets together. To a lot of people I often openly show my good commandments but the broken tablets I'm afraid to show. But then on Purim, we're such good friends, we share our broken commandments. Some day the world will be so close we'll tell each other we all fell. We all broke the commandments. But let there be Peace. Let there be Peace --- Let there be Love. [END MS. B20 PAGE 4] [END MS. B20] ================================================================= COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY: as_it_is_said: "No comments from the Peanut Gallery." as_it_is_said: "Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" "Up in the balcony, where the seats are cheaper." ------------------------------------------------------------------- {B20-1} {Note (sa): The Lubavitcher Rebbe had said that there are two names which one should not speak. The other is [Chairperson Poopooface], head of the PLO and Hero of Ma'alot.} {B20-2} {Comment (sa): No comment.} {B20-3} {Comment (sa): She always did have rather a raucous voice.} {b20-4} {Comment (sa): That is, until gay liberation became politically correct due to discretionary income.} =============================================================== sa, Mevo Modi'in, 8 July '04 -- 19 TaMUZ -- 19 Jumaada al-awal Another hot day here. Michael ben Shmuel's grapes, on the now- neglected arbour he left behind Ben-Zion's studio, are ripening nicely. Yakov has put nets over his neatly-tended rows of grape vines. ==============================================================