Tuesday, March 3, 2009

!איך וויל אויך



I've often wondered why I spend all this time doing something I don't enjoy and for the pittance that it provides. I'm talking about my real job, not the blog. Yoely seems to agree with me. I'm in good company. Tzurick in Cheyder/Kollel, depending what age you'd like to be again. These guys like the Geyle Bus stage, and I'm cool with that. It was also filmed in Monsey, right in my backyard. The attention to detail is what gets me, from the silly hats with the flaps we used to wear, they were "chassidish," to the pushing in line, to the sleepy kid twitching his nose. (I understand those hats have recently made a comeback!) I'm glad we're tapping into a pool of real talent with Yoely and his friends. Just a few years ago there would be no way these guys would wear their real faces to do a music video like this. Why, even for a silly Chol Hamoed play these guys would wear six inches of makeup for fear of being recognized, and now they have no problem doing this! To quote a typical VIN commenter: Mi KeAmcho Yisroel!

A word about the Lipa fiasco: We now see that last year's ban only managed to delay the inevitable. Mr. Schmelcer escaped with his credibility and frumkeit intact, winning over admirers for "changing his ways," and for heeding the call of our generation's luminaries. Now, a year later, the Rabbonim were tired of fighting and let it go on as planned. Schmelcer made sure to make it a very Torah'dikke event, complete with a siyum mesechta, so I guess the fear of G-d still rests in his tormented soul. Did one year's problems and scandals make them aware of bigger fish to fry? maybe. Undoubtedly there will be a rematch sometime soon. In the meantime the world around us is crumbling; who knows what G-d has in store for us. For now I leave you with the words of Rav Pinchas Hersh Singer z"l of the Beis Tomchei Torah VeZiknei Yisroel, which commenter "snag" so generusly provided for us to enjoy:

ואלה יעמדו על הברכה - די פאלגענדע זיינען געבענטשט פון די זקנים רבנים תלמידי חכמים
און די זקנים רבנים תלמידי חכמים דאנקען אייך און בענטשען אייך פאר אייער ברייטהארציגע שטיצע. דא געניסען זיי פון א תורה היים אין די עלטער יאהרען. דא האבען זיי חלב ישראל און גלאט כשר. געדענק דעם אינצטיטוציע אין אייער צוואה... און אין די זכות פון די תורה און צדקה זאל אייך דער אייבישטער בענטשען.................................א גוטען שבת

Zechor Yemos Olam....

19 comments:

fakewood inc. said...

its been a while since i thought of the Beatles.

Anonymous said...

Does he pay all these guys to perform. I n Lubavitch they could probably pull somthing off like that but in Monsey???

Anonymous said...

It just goes to show ya: Chassidim have more fun!
The truth is, that fact is a significant ingredient going back to the early opposition to the Baal Shem Tov. There is an attitude (unfortunately shared today by many so called "chassidic" groups) that Yiddishkeit should be a little miserable. Somehow, Yiddishkeit often becomes synonymous, for some, with moreh shchoreh.
And I think that sums up the “Lipa” issue as well: There are people all up in arms with, and even printing booklets about, the evils of Lipa Schmeltzer and those like him. They quote sources (many of which are questionable), they protest, they make speeches, cancel concerts, etc; but anyone would agree this isn’t an intellectual matter – they didn’t see these sources and reason that this music is evil – to the contrary, this is an entirely emotional knee-jerk reaction. They are immediately offended, and then they run around looking for reasons why.
Now, I don’t especially care about the music either way – I could take or leave it – but the reactionaries have a different reason: It’s just too happy. Religion, in this case Yiddishkeit, just isn’t supposed to be fun. Good times are just not a familiar emotion. So, instinctively, these moreh schora types are offended at all these moreh levana folks and… BAM-O, it’s war.

Anonymous said...

there is no question about it this guy rocks in time for Peerim.

the beetles, pink floyd and some leanard skynard and all the yoelis are in business mitn bekeshe and the nine yards

Anonymous said...

shauly grossman, isn't he the guy from the 'ale vil zayn groise rabboonim' song.

keep it coming

Anonymous said...

Big Fan,
Profound comment there (yawn).

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE:
Comments made should somehow add to the conversation.

Anonymous said...

zezmir

pray tell, where's the line in Judaism that one mustn't cross? How can you be so sure that all it is, is a bunch of sourfaced (snags) Jews who won't allow others to have kosher fun?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Big Fan, most of the signers on last years Lipa ban were chasidik, the two askanim behind the ban were chasidik, the people who are afraid their boochrim are going to go off are chasidik, this year only one litvishe rov sign the ban. but it's the snags who are out to make the world miserable.

Anonymous said...

Greise Fan: You’re a smart guy, I’m sure you can figure it out. And I don’t really think that it's rocket science.
Anyway, these things are generally decided by the guy on the street (a.k.a. sales).

Anonymous said...

For the record:
As I said, I don’t care about Lipa's music either way. However, if you think it's bad, the ONLY way to defeat is to do it better - there is no choice (and this really applies to all things) if the choice is something vs. nothing; there needs to be an attractive alternative. Provide your own version of kosher music with a positive (happy) sound & message.

Anonymous said...

This is good clean fun!
and isn't there a thing by chassidim to take non-jewish songs and sing it in a jewish fashion to be it metaher. Chasidic Rebbes, Viznits, Kalev, Lubavitch / Chabad always had some non-jewish songs and brought them up to a higher level to elevate the holiness of the negina, well, Pester Rebbe chose this tune, and "Take me out to The Ballgame" (on his new album) and definitely elevated, seeing chassidic kids singing Ich Vil Gayn of Man Gayla bus, its hilarious. Thanks Yoylee

Anonymous said...

Additional words that Rav Singer used to use that came to mind

נאבעלע און ברייטהארציגע שטיצע

ווי אויך א פראכטפולע שוהל און בית מדרש וואו זיי קענען זיך אוועקזעצען לערנען אדער הערען א שיעור

Maybe these reminiscences should be expanded beyond just the programs for the mayshvei zekeinim to look back at frum Yiddish radio bichlal oder efsher gor Yiddish radio bichlal.

Other similar programs in relatively recent times were the program for Bikur Cheylim shpitol in Yerusholayim ihr hakaydesh hosted by R. Chaim Grund, zol zein gezunt, and the program for Mirrer Yeshiva in Y'lem hosted by R. Nachman Schneider (who later did same for a time for an organization called Noam Shabbos after Mirrer Yeshiva program stopped).

Anonymous said...

Those are "Oholei Tayrrreh Hets"

Anonymous said...

which hats? The ones with the flaps?

Anon 1:01
Yeh. But we only listen to daas torah when we feel like it. If we want to be frummer don't confuse us with halacha.

baalbatish said...

The video is gone.

Here is a poor imitation of Yoeli/Shauli's creation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCsYDZ2M04M

baalbatish said...

The video is back.
We can enjoy the original.

Anonymous said...

Snags have fun too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPrWNSz1alk&feature=PlayList&p=B83E24279B55777F&playnext=1&index=13

Anonymous said...

i am sure when rav singer spoke he didnt mix up the genders and grammer he way it appears biksav on this blog

Anonymous said...

Very funny, but I always thought that ''געל'' means reddish like א איד מיט א געלע בארד. As far as I know the correct word for yellow is געלב.