SIX13, VOLUME 8: LIGHTS

5. Bohemian Chanukah

 

Is this the eighth night

We light with family?

Recall with great pride

Our escape from Greek tyranny?

 

Kindle the lights

Remember the Maccabees

How did those five boys

Lead us to victory?

 

Well, they stood up against mighty foes

With their oil running low

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Now we sing while lights glow:

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Ma'oz tzur y'shuati

מעוז צור ישועתי

Mighty stronghold of my salvation

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Judah, our faith was banned

Evil Antiochus said

No more Torah could be read

Judah, Mattathias' son

You would not throw our heritage away

 

Judah...

We battled and survived

We kept the faith and fought on for tomorrow

And we all carried on

'Cause we knew what really mattered

 

Hooray! The war was won

But the oil had run dry

It was enough for just one night

​

Hold on, everybody

Our lights still glowed

It's a miracle they kept on shining through

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Judah...

(Nes gadol haya po)

Am Yisrael Chai

These miracles our people will recall

 

("Guitar" solo)

 

I spun a gimmel, now I've got a lot of gelt

Sevivon, sevivon, will you spin this clay dreidel?

Chanukiah lighting, presents are delighting me!

Chanukiah! Chanukiah!

Chanukah! Sevivon!

Sufganiyot!

 

I light the candles with people who love me

He lights the candles with his whole family

Sharing the joy of our proud history!

 

Sevivon, sov, sov, sov

More sufganiyot?

More latkes...

No!

Please more sufganiyot?

Sevivon!

 

More latkes...

Please more sufganiyot?

Sevivon!

 

More latkes...

Please more sufganiyot?

Sevivon!

More sufganiyot?

Spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning sevivon!

 

Lo, lo, lo, lo, lo, lo, lo!

Oh aba, ema, aba, ema...

Aba, more sufganiyot?

We fry our food as we celebrate the Maccabees

We're free, we're free!

 

So you think you can serve latkes baked and not fried

But you know oil recalls those miraculous lights

Oh, bubbe

Can't do this to me, bubbe

Just gonna need more

Just gonna need more sour cream

 

Know what really matters

Like the Maccabees

Know what really matters

Thanks to G-d, our people are free

 

Nes gadol haya po...

 

6. White Light
 

Slow down, my boy
Step out your shoes for once and
Learn to enjoy
All of this world that you’ve forgotten
When you went out and you lost your way
You lost your way

There’s a white light up ahead
Don’t you listen to what they said
Or get stuck in your head
‘Cause there’s a spark for every tear your shed
There’s a white light up ahead
Don’t you listen to what they said
Let your light shine instead
‘Cause there’s a white light up ahead

Relax, unwind
You won’t believe the things that
You will find
In this world that you’ve forgotten
When you went out and you lost your way
You lost your way

There’s a white light up ahead...

Ani ma'amin, b’emunah sh'leimah

אֲנִי מַאֲמִין בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה

I believe with perfect faith

​

I believe that a better day will come

There’s a white light up ahead...

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7. A Lion King Passover

 

(CIRCLE OF LIFE / SEDER TONIGHT)

 

Ma nishtana halailah hazeh

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה

What makes this night different
 

mikol haleilot?

מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת

from all other nights?
 

Mi Chamocha, nedar bakodesh,

מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ

Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
 

nora t'hilot?

נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת

fearful in praises?

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Ma nishtana halailah...

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה, הַלַּיְלָה

What makes this night different...

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In the days we prepare for the seder
It seems like we'll never be done
There's more to clean than can ever be cleaned
Grab a candle and search for the crumbs

​

When the seder table is ready
And all the chametz has been found
Our family arrives, and the sun leaves the sky
At the table, we'll gather around

 

For the seder tonight
Passover retold
With our prayers of hope
Thanking G-d above

 

And the seder plate
Helps us tell our story
At the seder 
The seder tonight

 

(JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KING/ FREE)

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Now, Pharaoh, you're a mighty king, but I'm telling you, beware
You come into my palace making threats, Moses, you dare?
Your days of making Jews your slaves are done forevermore
And if you challenge G-d, ten plagues will shake you to your core

​

I'm telling you, you'd best listen to me
Or G-d will bring your kingdom to its knees
It's time to let my people go, you see
'Cause we just can't wait to be free

 

(HAKUNA MATATA / WE'RE EATING THE MATZAH)

​

We're eating the matzah!
For eight nights and days
We're eating the matzah!
So put that bread away

​

We had to hurry from the land we were slaves
So we're chametz-free, culinarily
I'm eating a matzah

​

And who doesn't love some good matzah?
What's a matzah?
Nothin'. What's a matzah with you?

 

We had to hurry from the land we were slaves
So we're chametz-free, culinarily
We're eating the matzah!

​

(CIRCLE OF LIFE / SEDER TONIGHT REPRISE)

 

And the seder plate
Helps us tell our story
At the seder
The seder tonight

​

8. Mi Shebeirach

 

Mi sheberach avoteinu

מי שברך אבותינו

May He who blessed our ancestors

 

Avraham, Yitzchak, ve'Yaakov

אברהם יצחק ויעקב

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

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Hu yevarech et chayalei

הוא יברך את חיילי
Bless the members

​

Tzva haganah l'yisrael

צבא הגנה לישראל

Of Israel's defense forces

​

Ha'omdim al mishmar artzeinu

העומדים על משמר ארצינו
Who stand guard over our land

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V'arei Elokeinu
וערי אלוקינו
And the cities of our God

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Migvul halevanon ve'ad midbar Mitzrayim
מגבול הלבנון ועד מדבר מצרים

From the Lebanese border to the Egyptian desert

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Umin hayam hagadol at levo ha'aravah

ומן הים הגדול על לבוא הערבה

And from the Mediterranean Sea to the approach of the Aravah

​

Bayabasha ba'avir uvayam

ביבשה באויר ובים.

On land, in air, and at sea

​

Venomar: amen.

ונאמר אמן

And let us say: amen.

​

9. A Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah

​

(I WANT IT THAT WAY / LIGHT LASTED EIGHT DAYS)

​

We are inspired

By candles' fire

We tell the story

When light lasted eight days

 

The Greeks were cruel, no heart

But we Jews fought hard

To victory

And the light lasted eight days

​

(Gonna fry) up some potato pancakes

(For eight nights) And when it's ready I'll play

(When it's dry) This dreidel's free of BPA

'Cause I made it out of clay

 

(IT'S GONNA BE ME / IT'S GONNA BE EIGHT)

​

First night: this shirt, babe

And then this tie

Getting gifts as candles glow

Chillin' with my family

And I'll keep on getting gifts all eight nights

It's the festival of lights

 

We don't stop at one or two

That is not enough for Jews

Gotta celebrate for eight nights

So let's do it right

 

Doing it the Hillel way

Lighting one more each day

Guess what -- it's gonna be eight

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(WANNABE MY LATKE)

​

Yooooooo I'll tell you what I light, what I really wanna light

Just tell me what you light, what you really wanna light

I light a... Really really wanna light a chanukiah

 

If you wanna be my latke

You gotta get in this pan

Cooking you so greasy

'Til you're nice and tan

 

Judah Maccabee's the leader

Fought with all his friends

So we could have Jewish freedom

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L'olam va'ed!

לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Forever and ever

 

If you wanna be my latke

​

(IT'S GONNA BE ME / IT'S GONNA BE EIGHT REPRISE)

​

Some get one day, then gift-giving's done

Not me

It's gonna...

It's gonna be eight

 

(I WANT IT THAT WAY / LIGHT LASTED EIGHT DAYS REPRISE)

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(Tell me why) each year we tell the story

(Tell me why) we're thinking of the Maccabees

(Tell me why) this light inside our hearts is so great

'Cause light lasted eight days

Our light's lasting eight days

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10. Ahavat Chinam

​

“Love your neighbor as yourself”, we’re commanded all our lives

And “if I’m only for myself, then who am I?”

And yet when seven billion hearts are connected by one touch

It seems so easy to hate blindly, but hard to give love

 

K'ish echad, b'lev echad

כאיש אחד בלב אחד 

Like one person, with one heart

​

Nivneh olam shel ahavat chinam

נבנה עולם של אהבת חינם

Let's build a world of baseless love

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We will reap just what we sow, we will learn just as we teach

We will be reflections of the souls that lie beneath

Will we heed the call and follow the guidance from Above?

Will we give the world the thing it needs? It’s love, love, love

 

K'ish echad, b'lev echad...

...כאיש אחד בלב אחד 

Like one person, with one heart...

 

Oseh shalom bimromav

עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו

May he who makes peace in the heavens

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Hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu

הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ

Bring peace to us

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V'al kol yisrael

וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

And to all of Israel

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V'im'ru amen

וְאִמְרוּ: אָמֵן
And let us say: amen.