By Sam Glaser, Richard Allen and David Sacks
Characters:
Sheila Shashkanonavitch -- Third VP of her Shul
Ben, her son -- about 13
Elana, his friend-- about 13
Sam -- Sam Glaser
As we begin, Sheila comes on stage from the back of the auditorium, with Ben and Elana trailing behind her
SHEILA: Is he here yet? He's not here yet. They told me he's always on time. A professional should arrive on time!
(Sam enters)
SAM: Here I am.
SHEILA: Right on time! (SHE HUGS HIM) Hello, Sammy. I'm Sheila. Sheila Shashkanonavitch. Third Vice President. Of the Synagogue of course, not the United States (SHE BURSTS OUT LAUGHING)
BEN: She cracks herself up.
SAM: And you are...
BEN: Ben...
SHEILA: My son Ben. And this is his lovely girlfriend, Elana.
BEN: She's not my girlfriend!
SAM: But she is lovely. Nice to meet you, Elana.
ELANA: (SMILES ADORINGLY) Shalom, Mr. Glaser.
SAM: Call me Sam.
ELANA: Hello, Sam.
BEN: You don't have to flirt with him!
ELANA: I thought I wasn't your girlfriend.
SHEILA: Stop fighting, children. (TO SAM) The concert will begin soon. Everything should be ready for you. Is everything ready for you?
SAM: I do need to check the sound system...(Sam checks the sound system)
SHEILA: You just check that sound system. Ben, Elana, stay here and keep Sam company. I need to take care of details. So many details! (TO SAM) Did I tell you I was the Third Vice President of the Synagogue?
SAM: But not the United States.
SHEILA: (LAUGHS) Very clever. You're a very clever boy. Children, be good! (SHE EXITS)
SAM: (TO ELANA/BEN) I'm going to play my opening number. You don't have to stay.
ELANA: (GUSHING) Are you kidding? We'd love to!
BEN : (ROLLS HIS EYES) We've got nothing better to do...
ELANA: I hope you're going to open with "My Letter in the Torah.." It's my favorite.
SAM: For you, Elana.sure. (SHE BLUSHES. BEN ROLLS HIS EYES)
My Letter in the Torah
Who am I any way
Where am I going to
How did I get here
And what do I need to know
What am I supposed to do with my life
Can I start living
If I don't know which way to go
I heard somebody say
In the quiet of the night
If you close your eyes
You'll hear the answer
I just wanna find my letter in the Torah
I know it's somewhere out there
If I could only see
I just wanna find my letter in the Torah
The one that's written just for me
So many words
So many pages
I keep finding more
Every time I look
Sometimes I need
To take a little break
Sometimes to connect
I've gotta close the book
I heard somebody say
If you listen to your heart
You were born with all the answers
It's not about the goal, it's all about the soul
You use in every move you make
It's not the biggest name, it's how you play the game
When you're getting it together
Getting it together
BEN: It's not a bad tune...but the Torah is like thousands of years old. Before DVD and AOL and MTV and--
SAM: Ben!G-O-D came before all of that. And G-d makes sure the Torah is relevant to all generations.
BEN: Not! The torah is filled with old stories and laws about things like sacrifices and priests. I know -- I go to Hebrew school.
ELANA: Yeah -- he's getting an "A" in shooting spitballs!
BEN: Ha ha.
SAM: I have an idea. Let's take a journey through the Toraha magical history tour! The three of us... (LOOKS AROUND AT THE AUDIENCE/CHOIR) And whoever else wants to come.
ELANA: A journey through the Torah. Cool. Where do we start?
SAM: At the Beginning!
The Seven Days
B'reyshit bara Elokim et hashamayim v'et ha'aretz
On the first day of creation
G-d created what? Light!
He separated light from the darkness
And saw that it was good
Vay'hi erev, vay'hi boker, yom echad
On the second day of creation
G-d created what? Heaven!
He separated low from above
And it's not well understood
Vay'hi erev, vay'hi boker, yom sheni
On the third day of creation
G-d created what? Water!
He separated land from the oceans
And this time it was good
And on the dry land all around
Bushes and flowers and apple trees
Every plant you can imagine
Every fruit that you can eat
On the fourth day of creation
G-d created what? The sun!
He made the moon and stars so bright
And saw that it was good
Vay'hi erev, vay'hi boker, yom r'vi'i
On the fifth day of creation
G-d created what? Fish!
And chicks and ducks and geese to scurry
And saw that it was good
Vay'hi erev, vay'hi boker, yom chamishi
On the sixth day of creation
G-d created what? Animals!
Snakes, giraffes and porcupines
And Curious George on jungle vines
And lions and tigers and bears (oh, my)
And saw that it was good
Very good!
But G-d was not quite finished
'Til Adam and Chava were side by side
He commanded them to rule the earth
To be fruitful and multiply
On the seventh day of creation
G-d created what? Rest!
We take the time to make it special
Cause we think G-d knows best
B'reyshit bara Elokim et hashamayim v'et ha'aretz
ELANA: Wow. When you stop to think about it, G-d did a pretty amazing job. Creating a beautiful world, with all kinds of plant and animals, and nice people
BEN: Nice people? Cain killed Abel. His own brother! That was real nice! So let me understand this...Adam's wife's name was really Chavah?
ELANA: Yeah. Her name means "life" (spitefully) and Adam's means "dirt."
SAM: Hey, settle down! The fact is that the generations after Adam and Eve did start to behave very...inappropriately.
BEN: (SNICKERING) Did G-d give them a time out?
ELANA: More like a rain-out. You remember the story of Noach, don't you?
SAM: That just happens to be the next stop on out tour!
Two by Two
Two by two they came to Noach
Searching for salvation
Somehow they knew that these were not
Your average rainy days
Shnayim, shnayim ba'u el Noach
El hateva
Shnayim, shnayim ba'u el Noach
Zachar u'n'keyva
A floating zoo with every animal
Imagine the sanitation
But the waters grew as the heavens opened
For forty nights and days
A year went by and the waters covered every mountaintop
Then a dove was sent to find some land
To see if the flood had stopped
I can just hear the cheer when that dove appeared
With a piece of vegetation
And two by two they left the ark
A rainbow above the parade
BEN: OK, great. So Noach saved the animals. What about all those people?
ELANA: I guess that Noach was too busy building the ark to convince them to change their ways.
BEN: But Noach wasn't Jewish, right? Isn't this Torah supposed to be our story?
ELANA: I bet we learn about Noach so that we can appreciate it when a guy like Avraham comes along.
BEN: Why, because he smashed his father's idols and jumped into a furnace?
ELANA: What do you think, Sammaybe it was because Avraham believed in one G-d and circumcized himself?
SAM: Well, that didn't hurt. Actually, maybe it did hurt. But I think it's because he realized that you can't just build an ark and escape...that we're all in this together.
Across the River
Come with me across the river
Far across the great divide
Come with me across the river
To the other side
Pack up your things and go
To a land that I will show you
For no other reason than to join me on this journey
Into the great unknown
Where mysteries await you
You've got too much to give to live your life alone
Open your heart and soul
And watch the magic happen
There's not a single thing your dreams cannot deliver
I am the pot of gold
That lies beyond your rainbow
I may be far away or right under your nose
It's up to you
Lech l'cha meyartzecha
Lech l'cha mimoladetcha
Lech l'cha mibet avicha
El ha'aretz asher arecha
ELANA So why did Avraham cross the river?
BEN: To get to the other side?
ELANA: Very funny...I think it's because he decided to do the right thing and be alone, instead of having lots of friends and be doing the wrong thing. Avraham wasn't afraid to stand apart.
BEN: We learned that he became the first Ivri, or Hebrew.
ELANA: Yeah, and ivri actually means "from the other side," like the other side of a river and the other side of the argument.
BEN: This is starting to make sense! Hey Sam, was Sarah Jewish?
SAM: I'm going to go with yes on that one. Believe it or not, when she was 90 she had a son named Yitzchak.
BEN: So then it was up to Yitzchak to keep Avraham's dream alive?
ELANA: Didn't Yitzchak's younger kid steal the blessing from his older brother?
SAM: That's right, Elana! And his big brother is still angry!
Keep the Dream Alive
Ya'akov ran away with the shirt upon his back
In fear his brother Esav would suddenly attack
That night he found a special place where he could rest his head
He saw angels on a ladder and this is what they said
Keep the dream alive
Keep the dream alive
Ya'akov, keep the dream alive
Ya'akov's favorite son, Yosef was his name
His brothers were filled with jealousy, but he loved them just
the same
They thought he wanted trouble, that their dad was being misled
But Yosef saw eleven stars bowing toward his bed
Keep the dream alive
Keep the dream alive
Yosef, keep the dream alive
Sold into slavery, left to rot in jail
But Yosef put his trust in G-d and knew he couldn't fail
When the Pharoah had a dream and couldn't understand
Yosef knew the answer, and soon he ruled the land
Ya'akov was an old man and he felt that he would die
Without ever seeing his Yosef, now twenty two years had gone by
Famine brought him to Egypt where all the grain was kept
There he found Yosef's family and hugged them all and wept
Keep the dream alive
Keep the dream alive
Ephraim, keep the dream alive
Keep the dream alive
Keep the dream alive
Menashe, keep the dream alive
Y'varechecha Hashem, keep the dream alive
With a blessing from above we keep the dream alive
Everytime we say a prayer we keep the dream alive
When we sing together we keep the dream alive
BEN: Bummer!...we're in Egypt already?
ELANA: That's right...but Yosef took good care of his family down there.
BEN: I thought we were like slaves and that Paro was throwing Jewish babies into the river. Like remember Pesach?...let my people go?
SAM: Well, it was like every time in history that Jews have had to move to another country. First we're just passing through, then we settle down and get comfortable, then we forget that we ever had a land of our own.
ELANA: And that's when the locals start to resent us, like Pharoah resented the Jews...and tried to get rid of them.
BEN: But the Jews won out in the end! No one's beaten us yet.
ELANA: It's just too bad that sometimes we have to get into dangerous situations before we actually started to act like one people.
SAM: I couldn't agree more...
Unbreakable Soul
Work all day, dream all night
Turn the darkness into light
At the end of our rope
Keep the faith, don't lose hope
You can never break an unbreakable soul
You can never break an unbreakable soul
You can never break, don't make that mistake
You can never break an unbreakable soul
Moshe went out, saw our plight
When no one was lookin' he picked a fight
He had a word with Paro
Said won't you please let my people go
A hundred years of slavery
Forget what it means to be free
Steal our senses, smash our bones
Take our children from our homes
Eat our bread and drink our wine
Sieze our future, waste our time
You may think you're in control, but
You can never break
You can never break and unbreakable soul
In sets of three the plagues began
'Til Paro was a sorry man
Pesach night, proud and strong
We sacrificed and sang this song
ELANA: So we bailed out of Egypt! And didn't look back.
BEN: That's right! Free at last, thank G-d we're free at last!
ELANA: Actually, we weren't really free until we got to Mount Sinai. Until we knew exactly what G-d wanted from us, we were just floundering.
BEN: So all those rules in the Torah actually give us direction and purpose! And that's freedom. What a concept.
SAM: You know how they say that if you have two Jews, you have three opinions? Not so at Sinai...we all got along like one people!
BEN: I think that might have been the last time. The fact is, we built the golden calf right after receiving the Torah, and we've been arguing ever since.
ELANA: But can you imagine what it was like just for those moments...peace and friendship, knowing our true purpose, just like Woodstock!
Kol Bamidbar
Feel the wind blow, see the sunrise
Hear the music of a people singing in freedom
Anticipation, expectation
Seven weeks in preparation for a new life
With faith in our Creator we entered the wilderness
Marched through the sea
And now we stand impatiently
At the foot of the mountain
A sacred wedding, a love eternal
Amidst the cry of the shofar we utter a vow
Kol asher-diber Hashem
Na'aseh v'nishmah, na'aseh v'nishmah
Out of love for our Creator we strive for holiness
To live in purity
And now the sound grows ever louder as we pray
Kol bamidbar
Sounding throughout the generations
Kol bamidbar
A light unto nations for all time
Kol bamidbar
Turning our hearts to one another
We will be Your people and You are our G-d
Kol bamidbar
Under the wings of Your protection
Kol bamidbar
That spark of hope when all is dark
Kol bamidbar
Filling our future with direction
We will be Your people and You are our G-d
Feel the wind blow, see the sunset
Hear the music of a people coming alive
Kol Anot
Why is it when we're at the top of the world
Do we do the thing that will hurt us most
Why is it when we're finally getting it right
We find some way to do wrong
Give us the strength to stand alone
To do your will, to come home
Kol anot anochi shomeya
Kol anot anochi shomeya
Kol anot anochi
The tree of life engraved on our lips
We can taste the fruit of eternity
Just as we are ready to reach for the light
We turn and walk away
Give us the courage not to run
To join our hands, to be one
Find the eyes to see your soul
Heart of stone, calf of gold
Eyn kol anot g'vura
V'eyn kol anot chalusha
ELANA: How awesome! All the Children of Israel, gathered together, waiting to receive the Torah. I wish I could have been there
SAM: According to our tradition you werealong with every other Jew who has ever lived
BEN: Wait a minute! We built a golden calf just when we were about to get the ten commandments! I don't belive it! How did G-d ever forgive us?
ELANA: That was pretty lame. They saw G-d part the seathey saw the plaguesmanna falling from heavenWhy did they stop believing?
SAM: Don't you ever lose faithin your parents or your friendsor in yourself?
ELANA: Of course I do. And I make plenty of mistakes too.
BEN: (JOKING) Not me. I'm perfect.
ELANA: As if!
SAM: The point is, G-d forgives us for our mistakes. In fact, G-d gave us a whole new set of tablets after the first ones were broken. The day Moshe came down the mountain with the second set was the very first Yom Kippur.
BEN: Wow. A day of forgiveness forever.
ELANA: G-d was telling us that it doesn't matter how far away you think you are. There's always a chance to come back.
BEN: So what then? Did we march into the land of Israel?
SAM: Not exactly. We ate a lot of manna from heaven, traveled from place to place and did a lot of complaining. G-d also taught us about holiness, sacrifices, priests...G-d also would count the people from time to time.
ELANA: Why? Did G-d forget? Does G-d need a calculator?
SAM: No. G-d counts us because G-d loves us.
BEN: And that's why we each have our own letter in the Torah. Because every one of us counts.
SAM: You are so right, Ben!
I Count
Wandering through the desert for forty long years
Learning lots of Torah on our way from there to here
There were so many people participating in the story
That every now and then G-d would take an inventory
So what do I care
How many people were there
I count, I count
There's no one just like me
Got my place in history
No matter the amount
I count, I count
First Reuven then Shimon, Yehuda, Yissachar
Then Z'vulun, Ephraim and Menashe so far
Binyamin, Dan, Asher and Gad
Then last but not least Naftali got the nod
A couple million strong
And everybody belongs
I count, I count
There's no one just like me
In this extended family
No matter the amount
I count, I count
Everyone on G-d's good earth
Has the future in her hand
Gotta leave behind your place of birth
And find out where you stand
A couple million strong
And everybody sang along
I count, I count
Got my letter in the Torah
Got my corner of the sky
Got 3000 years of history gone by
I count
ELANA: Now let me understand something. Egypt is right next to Israel. Why on earth did it take them forty years to walk that far?
BEN: (sarcastically) Obviously you haven't spent much time with Jews.
ELANA: (pause) Didn't we send in spies to see the best way to conquer the Holy Land? They forgot that they were supposed to check out how to take it over, not whether to take it over.
BEN: They freaked! I know that feeling! When I pitch for my baseball team, the other team always looks like it's bigger and better than my team.
ELANA: That's because every other team is bigger and better than your team! (BEN SHOOTS HER A DIRTY LOOK) I'm kidding! Whatever!
BEN: So that's why G-d made us wait 40 years? So the next generation would take over the land instead?
SAM: Yep, but Moshe wasn't allowed to go into the land with them. They had to find the strength as individuals and not rely on G-d to provide them with miracles all the time.
BEN: Kind of like when your parents cut you loose and send you to college?
ELANA: Like you're even going to college.
SAM: Elana! Please! You see, the Jewish people are never alone. We have a guarantee that G-d will never desert us, and we will always have the Torah, as well as a home in Yerushalayim where the entire Jewish people can celebrate together.
Uv'ney Yerushalayim
Shalosh p'amim b'shana
Yeyra'eh chol zechur'cha
Et p'ney Hashem Elokecha
Bamakom asher yivchar
Uv'ney Yerushalayim ir hakodesh
Uv'ney Yerushalayim bimheyra b'yameynu
B'chag Hamatzot uv'chag Hashavu'ot
Uv'chag Hasukot v'lo Yeyra'eh et p'ney Hashem reykam
Three times a year we're commanded to gather
Three times a year we must celebrate as one
Each with our own special piece of the puzzle
Each with our own light as bright as the sun
ELANA: What a party that must have been! This magical history tour rocks! So how does the Torah end? Do we make it into the Land of Israel?
SAM: Well, the Torah leaves us in suspense.
BEN: Wow...like Die Hard 3!
SAM: YeahI think. You have to buy tickets to the sequel. That's the beauty of it. The Torah is still being written. We're a part of a six thousand year old story. And all these characters in this book are still with us, teaching us, giving us courage.
BEN: So that's it? We're just sitting on the border?
ELANA: Yeah, but what a lesson everyday, in every generation, even you and I, right here and now we're all on the border.
BEN: We're on the border of what?
SAM: Of a more spiritual place in our own lives. Of tikkun olam, the world being perfected, no more war, no more hatred.
ELANA: And how can I cross over?
SAM: By being the best you that you can possibly be. And when you do, then you will have found your letter, your own letter in the Torah.
Milk and Honey
For forty years we wandered
You were right beside us
We followed fire by night
And clouds by day to guide us
We stood as one together
Witnessed revelation
With Torah in our hearts
We became a nation
The time has arrived
We will inherit the land
The land of milk and honey
We've come alive
We're going to stand on our own
In the land of milk and honey
The land of milk and honey
Oh Moshe, can it be
You're really going to leave us
Can we be confident
Cana'an will receive us
Their prophets rise to curse
With armies at each border
Should we have stayed in Egypt
Making bricks and mortar
The time has arrived
Our hearts belong to the land
The land of milk and honey
We've come alive
G-d will be by our side
In the land of milk and honey
Oh, yama v'kedmah
Oh, tzfonah v'negbah
Oh, yama v'kedmah
Eretz zavat chalav u'd'vash
Torah tzivah lanu Moshe
Morasha K'hilat Ya'akov
Am echad im leyv echad
The time has arrived...
V'kareyv P'zuraynu
V'kareyv p'zuraynu mibeyn hagoyim
Un'futzoteynu kaneys miyark'tey aretz
V'haviyeynu l'tziyon ircha
L'tziyon ircha b'rina
V'liy'rushalayim beyt mikdashcha
B'simchat olam
Ul'chol hayad hachazaka Ul'chol hamora hagadol
Asher asah Moshe L'eyney kol Yisrae