docname =sce#18t < =sce#18t.ein Start revision 3 Nov '03 filedate 5 Aug '03 =sce#18t.ein (22 Jun 03, 48.7K) =sce#18t90 < sce18ti PASS 2 COMPLETED PASS 3 DONE FOR SIDE A ONLY. CAVEAT: This is not a verbatim transcript; it is excerpts; on the assumption that RG is preparing a verbatim transcript. I flag omissions with [ ... ] In some cases what I omit are peripheral remarks; but in other cases they are teachings. Which is most unscholarly. R. Shlomo Carlebach -- Excerpts from Tape #18T Talk given: University of Florida, Gainsville, 4/90 Tape titled: 'Reconciliation with G_d' (!) As of 4/03, this tape is being transcribed by Reuven Goldfarb I have not stripped in counter numbers on this doc Notes are Deep-Six'd to =sasc_ac I start this doc with an erratic numbering system for notes; sorry. -------------- Tape #18T contains: the end of one lecture The entirety of one lecture The start of one lecture I do not know whether nor where that set of tapes is Archived. I'd assume at Univ. of Florida, Gainsville, Hillel Chapter ------------- Some of that wholesale lot of tapes were purchased and retailed -- presumably in the early 90's -- as follows: # prefix: Printed beige label on unmarked white caseOften in box with the following notation:Shmi'at Tiferet (hearing of the the Heart) presents a collection of talks, panel discussions, and music that reveal kabbalistic and Hasidic insights expressed in contemporary terms by some of the leading rabbis and teachers of our age.All cassettes are 90 minutes long. For a FREE catalog write to Shmi'at Tiferet, 4336 NW 27 Dr., Gainsville FL 326905 or call (904) 374-4478 --------------------- I obtained and copied this tape from Leah and Avraham Sands, Moshav Mevo Modi'in, 73122 Israel. I think they have a copy of that catalog. They also have other tapes from this supplier; but not from this Hillel/U. of Florida lecture series. ----------------------------------------------EDITORIAL NOTES: [ ... ] = Elision. [Elision = I here do not transcribe some text that is on tape. ] RSC often interjects the rhetorical word 'right?' -- (a translation into USAlish of the Canadian 'eh?', I think.) I may omit that term, and omit other non-signficant interjections, without inserting an ellipsis. !text! = a gvalt --------------- {START PASS 3 TO ***} START SIDE A: Announcer: `Religious Reconciliation tape continues.' [Side A starts with the Conclusion of a class recorded on a previous tape (which I do not have). ----------------- PRIMARY TOPIC, THIS FRAGMENT OF CLASS: Need to acknowlege Archetypeal role of women in Judaism. RSC: Slowly-slowly [from colloquial modern Hebrew: le'at le'at] the world is fixing the (?)sin(?) of the Tree of Knowledge. And he said, the first sign will be, that having babies will not be dangerous anymore. Unbelieveable. Y'know, thank G_d today, y'know, it's -- I mean -- all our holy sisters should live long, but in former good days, y'know, left and right, G_d forbid, women died in childbirth; and thank G_d, today, it's not dangerous anymore. Y'know, what I -- I had a very strong feeling -- without sounding too Jewish -- You know, the House of G_d -- [in] Jerusalem, right -- was destroyed. According to our tradition, the woman -- is making the house. You know Reb Yossi [ ... ] said: when he was referring to his wife, he always said `my house'. {N#18Tp2} You know, let's put it this way: [when] a bachelor lives in a house -- it's not a house, it's a room. A woman -- makes the house. Since we came back to Jerusalem, and we [are] rebuilding the House of G_d, something happened to women, all over the world. They are rebuilding the world again. They are [emphasized] rebuilding the world. And one more thing: !The Ba'al Shem Tov said something unbelievable: that before the Messiah is coming, everything holy will be in the hands of women. It's unbelievable. You know, today you walk into a spiritual meeting, it's always more women than men. And something happens in our generation: [tone of wonder:] most women have much higher souls than men. You know: in my synagogue there are so many beautiful women -- and only beautiful Marilyn Monroe beautiful; I mean inside beautiful -- they have so much trouble finding a man. Because the souls of men today are not as great as the souls of women.! And you know, sometimes people ask me, do you think a woman should be a rabbi So I always answer very simply: if the men rabbis would have kept our children in the synagogue -- who needs (?)our(?) women. But thank G_d, us men drove them out. Gvalt, did we drive our children out from them. I don't know about Churches. But the synagogues -- they drove them out miles away. Maybe our sisters will bring them back. But you see, there's one more thing. So let's say, in the Reform, they accept women as rabbis. With one sad stupid mistake. So you know what the women do -- they do the same thing like men. {N#18Tp2a}{*Ac1} [Tells of a woman rabbi who, for her Yom Kippur sermon, spoke on a political topic. [RSC asks rhetorically:] "For that I need a woman to become a rabbi, [that] she should talk about politics?" [... ] Most rabbis, instead of talking about G_d, about something holy, suddenly are politicians. And you know what they do, how they prepare themselves for a speech -- they read the New York Times all Friday night. And the next morning they give a report, right. I mean, for that, I need a woman to do that [rhetorical interrogative]. But I tell you something: !There is a tremendous Awakening in the world. And you know, women are not the same like men. And their vision of G_d -- I don't know, I'm only a man. But y'know, let's say, when I listen to my wife, and to my children -- I have two daughters -- G_d blessed me with two daughters -- ah, it's so deep. It's a different thing. I don't know what it is. But I just know, it's so deep. And I know the world needs it in the worst way. The worst way. And what we have to do -- [to make the point] again -- we have to give honor to each other. We men have to be big enough to realize that maybe our holy sisters have something to tell us -- which maybe we don't ['don't emphasized] understand. And the holy sisters should know, maybe us men have something to say.! And -- for my part -- I don't know about other Churches but I know that we, so-to-speak, religious Jews -- really have sinned against our mothers and our sisters for 2000 years in the worst way. In the worst way. [RSC recounts giving a teaching at a synagogue in South Africa: only the men were dancing:] You know I was in South Africa -- before my brother passed away -- I was -- Friday night -- OK, I'm ?in? this -- the real -- religious synagogue. Real frum, right. Ok, Friday night, there a hundred seventy-five people eating with me. Then I get up, and I'm dancing -- so suddenly, the men [are] surrounding me. And what do the women do. They're excluded. They begin talking to each other loud, right. Suddenly realized, they talked louder than our singing. And again, you know, -- they're right; they're angry at us. So I said to the men: You know something: you think the women are so low [emphasized], right -- `we are dancing, we are high on G_d, and the women are talking about --' -- about earrings. It's our fault: why don't we include them. So what we did -- we made a half a circle men -- I was standing in the middle. It was so beautiful, y'know. And all the beautiful women, and holy sisters -- another half [circle], right. What a Friday night, y'know. You know, the Rabbi [at that South Africa synagogue] -- I don't want to say anything bad; a straight rabbi -- he had planned like -- the dinner, and then he'd give his liittle speech -- nine o'clock it'll be over. [But by] one-thirty [01:30] it had barely, barely -- they were ready to say all night. It was so beautiful you know. I mean, the energies were so balancing. So beautiful. RSC to someone in the audience: 'What do you want to say, brother.' [Apparently remark off-mic from the audience.] 'He believes in G_d? So?' The Rabbi says Yeah, but I also believe in G__d. He says, Yeah, but he really means it. [Laughter] Stephen really means it. Ai -- so what's it gonna be. Let's hope for the best. [THAT APPARENTLY CONCLUDES THE PREECEDING CLASS, OF WHICH ONLY THE CONCLUDING PORTION WAS RECORDED ON THIS TAPE.] ================================================================== START NEXT CLASS: ANNOUNCER: This is the beginning of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's talk on Reconciliation with G_d in the University of Florida Jewish mysticism class. {N#18Tp4}{*Ac2} RSC singing. RSC: I need something to bang on. RSC singing a capella. RSC: Niggun: Shomer, shomer, Yisrael: 3/4 MM=ca. 100 cd /E^2 dc / D2 cb^ / C3--/--C2 bis: Etc. RSC: Ok, I'll tell you the truth. I'm an innocent bystander. And -- I still don't know exactly what you want to talk to me about, or what am I supposed to talk to you about. Anybody can enlighten me? Or are you as innocent as I am? {N#18Tp4a}{*Ac3} The Rabbi is told that the class is, like, Mysticism. Someone in the audience: `Reconciliation with G_d.' Yeah? What does it say? RSC [sharply, if you listen close:] Where does it say mysticism. Oh, `Jewish Mysticism class.' Means you all are mystics. Means you're here, but you're not really here, right. It's really good. So how much of you is here. You know, Seder night -- without imposing upon you -- the first thing we're doing, we're taking the matza -- the Middle Matza -- and we break it. And the [ ... ]smaller part remains on the table, and the greater part we hide. Meaning to say that -- two things: First of all: !If you want to get out of Egypt, if you want to get out of slavery, if you want to save the world, the first thing, it has to be clear to you: [is] that every human being is heart-broken.! We're living in a broken world. The world is broken. And second thing, which is -- it's actually the third thing: Whatever I see of you, what you see of me, is only a fraction, a small fraction. The greater part of us is so hidden. All of us. The greater part is so deep. So deep. You know, sometimes we see a person walk around smiling, laughing. On the outside. What do you know what's going on inside. Or the other way around. Sometimes we see a person kvetching, crying. But maybe on the inside they're full of joy. {Comment (sa): Cute symmetry; but I doubt the latter. To put on a good face through sorrow is noble; to put on a sad face through joy -- duplicitous, maybe. Politicians do it.{ {REF: On this topic: `the greater part is hidden? ? See Ziv Ritchie's booklet, `Peace' which I excerpt as =SCePeace.doc } {THEME: Inside/Outside. See also elsewhere.} Ok, so I'm asking you again: the greater part of you is here, or the smaller part. I hope I hope -- that just for this afternoon -- it's the greater part of you is here.. Because with the smaller part -- you don't need me. With that you buy Coca-Cola, watch a little video. I'm talking about inside stuff, right. Inside. And inside is so deep. You know, by us: when people get married, the beginnnig of the ceremony is, that the groom covers the face of the bride. {Comment (sa): RSC brings out the paradoxicality, problematicity, of the bedeiken. Setting up the problem for the knockdown solution. Method of Talmudic exegesis, I guess.} It's crazy, right: I'm marrying her because I like her but -- why do I cover her face. But this is -- The beginning is -- If I'm only connected to your nose, to your ears, that's sweet. But this is not what marriage is all about. I cover her face, to let you know, you know what I've done -- you know which part I'm connected to -- to that part of you which I cannot see. You know what happens to you when they love a person. They might be six foot two or maybe five foot eight. But suddenly when you love somebody they're so big, they occupy the whole world. {Comment (sa): Similarly, Cf. a comment, retold by PVK as I recall, on the story of Leila and Majun: To see Leila, you must see her through the eyes of Majun.} [ ... ] [Walking in Paris, in love, I do not see the city streets.] I walk in Paris -- I just see the person I love. I walk in Rome - - it's crazy -- it's ?sort of the? infinnite. So: Obviously, if you talk about 'Reconciliaton' -- Want you to know - - Everything G_d created is for the bestt purpose. Anger is an unbelieveable good emotion. Like everything in the world. The only thing [is]: you have to know what to do with it. {N#18Tp5a} !You know, most of us have so much in our hearts. The only thing is, we don't know what to do with it. We don't know what to do with it.! {n#18t-x1} We don't know what to do with it. Rashi has that. Genesis 32:25 (V_YI_SheLaCh): V_YIVTR Y'aQov LvaDO And Jacob was left alone Rashi: ShiKaCh PaKIM QtaNIM He forgot small jars [Translation: Rashi Interlinear, JPS 1949 edition. ] And ?then? we usually do it at the wrong time. Anger is meant: to be angry at yourself. {N#18Tp5b}{*Ac6} Not at somebody else. And I don't mean angry at yourself to tear yourself down. Because you have no right. [Indignant tone of voice, suiting action to words:] !Who am I to tear myself down; I was created by G_d.! Can you imagine a Picasso painting would say to itself, Hey--- I'm a lousy painting. Chtuzpha, right; Picasso painted you. {N#18Tp5c}{*Ac7}{*Ac8} We're talking about anger: {N#18Tp5c} !Anger is meant to give you the strength to do better.! Imagine, you would never be angry at ourselves: I'd be the same creep all my life, right. What am I supposed to do after I make a mistake: I'm getting a little bit angry at myself. {N#18Tp5d}{*Ac9$} I want you to know, there's unbelieveable teaching from Rav Kook, [ ... ] the last great Chief Rabbi of Israel -- he passed away over 50 years [ago] but he was really -- the greatest, greatest [ [ ... ] beyond `greatest' [ ... ] But you know what he says: Redemption will come to the world, when the whole world, instead of being angry at each other, they'll begin to be angry at themselves. You know, I can say about everything in the world, it's your fault, it's your fault. And here I'm going right back to the beginning. Why we were driven out from Paradise: And I want you to take it on the highest level. I'm sure you understand -- it's not just -- I ate the wrong apple. I mean, how many wrong bagels have you been eating for a long time, right. You know what the problem is: G_d says to to Adam: Did you eat the forbidden fruit. You know what Adam says: It's not my fault, it's my wife. [ ... ] [There follows a colloquial retelling of that event.] Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the snake ] {NA#18Tp10} I'll tell you a joke: How do you know Adam and Eve were in Russia? Very simple: they had one apple, and nothing to wear, and they thought they're in Paradise. Although -- I was just in Russia, it's getting better, B'ruch '' thank G_d; you know, G_d's opening gates. I want you to know something. It is so easy to be angry at another human being. It is just so easy to be angry at G_d. {N#18Tp11} It's so hard to say sometimes: it's really my fault. It's the hardest thing in the world. {N#18Tp12} You know, when we do something good, we don't say, `G_d did it.', Hah: [we say] `I did it'. It's clear to you, right: Do you know how talented I am. Did I make myself clear? Gvalt, I'm unbelieveable, right. Jerry, did you bring the latest article about me in the Jewish Press. Unbelieveable. A whole page how talented I am, right.' Stupid, right. When it comes to do something wrong, when I did something wrong [I say] `It's not my fault'. It should be the other way 'round. When I do something good, I should say, Master of the World, Why did I have the privilege to do something good. What a privilege. [RSC summarized: And similarly, in a married couple, each partner may take the love of the other for granted. ] [ ... ] Let me share with you an unbelieveable story: The holy Reb Shlomo Karliner -- one of the great luminaries -- about 180 years ago -- They asked him: Are you going to Heaven or to hell. [ ... ] [RSC paraphrasing Reb Shlomo Karliner: "Ok, I'll make such a big tumel, it will go to a higher Court. [ ... ] I won't rest before I stand before [ ... ] the One, the Only One, the Real Judge.'" [ ... ] [The Karliner's teaching here is rather fiery; a powerful potion.] And if G_d says to me, Go to Heaven, I will say [ ... ] is it because I deserve it? And G_d will tell me -- Hey, it's My gift to you.' [RSC commenting on the Karliner's parable:] Do you know how deep this is, friends: If you sit in heaven and you think you deserve it, you're sitting in hell, you're not in heaven. You know what heaven is -- I don't know, I don't deserve it. Thank You so much. Thank you SO much. You know, imagine if people would treat each other in this deepest depths. 'I don't why I deserve that you're my friend, but thank you so much. Thank you so much." I was always learning, you know. I don't know if I told you, Jay, I'm coming out with a book now. My talks at Weddings. Anyway, I'm calling it: The Fixing of the Broken Glass But what I want to tell you is: One of the things I say there: Why -- especially in our tradition, it's so special, that two people have to walk the groom, and two people people have to walk the bride. Like, pushing, right. Like carrying. ?Is it? because, when the great moment comes, when a man and a woman meet that really love each other, then the man says: I can't believe that she loves me; she is so beautiful; how do I come to marry her. So people mamash have to push him. When it comes to her she says, my husband, gvalt is he special. I can't marry him; I'm afraid; I don't deserve such a gvalt husband. So two men have to -- [sic; men; of course a mis-speak for 'women' -- {n#18t-y1} "Real relationship is ?basted? or: ?based on it?. And you know, this is not making myself a shmatta [Yid., 'rag'; in this context, colloq. USA 'dishrag'] This is so deep. This is so deep. Do you know why most parents fail with their children. Because they think, if I buy you a new car, you have to love me for it. [ ... ] Imagine if parents say to children: I don't know how I ever deserved to have a child like you. I don't know how I ever deserve that you love me. And then the child would say back: How do I ever deserve, to have such a parents. What a relationship. What a relationship. That's heaven. So I want you to know: Most people who are angry at people -- or [or?: 'who are' ] angry at G_d, which is basically the same thing -- because they think: 'Hah: I deserve better. According to my talents, I should be teh greatest person in the world. And you know what this problem is: as you see, I'm not recognized, right. It's heartbreaking, right. The world doesn't know yet, right.' Have you ever seen those people walking around. The unrecognized geniuses, right. And one more thing I want you to know: I want you to know if it's clear to me -- what I really have to do in the world. How deep this world is. How deep life is. Then I realize I didn't do it yet. I didn't do it yet. You know, if I have to walk -- two million miles; and I walked five miles; I'm not kvetching, ?I'm not X' -- Oy. I walked already five miles; yeah, five miles, you have to walk two million miles. But if all I think [is that] I have to walk ten miles, after 5 miles, I begin to demand: you know, really, I walked already 5 miles, [do] you know who I am, I'm very special, right. You see, if you're very very deep -- ?this again? -- hopefully -- if you have a little taste of mysticism You know what mysticism is. `Mysticism' is not the Hebrew word. I would say -- I don't want to say it's a pagan word, but it's not the Jewish word; it's not the G_d--word; it's an English word, it's nice, I have nothing against it. But let me tell you. You know what a kabbalist is. What 'kabbalah' means. Kaballah means 'to receive'. Real Jewish mysticism is called 'kabbalah'. You know what means 'kabballah': that I just received it. I didn't deserve it. What a privilege. And you know, a kabbalist is not how much you know. A kabbalist -- !I can give you a bannana, and you caan receive it like an intellect {N18Tp7} ,and you can receive like a kabbalist. If you receive like a kabbalist, this bananna gives you life forever.! {N18Tp7a} {n#18t-y2} You know friends, someone can give you two million dollars, and it's meaningless. Someone can give you a banana -- not only a whole, a half -- a bite -- if you receive it inside -- The question is, where are you receiving it. How deep does it reach. See, a true kabbalist is somebody whose vessels are so cleansed, who's so much in tune. You know, what does it mean to love another person. It means: you touch the deepest depths of my heart. {N18Tp7b} You touch the deepest deepest depths of my heart. So this is a kabalist. [ ... ] I saw this cartoon: Person walks in, and he says, I'd like to buy a wedding ring. So he says to him, how much would you like to spend. Oh, he says, very little; it's my first marriage only. What a kabalistic marriage, right. But you know -- let me tell you -- I want to tell you something very deep. This comes from the highest kabbalistic sources: I have no right to be angry at G_d for something which happens to me; but I have the right to be angry at G_d for something that happens to somebody else. For me: I have to ?assume? that ?simply? G_d knows what He's doing. For somebody else, I say to G_d, Please, Master of the World, please don't do this. Don't do this. Master of the World, I want to be your servant, but You got to take care of my friend. This is a true kabbalist. I want you to know something else -- since we only have a little time, and -- we all are so precious. {N18Tp8} You know we're angry at G_d sometimes. But the deepest question is: do you know what you did last lifetime. What do I know, right. Sometimes I'm angry at somebody else. The deepest question in the world is: do I know what I did to you last lifetime. {n#18t-y3} You don't know. Do you know, sometimes we come here to this world, just to fix something we did last lifetime. {N18Tp8a} ------------------------------- [RSC: Story of the Baal Shem Tov: Suffering explained as bad karma from a previous lifetime.]: {n#18t-y4} There's a story, someone came to the Ba'al Shem Tov, the holy Baal Shem Tov -- I hope everybody knows who it is; he was like -- one of the greatest luminaries, in every way, 250 years ago. And the whole hasidic movement began with him. A person comes to him and he says, like: I'm angry at G_d, everything goes wrong, it's terrible, my life is really -- Baal Shem Tov says, Ok, I tell you something: there's one person who can explain to you what's going on in your life. Let's, just for the sake of name, let's call him a 'Reb Hatzkele' -- He [the Baal Shem Tov ] says, Let's go to Vitebsk, and there's a person by the name of Reb Hatzkele, they talk to him about it. {Note (sa): RSC here tells this story well but hastily; so there are a few bumps. It develops that it's only the nebudiche, unaccompanied by the BeSHT, who goes to Vitebsk.} Ok, he's a poor shlepper, until he gets to Vitebsk, so much energy, he comes there, and -- y'know, in those days, everything happened in synagogue. He says, I'm looking for someone [named] Reb Hatzkele. They say, There IS no Reb Hatzkele here. (?)This is(?) crazy. He says, the Baal Shem Tov told me, ?it was? Reb Hatzkele. He says, I tell you: About 60 years ago there was someone here, was by the name of Reb Hatzkele. I mean, the lowest, the lowest - - he denounced people to the police; beccause of him people were sent to Siberia. No heart, no soul. The worst. Thank G_d he's dead. Comes back to the Baal Shem. And he says, You know, I went there, and they told me, the only Reb Hatzkele, someone ?there? who lived, 60 years ago, and was so bad. He [the BeSHT ] says, Don't you understand: You are Reb Hatzkele. You came back to fix something. ------------------------------- "Want to tell you something awesome: Today in Israel, one of the greatest -- again, I'm throwing names at you -- one the greatest, absolutely highest, deepest, most awesome kabbalists -- he passed away about six [or] seven years ago -- his name was -- ah [RSC gropes for the name, as if he knew this Being by something higher than his name ] his name was -- Baba Sali -- from Morocco -- Baba Sali means, 'the father of prayer'. I mean -- he was -- he had heaven and earth in his hands, you know. Heaven and earth in his hands. I want you to know: you know, he lived in Netivot and there are a lot of Jews, a lot of Arabs. And all the Arabs became his followers. It begin -- I'll tell you how the story began. [ ... ] One night, the heilige, the holy Baba Sali has to go to the Holy Wall. And he would always go after two o'clock at night (02:00). And somehow they couldn't find a taxi driver, they only found an Arab taxi driver. So the Baba Sali says OK, take me to Jerusalem. He says, I have no gas, and the gas station is closed; I have no gas. Baba Sali says [very simply, quiet tone], Trust me: let's go. Not only he took him to Jerusalem, took him back; for three days after that he didn't need gas. So he told his friends, the other Arabs. So -- they became his great followers. But I want you to know: One of Baba Sali's great pupils -- his name is Reb Moshe Bentov. You heard of him? In Yerushalayim. Something else. I had a long talk with him at one time. He says to me: I want you to know, all the couples who get divorced today, it's only because last lifetime they did something against each other; [and] they haven't fixed it yet. He says: If people, ?again? instead of getting divorced, would mamash get together and really really forgive each other -- and say to each other, whatever I did wrong to you last (?)lifetime(?), I'm begging you, forgive me a million times -- they would fix it. You know friends, we don't know. {N18Tp8b} "The only question is: If you'e a little bit of a mystic -- you still don't know. But you have a taste. That there is something deeper than you'll ever know. Something so much more. I have to tell you -- like, sounds maybe stupid -- one of my -- personal experiences. A few year ago -- Jerry, you remember, I was giving ?always? Purim a concert by Berkowitz. Jerry was there a few times; it must have been anything between three, and five and six thousand people, like. Really mobbed. And you know -- after the Megillah -- it's a Fast Day, right, {Comment (sa): Actually, it's rather a slow day.} so your stomach isn't so full yet -- And -- So -- in the middle of my concert everybody comes and gives me a little l'chaim, a little whiskey, a little wine -- so after -- a certain time, you're not in this world; you're really a mystic, right; you're not here. Anyway, to make it very short -- and this girl told it to me, about five years later. I knew that -- I met her, that Purim night, she came and said hello to me. Like, hundreds of people come and say hello to me. Many years later, she says to me: I want you to know, I don't think you were aware of it: when I came up to you, between one song and the other, and I said hello to you, you mamash looked at me, and -- and you said to me -- the girls says [to R. Shlomo, that he said:] I love you so much; I swear to you -- in this lifetime, I'll treat you better. It didn't come from my head. It didn't come from my head. You know, let it be clear to you, friends: This lifetime -- is so awesomely deep. Why is it that we have a jet. We have Concorde's. You think it's because we have a Concorde, that we can meet so many people. It's the other way around. Because this lifetime is so precious. We HAVE to meet so many people. So G_d gives us -- a little Concorde. You know, what my grandfather met maybe in -- maybe in one lifetime -- you and I meet in one week, in one day. What a world. You know, I'll tell you something. Thank G_d I had a little bit training, so I'm so much aware of it. I remember a few years ago, I come to Australia -- it was heavy. I'm walking in. And all the people say hello to me, I could swear by the living G_d, I know them from last lifetime. {n#18t-y5} From another lifetime. And I felt very close to them. And then at the end of the concert, somebody else walked in. And I realized, ?wow?, this is -- this is even deeper than that. It is even deeper than that. And you know, sometimes -- we meet a person, and we only have to tell them one word, which we forgot to tell [them] last lifetime." You know as far as I'm concered [whispered remark or b'racha] -- When you meet a person, you have to tell them you love them. Because maybe -- this is one time [sic; but maybe ?thing?] you forgot to tell them last lifetime. You don't know. You don't know. It's awesome. It's mamash awesome, you know. Awesome. "So you know, I can spend my lifetime being angry. Or I can spend my lifetime Fixing [doing tikkun]. Fixing. This lifetime -- today, you and I -- we're here to Fix." ---------------------------- And, ah -- do we have time a little bit -- Yeah, we have time. So let me tell you fast a Reb Nachman story; I'm sure Danny has it already on tape. But maybe not; it's a good story. First of all, there are two things I have to give over to you, before I tell the story. What is the medication against anger. Against hatred. Against everything. There's only one medication -- one little vitamin pill -- and the vitamin is called joy. There is no other way. You know, when you're sad, you hate everyone. Yourself, G_d, your father, your mother, and everyone. When you're full of joy - - I love the whole world. You know, if I'm sad, someone steps on my toes, my sad mind begins to work -- oh, he's an anti-Semite, he's stepping on my toes, I'm sure he hates Jews, who knows what he did, maybe he's even a murderer, and I got to be careful. "You know the way my mind wanders" [when I'm sad]. [But if] I'm full of joy: I say, Hey, you have strong feet. Right. Unbelieveble. "You know: The Holy Sanzer said: He only met one person who was completely out of anger. Takes a lifetime to work on it. You don't push a little button and it works. It's hard work. Mamash, you have to fill your heart with joy. You know, the heilige REB HERSCHEL RIMINOVER -- give everything away. People came from all over the world and asked him for his blessings, he could have been a millionaire, but he give everything away. And -- his shabbosdike halat -- his coat -- was torn. The hasidim come and give him hundred rubles for a new coat, he always gives it away. Finally the followers decided, they're gonna give him a coat. A long shabbosdike coat, was made out of silver, and with gold, [whispered, indistinct ] -- it was beautiful -- (?)they were(?) so proud. That Friday night, the person who brings him the soup, is a little bit of a shmendrik, he didn't know how to balance it -- he poured the whole soup over the Rebbe's new halat [maybe ruining it[. And the SANZER was there -- also one of the holiest Rebbe's. You know what the heilige Rimonover said -- to the waiter -- [Reb Herschel Riminover said]: -- "Hah -- it feels warm." [whispers:] He was completely ?out? [or? 'hurt'? or? 'complete idiot? ] "Let me tell you something: If I'm standing in front of a bank -- and I just -- took out 5 million dollars [from the Magic Money Machine, which often does the Unexpected, especiallly in Israel ] and someone steps on my toes, what do I do. I start to argue? Who cares, right. I'm full of joy. Life is so beautiful. So I want you to know: !What makes a person most sad: when you think you can't fix it anymore. What makes a person full of joy: when it's suddenly clear to you: you can always fix it.! {N.B.: This passage has the cadence of Pirke Avot -- Chapter 6, if I recall.} You can always fix it. You know how much we can fix: not only previous lifetimes. We can fix the world, going back to Adam and Eve. You and I: we might be -- little nothings. But we're not. We have unbelieveable powers." -------------------- [ FROM TAPE #18T, 4/90 Gainsville FL THE STORY OF THE GREAT FIXER] "So here's where the story begins. And I'll make it very fast. "Let's face it: the world is run by Sadness. "You know why there is no peace in the world -- because the people who want to make peace -- they are sad people, right. Haven't you ever seen? The peace meetings. Sad Mr. So-and-So meets sad -- ?from? [or?: 'von'?] So-and-so -- and they should make peace. They hate each other. You gotta take two little holy hippies, you know, full of joy, and they'll have peace in two seconds, right. It's not even a joke, it's for real. Anyway: So the King of the World -- King Sadness -- wants to see what is happening in the world; if he is still the King of the World. And please just -- take it on the -- highest mystical level. This is really a mystical story. So: he walks around all over the world. And it's not to be believed. Everybody is sad. What a world. What makes a sad person happy: when he meets another sad person. Have you ever seen this: What a joy, right. So one sad person says to the other, Do you know how many people died since I saw you last, let me tell you, Moshe died, Avrom died, and -- Yitzak's about to die y'know, and about -- a hundred people divorced, and -- so many people are widows -- {Comment (sa): This sounds like New York City, something out of I.B. Singer. It doesn't sound like Israel, not even Tel Aviv. Not even the soup kitchen at the Jewish community center in Warsaw, where it seemed to be only people left behind by all the unnecessary turmoil of history.} Unbelieveable good news, right. And then the other sad person says, that's nothing, you told me about a hundred people have died; I have good news for you, 500 people died. And they're -- just so happy with each other right. So the King of the World [King Sadness] comes back to his capitol, and he's really -- elated. Everybody is sad. Everybody is krechzing -- everybody's complaining -- it is unbelieveable -- what a world. "At the outskirts of the city: a broken house. Broken porch. Broken chair, broken table. Broken plates with some food in it. Somebody is sitting there, playing the harp. And in the back of your mind, just remember, it's King David. He's playing the harp. And he is happy. The King [of Sadness] realizes: Hey -- this is my Arch-enemy. [Ie, Arche-type-al ant-agonist. ] Because one happy person -- can turn over the world. {N18Tp10} He walks up to him and he says: Hey, my friend, who are you. He looks at him and he says: " What? You don't know me? [shouting:] I am the Great Fixer. [whispers:] I am the Great Fixer. Do you know what I am doing: I walk through the streets of the world. And I yell, on the top of my lungs: I am the Great Fixer. Anything broken? People bring me their hearts, their lives. And I fix everything. And then people bring me a few pennies, and I have a feast. "And the way you have to tell the story is -- and Reb Nachman says -- `And the feast was a feast.' [Or bettter, as in the Torah Times tape: "And the feast-ele was a a feast-ele. ] One person in the world. There has to be one feast. With joy." The King realizes; this is the end of me. [Dissembling, he says to The Great Fixer: ] He says: 'Thank you so much'. The next morning the Great Fixer walks the streets of the world, and he says, I'm the Great Fixer. People open the windows and says , Hey, Great Fixer, didn't you hear, -- No more fixing in the kingdom. No more Fixing. But The Great Fixer realizes, there has to be a feast. So he\ {END RECORDING SIDE A} {PASS 3 COMPLEED TO HERE ***} {This version of the Story of the Great Fixer is OK, but I think not quite as good as the Commerically recorded version, which I transcribed. From the Torah Times series, I'm sure. The story of The Great Fixer also occurs in Yael MeSinai's Shlomo's Stories. {N18Tp11} {MY COPY OF TAPE RUNS ON FOR A WHILE, THEN STOPS.} ============================================================ ==== {START SIDE B} {Pass 2 completed; Pass 3 not now possible.} {Some dead space at start of Side B } {ON Pass 3: very poor sound quality on my copy at start; too garbled to understand. This is a physical problem with my copy; Side A now is also garbled. Radio is ok. Apparently a copying problem; but I don't understand why my tape is garbled; since it was hitherto OK. Magnetic interference? My player & mute 2-deck copier sit next to my Genuine Pentium 1 Antique Computer with Vintage Compaq V55 Monitor. } [RSC Continues story of The Great Fixer] [ ... ] "But you know, my beautiful friends, only sad people are afraid of the King [of the world of Sadness]. If you're full of joy, you're not afraid of anybody." "The Great Fixer says: 'My dear King' -- or `brother king' or 'Mister King' -- I tell you, I never killed anybody, and I really have no plans of ever killing anybody." [ ... ] "The Great Fixer realizes, you cannot talk to the King. [So] he turns to the World." "So Reb Nachman says: The criminal walked home. The King walked home. And the Great Fixer walked home. And the feast-ele was a feast-ele." {Note x2} !"I want you to know, friends, two things, that you and I have to do: We have to be filled with joy. What a privilege to be alive in our days. You know friends -- you know what's happening to the world -- miracles which have not happened in hundreds of years, are happening right in front of our eyes. The world is getting together. Even if it takes a little while, and even if sometimes there's a little bit of cruelty involved. G_d is opening gates. G_d is opening gates betweem nations, between people. And the greatest thing is, G_d is opening gates for us, that we can meet people we haven't seen maybe in hundreds of years. And even if you don't know exactly why -- what we can fix.! I want you to know one thing -- which is clear to me and to you, I'm sure: When someone asks you a favor -- don't ever say no. As much as you read some books on psychology, you have to be Assertive, to say No -- forget it. We're dealing with life here. When someone asks me a favor -- maybe I asked this person the same favor last time. And maybe I'm only born -- to return the favor. [forcefully:]You don't know. [Quietly:] You don't know. [Very quietly:] We don't know. {EDITORIAL NOTE (sa): I am indebted to Reuven Goldfarb for pointing out to me the value and importance of preserving R. Shlomo's 'voice' when doing transriptions. I have hitherto, with the arrogance of one bound coupled or wedded to letters, disregarded that. (sa 6/03)} And you know friends: If you're aware every split second -- you're doing something in this world. If every person you meet -- - is an earth-shaking event {Note (sa): As I think I once noted, PVK at least once said something quite similar} then -- your relationship to people is completely different. Completely different. You look at people differently. So you know, friends, you can spend your life being angry, [or] you can spend your life being Fixed. It's up to you and to me. And you know something else: You know how long it takes to fix another human being. Maybe just one feast-ele. One second of loving another person. One word of courage. One word of courage. You know what Reb Nachman says: There's so many people in the world, who could have brought Redemption to the world. The problem was, that at one moment in their life, they needed one person to give them encouragement, and that person wasn't there. So when you meet somebody -- you don't know; maybe you are the one to encourage this person right now. What do we know. OK friends, let's hear something from you -- holy Mystics. Tell me a good reason not to be angry. Or let's hear from you something. [To himself, in a tone of self-critical bewonderment:] Why am I so much aware of time suddenly; it's crazy. Who cares, right. OK, let's hear something. Tell me something good or something bad, I don't care. It's crazy. Friends, you know something, you're all so beautiful, so special to see you. It really is. And again, you see: I don't know who is here, that I met last lifetime. I don't know. You don't know. And we don't know -- last lifetime when we met -- maybe we didn't -- we didn't give each other courage. I want you to know something: When you meet a person -- when you tell them something good -- it's really like turning on the light for the whole world. {*N18Tp12} {*N18Tp12} {Note (sa): As I've noted: the Indians, in New Mexico, used to tell us: Talk good; that's the way of peace.} When you say something bad -- you're turning off the light. And who gave you or me the right to make the world dark. We're here to make the world -- put more light into the world. More light. I want you to know something: I'll never forget it. A lot of times I have the privilege of playing -- in prisons. You know what a prison is -- At one point in their life they did something wrong -- and they have to sit there (?)a(?) [or maybe: 'for [part, or much] of their] lifetime. I was in this prison, without mentioning places. Maximum security. It means -- they 're not there because they forgot to eat bagels on Sunday. Mamash, murderers, right. 90 percent of them are murderers. The age -- 18 to 28. Hundreds. You look at them -- heartbreaking. !You know what it means -- sitting in prison your whole life. Do you know, in our religion -- Jewish religion -- there is no such thing as prison. Because -- this is more than death. Prison -- is dying a hundred times a second.! Anyway, I had the privilege of giving a concert. And it was unbelieveable. Because -- who ever tells them to be full of joy. They're only told -- you know -- you're bad, you're criminals, you're terrible. Was a gevalt concert. [recounts an incident, hugging prisoners] "Maybe he's only a murderer -- because he needed one hug. You know, when people are desperate, they'll do anything, right. Do you know what the greatest [ie, here, 'most incredible' or 'most para-dox(a)-ical' ] thing in the world is -- I can go to a store and buy apples. I'm not ashamed to say, I need apples. But people are ashamed to say, you know, `I just need a good friend for one second. I need somebody to believe in me. I'm begging you -- just -- believe in me for one second..' {Note x3} And what a privilege. What a privilege. You know, friends -- I'm sure you share my feelings: You know why the schools are no good -- because they teach you every subject, good or bad. But do the teachers know how to encourage their students. Very very few, and very ?few? [hard to hear ]. You know -- G_d blessed me with two little girls -- and I have to tell you the sad truth; I didn't keep my vow. I nearly made a vow, I will not send them to school. The way they [ie, the schools] are. I have to make a new school. My kids. Just I couldn't. And I'll tell you, gevalt, do I regret it. Gevalt, do I regret it. You know, we need teachers who look differently at children. We need teachers who walk into a class -- [RSC tells of attending a Panel Discussion on Education] You know there was once a big panel -- I didn't tell you, Jerry, in the good old days, was a big panel on Education. And I'm not an expert on education, right, but anyway, I was there. So, reluctantly they told me, you want to say something. So I said something. " [ ...] "How can you give over information -- `information' is not the right word -- knowlege -- G_d--knowelge -- life knowelge -- without loving the person." You know something: When I call up Eastern Airlines, `When is your next flight to Atlanta', the girl {Note (sa): I came of age in the good old days, "When men were men" and women were girls. } doesn't have to be madly in love with me to tell me, 'The next flight is Two--fourty-five'. But when I send my child to a school, and subject my child to a teacher for a year, and [if] this teacher cares about my child like the girl from Eastern -- what will happen to my child. You know: it's not that we have so many criminals. The miracle is that we don't have more. [ ... ] So friends, I bless you -- and I'm crying before you, and with you -- : The only way to get anger out of the world -- to ?may create? everyone -- you're angry about something? -- yes, so fix it. Fix it. We have the power to fix everything. And whatever we see in the world wrong -- because G_d would not show it to us just to make us miserable -- when G_d shows you something -- You know, when you see [that] somebody else is terrible -- there's two ways of handling it -- `Oh, this person is terrible' -- But again -- maybe this person needs you to fix it. What do I know. Gevalt, what do we know; what do we know. But what a privilege to be alive. What a privilege to be part of the world, which was created by G_d. And it's for us to fix it. Dear friends I bless you, I bless you and me, -- We should be great Fixers. Thank you so much. Thank you. [smattering of applause; presumably from a smattering of people] [ ... ] Ok, since you all are great mystics -- Jerry, can I invite them tomorrow night to daven with us [ so presumably this was not, or not predominantly, a Jewish audience ] . Tomorrow we'll daven, real good praying, seven o'clock, then we'll eat together. And Saturday night, if you come, will be the highest concert. And you see, maybe last lifetime you didn't come to my concert, so you have to fix it this time. Anyway, thank you a million times. And if you can say hello to me, I'd love so much to say hello to you. {PASS 2 COMPLETED ON THESE EXCERTS OF THIS CLASS } ============================================================ == Announcer: The following is an Excerpt from Reb Shlomo Carlebach's visit to the German Civilization [sic] class at the University of Florida. The talk is entitled: `German, Polish, and Jewish Inter-cultural Healing' RSC: Singing, niggun, presumably the title song of the class (Yehi Shalom etc.) RSC: "OK -- Shalom, my beautiful friends. Good morning. Thank you so much for inviting me. See: I don't know exactly what you think I want to tell you. And I don't know myself what I want to tell you. But you got to start somewhere." [ ... ] [See the world, not as a mess (which it is) but as a challenge, as a place in much need of one's efforts at Fixing.] "What a privilege to be alive in this world, where I can do so much." [ ... ] "Sadly enough, 50 years ago -- I don't know why; I'm not G_d -- the Master of the World locked the doors of love between people." {Note x4} The doors were locked. There was no communication between people. Absolutely the doors of Compassion were locked. And what you and I are witnessing -- slowly-slowly -- the Doors are opening again. Between people, between nations. And something is happening in the world. Something is happening in the world. And again, y'know: the people were so accustomed, that the gates of love were closed; [that] when the gates of love are opening, they don't feel comfortable. So they try with their last strength, y'know, to prevent it. But who cares, right. Their time is up. They're bankrupt." [Story of R. Shlomo's outdoor concert in Hanover for Kirchentag. "You know, they have the Kirchentag for maybe 6-700 years. And I was invited. First time. Not to be believed. A Jew -- humble Jew like me -- is invited. And I didn't even know myself what I'm letting myself into. [ ... ] [About 10,000 people in the Hanover marketplace; mostly young people, age 18--30 ]. "I'm supposed to start 6 o'clock, I'm getting there 5:30. I'm already regreted that I said yes. The Bishop is talking and forgive me, not one person pays attention to him. He's talking for fire and for water, and there are about 10,000 young people sitting there drinking beer, telling each other dirty jokes, laughing loud. Nebuch, the poor Bishop is standing there talking talking, and oy vey -- really, I felt bad for the Bishop, but what can I do. But I felt even worse for myself. I realize, in a few minutes, Brother me has to go on stage, and it will be the biggest joke in the world, 'cause I'm supposed to play for 2 hours, from 6 to 8. I mean, this is a joke, right. You know it's a market- place and the band doesn't show up. I'm with a little guitar and I play it very bad. And -- what am I going to do with them. And you know what bothered me the most. If it's just me -- but they didn't invite me for me. They invited me -- [as] a Jew. I'm representing the whole Jewish people. . What a desecration of G_d's name. Oy vey. Gevalt. A few times in my life I really prayed, to tell you the truth. This was one of those times. I'm getting on stage -- and I want you to know, I still shiver, when I tell you -- got on stage, and I said in German, My sweetest brothers and sisters -- Susse Brudern und Schwestern -- I came to bring you regards from the holy city Jerusalem. Want you to know, I didn't expect it. They got up like bitten by a snake. Thousands of kids. Rushing to the stage. Thousands of kids. I started singing. I'm telling you something: it was like after the Messiah had come. It was like after the Messiah had come. Want you to know, there were moments when I couldn't even move my hand, because they were crowding me so much. It was one heart and one soul. And there were maybe two more Jews in the audience. The rest were all -- non-Jewish brothers and sisters. And just open your hearts: You know, you don't sing all the time; you don't talk all the time; there's -- few moments of silence. And suddenly like -- at the end -- they were all standing on their feet, there was nobody was sitting, it was just -- awesome. A young man -- you know -- waves. I says: My sweetest brother, what do you want to tell me. It was heavy. You have to open your hearts. He says: My grandfather killed your grandfather. [RSC in nearly a whisper:] It was heavy, right. So there was silence like -- it was too gruesome. So I held up [or: 'out'] my hand. And I said: Brother, can you imagine how much the world became better in 50 years. That your grandfather killed my grandfather, and you and I are the best friends in the world. What a world. What a world. I said Brother, you better come here. So then the closeness got even stronger. [RSC in a tone of awe: ] Was awesome, I'm telling you. Was awesome. And I was telling them stories about -- See what I was mostly interested in telling them -- OK, they know the Germans killed 6 million -- but they don't know who they were. They don't know what Jews are all about. Told them stories ?XX? about the great rabbis. ?XX? Very great people. It was awesome. {A few words unclear in the prceeding line.} And then at the end we were dancing, and you know -- by the end everybody was standing on their toes, holding out their hands because -- you can see, they want to reach heaven. I'm sure they did reach heaven. I said to them, you know something: I hope your hands will reach -- the most desperate person in the worlld. Because -- there is hope, there is unbelieveable hope for the world. Not to be believed. You know, there was a rock band was supposed to go on after me. Amd this is not to brag, but I'm telling you stories: the rock band went on at a quarter after eleven. Because every person there was kissing and hugging me. Everybody says, you know, where can [or: when can or: why can't] we learn more. And the rock band just couldn't get on stage, you know. Just imagine, ten thousand kids on stage. It's a small stage, you know. You can't throw them off, right. Anyway: I want you to know, Sammy and I, my manager [R. Sam Intrator ] -- we were in Poland. And I was -- the whole time I wanted to go to Poland -- I have to. Anyway, after a few years, thank G_d, last January, we're going to Poland. {The Witts transcribed much of, and wrote up this tour for Connections; and I input much of that material. And I don't have to tell you, I got calls from everyone, Who's Who in Judaism, and they tell me , Don't go to Poland, it's the darkest place in the world, and they're all anti-Semites, and it's just -- so bad, it's so terrible, I mean -- just forget it. And I think even 'endangering your life'. Anyway I want you to know -- it was like after the Messiah had come. It was so beautiful. {*N18Tp17} [ ... ] "I want you to know, friends, G_d is opening gates -- between nations -- which HE hasn't opened in -- maybe in history of the world. G_d is opening gates between religions. It didn't happen in the history of the world. [maybe somebody sneezes; maybe not ] G_d bless you now. Want to share with you a Medresh. Medresh is communtaries on the Bible, which is -- and if I sing it it will take too long -- I don't know if you're in the mood for harmonizing it, but I'll tell you what it says: I want you to know that: Cain never wanted to kill Abel. It's clear to us. Because Cain and Abel were the first two brothers on the planet, and nobody'd ever died yet. Cain didn't know, when you hit someone with a stone, they die. Sadly enough, we know it -- because we watch television, right. But they didn't have a television then. And nobody had even died yet ; it was Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, right. So Cain is angry at Abel; he took a stone, threw it on his head. And if you remember: Cain had the idea of bringing a sacrifice to G_d, but he only brought things which he didn't need. Then Abel picked it up from him, and he brought the best he had. So G_d accepted the sacrifice of Abel, but not of Cain. So Cain was very jealous and angry, he's killing Cain [RSC sic, Cain; misspeak for 'Abel']. And just remember, that G_d spoke to him after he did it. G_d doesn't talk to murderers. And listen to what the Midrash says: awesome: Cain -- Abel fell to the ground. And Cain did not know, there is such a thing as dying, yet. Mamash, he sees his brother lying there. Gevalt did he regret he threw a stone at him. {N18Tp17a} You know, when you're angry, after you do it, the anger's over, right. He fell to the ground, and he began crying. [ ... ] And I want you to know, there was so much more connection between animals and human beings like that [then than there is ] today. The Midrash says, all the animals of the whole world came. They were also crying. What a crying. The first person dead in this world. They were crying for 3 days. And only on the third day they realized: he won't open his eyes. So here's the Midrash: unbelieveable. On the great day -- let it be today, let it tomorrow at the latest -- all the Cain's of the world -- they'lll be lying next to the Abel's they killed -- [ ... ] -- Abel will come back, and Abel and Cain will begin to dance . What a day. [ ... ] Maybe some people hope that one day Abel will get back to life and it will kill Cain. Ok, it's a different outlook. Thank G_d I'm not sharing it, and I hope you're not either. {N.B.: There is prayer somewhat like that in the Siddur (prayer for Jewish martyrs, after Torah reading) , but I do not recall having heard it recited.} I just hope that one day the six million will open their eyes again. They have to open their eyes. There is no other way. Can you imagine all the people who were killed in Siberia. Awesome. But you see what it is: You and I have the privilege of hastening that day, when Abel will open his eyes again. I want you to know something very deep, friends: There are two things which we are taught in heaven before we are born: [ ... ] You don't have to teach a baby how to cry [ ... ] because prayer is taught in heaven. Prayer is not of this world. Crying is not of this world. [ ... ] Is there any words to describe how much a baby loves his mother -- or her mother. [ ... ] We have no vessels even to fathom it. The only sad thing is, later on we send those kids to school, and we have the privilege of destroying everything which is taught to them from heaven. Hatred is taught. {Cf. a Rogers & Hammerstein song, 'You have to be taught to hate'} Because children when they are born, they do not know that there is someone they're supposed to hate. Children don't even know that there is such a thing as ugly. By children everything looks beautiful, right. [ ... ] So you see friends, the question is, what do we want to bring back to the world. And you see, what's so special: We don't really have to teach the world how to love. We don't [sic, `don't', but misspeak?] have to unteach them, what the world has taught them. [ ... ] And if I can share something very deep with you. You know, we just had the holiday of Passover. And the matza we eat -- is called the bread of -- of healing. And -- without putting it on you too much; just in a nutshell. You know, you can relate to G_d also in the same way. [ ... ] To be in exile is that you lose that heavenly teaching. You lost it. And whatever [that] you know is taught by us -- even by your cutest teacher -- [you're a ] pure slave. You're not real anymore. You know what it is for us -- Seder night -- Pesach to become free. That G_d washes off all the dirt, all the dust. You know friends, if I would relate to G_d, like a baby when it's born relating to its mother -- what a relationship. I want you to know: According to our holy tradition, maybe in yours too: You know who's my soulmate: [ ... ] According to our holy tradition, 40 days before the baby is born, there's a voice in heaven calling out, this man should marry this woman. And our holy Rabbis comment on it: what's the hurry. [Why not wait until adolescence to pick a spouse. ] And this is what all the Rabbis say: Just loving a person -- love of this world -- doesn't keep people together. You know what it means, [that] it's called out 40 days before -- it's not of this world. Husband and wife -- the connection -- is heavenly. They have to be taught in heaven -- how to love each other. So you see friends -- if you ask me personally -- I want you to know -- Yossi mentioned before -- I'm from Berlin -- and I'm like the only, so-to-speak, living Jewish singer who was born in Berlin, and is also alive. {Note x5} So I was invited by the city of Berlin -- if I can impose upon you, and make it fast -- It was very special. Very very special. Ok, I'm arriving in Berlin. And I want you to know, television followed me for three days, day and night. And without bragging, it was shown on German television for weeks, every Sunday for one hour. For weeks. Like -- every little thing. It was unbelieveable. {Next sentence unclear.} The first thing they do is take me to a prison. [ ... ] "And I told those kids: You kmow something: you think you're in prison. We all are in prison. We all are slaves. When you come out of here, you'll be the ones to teach the world, how to become free again." [ ... ] "They walked me. They opened the door for me. They all walked with me. It was unbelieveable. And the whole time they were telling me, please take me with you to Jerusalem. Please take me with you. And it was just -- I could see those kids need adoption in the worst way, you know. Maybe they're only criminals because nobody ever hugged and kissed them properly. I want you to know, those kids walked me to the door of the prison, by the street. And nobody had dared, closing the doors on them. They stood by the open doors. I went to the car and they waved -- " {END RECORDING, SIDE B} {MY COPY OF TAPE CONTINUES BRIEFLY} [END MY MANUSCRIPT PARTIAL TRANSCRIPTION OF EXCERPTS FROM #18T {END PASS 2 OF THESE EXCERPTS ONLY} {Check with Reuven Goldfarb, who has probably transcribed the entire tape.} {Notes Deep-Six'd to =sasc_ac + =sasc_ac2 } ============================================================ ====