SABA TREE

I wish I had something to show for all that you’ve given me.
I was a boy who grew up to a man, and you’ve been my giving tree.
I’m bound by your roots. Your leaves give me shade.
I eat from your fruits, swing from your vines, you come to my aid.
But know I will need to go out on my own
where the world is tough and I am alone.
But we come together, we can make it better,
We only have eachother, and we don’t get to live forever.
The moon will guide me back home.
I’ll still feel your love whereever I roam.
So let’s laugh a little and cherish our time,
This is what matters years down the line.

Take me to the good place, I wanna go. Looking at your face and I already know. We possess a connection flowing through the soul. I wanna be the ears to the stories never told. Take me to the good place. I need to see. My senses need to feel it in order to believe. I’m relieved to rely on my family tree. Digging deep, digging deep, but what does it mean?

What’s the return on investments you made in me? I feel I’ve been wasting away, and time I’ve been squandering. Guilt and regret are the first thoughts when I wake. Cuz I’m chasing a dream and my chances are slim. We all make mistakes. But I’m teaching myself to regard certain facts, how my world’s still turning, my life is intact so lets live a little and cherish our time. Come let us witness something sublime. The stars will bring me back home. Time’s moving fast and I’m feeling torn, but this too shall pass so don’t look so forlorn. Take me the special place, to be reborn.

Take me to the good place, I wanna go. Looking at your face and I already know. We possess a connection flowing through the soul. I wanna be the ears to the stories never told. Take me to the good place. I need to see. My senses need to feel it in order to believe. I’m relieved to rely on my family tree. Saba what will you say to me?

[Saba]
יש לנו מסורת עתיקה. שנולד בן או לבר מצוה, ההורים היו נוטעים עץ. יש...יש לזה חשיבות סמלית גדולה כי העץ תופס מקום מיוחד במצוות התורה. כשמוציאים את התורה מהארון, אנו שרים עץ חיים היא. היא, התורה, עץ החיים של עם ישראל. כדי שהעץ הצעיר יגדל, יקש שורשים, יפרח, וישא פרי, צריך מיים. חז''ל מלמדים שהצדיק דומה לעץ שתול על פלגי מיים. כשם שהעץ צריך מיים כדי לגדול ולהתפתח, כן גם הילד זקוק למעיינות מיים חיים.

(Translation: We have an ancient tradition. When a child is born or has a Bar-Mitzvah, the parents would plant a tree. There is great symbolic importance to this, because the tree holds a special place among the commandments of the Torah. When we take the Torah out of the arc, we sing “It is a tree of life!” It, the Torah is the tree of life for the People of Israel. In order for the tree to grow, establish roots, blossom and bear fruit, it needs water. Our sages teach that the righteous person is like a tree planted between two river streams. Just as the tree needs water to grow and develop, so to the child must drink from the springs of life. )

[Yoni] I am the youngest grandchild of Holocaust survivors.
From ashes, they rebuilt their lives and desire,
Opportunities for me, I admire their resilience,
But cannot make sense of the gravity of their experience.
A character in a narrative, on a larger mission,
I inherited this history and this tradition,
And you are like a tree planted between to river streams.
How can I live up to your dreams?
Take me to the good place, I wanna go. Looking at your face and I already know. We possess a connection and its flowing throug the soul. I wanna be the ears to the stories never told. Take me to the good place. Take me to the good place. Take me to the good place.

אני מחפש אך כושלות רגליי, משתדל לפזר אשלייות בחיי. העולם נעלם בצורה מפחידה. היכן אמצה טיפת השראה? אולי מאמא האמנית האמיצה. בטח תאיר לי את המסילה. סבא שלי כבר בן תשעים ושש עבר הרבה בחייו אבל לא התייאש. מהדור הגדול שעשו הנסים. בן–אדם כמוהו כבר לא מכירים. היכן ההיכל האישי שלי. זהותי הבסיסית, היא משפחתי.