3/31/2023 0 Comments Sunrise sunset song![]() Albert Einstein once said, “There are two ways to live your life. “Miracle of miracles” is about seeing miracles in our lives. I resonated deeply with the songs “Miracle of Miracles” and “Now I have Everything.” Their themes have had a large impact on me as foundations with which I live my life, and I am hopeful that I am passing these attitudes on to my children like my own tradition. WHILE TRADITION for Tevye is something rooted in the ancient past, for me it includes the passing down of traditions I live by which are also strong themes in Fiddler. The lesson I take from this is to be fully in each moment experiencing them and “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life,” as Henry David Thoreau said. Had I only known as I danced with my dad that night that there wouldn’t be many more sunrises or sunsets for him. As I watched Fiddler now, more mature, I thought about all the years of loss and absence I have felt since my dad died. I didn’t even consider any sadness that he might be feeling with his “mamella” leaving home. I remember the joy and blessings I felt as my dad and I danced, the privilege I experienced of having this wonderful person as my father, role model and faithful cheerleader. “Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don’t remember growing older, When did they?” It dawned on me that weddings are a bittersweet time where parents hand over their precious children into the hands of their soulmate. “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset.” This song brought a flood of tears to me as I recalled dancing with my dad to this song at my own wedding. It is this same message that I pass on to my four daughters, because I see myself as a link in the tradition, and if the chain ends with me, then that will be tragic. L’Chaim!” I remember as we excitedly made the wedding plans, my dad was literally like Tevye, and each time I discussed costs, he would jump to his feet and burst into song, “If I were a rich man, daidle-deedle-daidle-deedle-daidle-deedle-daidle-dum.” He would have loved the Yiddish version of “Ven Ikh Bin a Rothschild.” It was at this stage of the performance that I turned to the empty seat next to me and “asked” my dad, “Are you enjoying the show?” When I got married I realized the importance of marrying a Jew, but only now do I see how fundamentally crucial it is that marrying Jewish is the only way to ensure the continuation of the tradition. Back in the early ‘90’s, after five years of dating, Ian and I got engaged. Growing up, I remember my father constantly warning us children about the importance of marrying Jews and continuing the tradition. When we were threatened with death and annihilation, we chose to enmesh ourselves in our laws. He explains that God’s laws keep the lives of the people in balance, and if they didn’t have their traditions, their lives would be “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” This deepened my understanding of how we have survived it is through commitment to our heritage. Throughout the show he is always quoting “The Good Book” and is constantly in dialogue with God. Furthermore, Tevye demonstrates a connection with God as a way to maintain tradition. What is the secret? It is said that Napoleon, upon seeing the Jews crying about the destruction of their temples on Tisha Be’av, exclaimed, “A nation that can mourn for so long the loss of its land and temple will return one day to see it rebuilt.” How is it possible that we have survived for thousands of years in spite of every imaginable persecution? No matter where we have been exiled to, we have clung to the continuation of our past through the rich culture and nuances of our tradition. When the song was sung in the show it got me thinking deeper as to how exactly we have survived as the Jewish people. Tradition!” any time a situation arose that veered off the path a bit. One of the highlights is the opening song of “Tradition.” I can see in my mind’s eye how my father would shake his forefinger, singing, “Tradition. The story is actually quite tragic and has deeper meaning and ramifications for how we continue our rich Jewish tradition and religion. This time I watched with different eyes, more mature, not little “Mammela” anymore, but a grown woman with grown-up children. NOTE! Consider delaying until first div on page If (slot) slot.addService(googletag.pubads()) (function (a, d, o, r, i, c, u, p, w, m) ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ – What traditions are we passing down? - The Jerusalem Post
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