What is it that, as it gets further away, gets closer and closer?
That as the years pass by in his life, people become closer to him?
This is Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, or by the name he himself chose for himself: Shlomo! And nothing more.
(I didn't ask who the man was, but what the thing was, for Carlebach is much more than a "man".)
Who doesn't know Shlomo Carlebach?
Older people remember him singing to them over the waves of the Atar, from tapes and at various events (in the first years of my marriage, I would receive my husband on his return from the kollel for a break, with lunch and a tape of Carlebach songs).
Younger people remember him and his poetry from zitzim and from singing in yeshiva. In every synagogue, Carlebach's Lekha Dodi is sung, and many minyanim call themselves: "Prayer in the style of Carlebach!""
Carlebach himself, if he were alive, would be happy in a person, because that's what he wanted, to make people happy, to give people his own, to make people open their hearts and help them feel their soul. (Even if he sometimes erred along the way, to certain methods).
In many places, the anniversary of Carlebach's death is commemorated.
An event that has been gaining momentum over the years is the one held at the Mozes Synagogue in the Beit Vegan neighborhood. There, many different singers and an audience of hundreds of people of all types, all genders, all ethnicities and denominations take part in the event. Everyone moves and dances, jiggles and jumps together.
And in every such event, everyone, as one person, as Rabbi Shlomo wanted, sings from the depths of their souls, prays, requests, begs, and most importantly, does not check. Does not check the one next to them, does not ask questions like: Where did you come from and where do you study? Does not torment themselves with thoughts like: Is the one next to me worthy of sitting next to me?
And those who dance shoulder to shoulder on each site are truly different from each other, both in their essence and in their attire.
It could be Benny Rabinowitz from Meitad Ne'eman (who this year dedicated a special program on Channel 2 to "Rabbi Shlomo the Righteous"), Rabbi Meshulam Brandwein (my brother, author of the book: Rabbi Shloima), or Benjamin Steinberg, the singer with the knitted kippa, and the soldier who is moved to tears.
We put aside the disagreements, the arguments, the petty views and remember only the verses that we all grew up on, but someone (whose tits we stopped checking long ago) made up a melody for them and injected them into our veins. Until we can't forget everything that's important in our lives:
We are one people! (He who makes peace, he will make peace)
We are full of gratitude to God (bless the Lord, my soul!)
We are lovers of humanity (Protector of Israel, Israel!)
We walk in the way of the Lord (I asked once... I returned to the house of the Lord)
We are merciful, children of the merciful (have mercy in your grace...)
We have nothing to do but pour out our hearts before the Lord God (pour out your heart like water).
We are close to all Jews and hope they will come here (and the lost ones will come!)
We trust in God even when we are in trouble (even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil).
We beg the Lord God: that there may be only joy in our dwelling, and that we may always rejoice with our brothers, and that there may be more and more heard within our borders: the voice of joy and the voice of gladness!
And we will continue to sing and chant and dance on and on, on and on, until we extinguish the fire of discord that sometimes burns, and we will all be one people.
The people of Israel live!!!
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