CONCERT REPORT: Tel Aviv, September 24

[adamintelaviv]

Hi Lizzy,

Thanks. I will be digesting this blessing for some time. You probably know that these are the Jewish high holy days, days of awe, "terrible" days. Time of the decision, "Who by fire." To give the Numbers 6:24-26 blessing in Israel, in Hebrew and just before the day of atonement is a once in a lifetime thing for all concerned.

As you can see, the blessing is hard to translate. Working up the nerve to ask for one thing more I would wish for Cohen's own translation.

It is a poetic text well worth translating. This blessing is, by some accounts, the most ancient text in Jewish scripture. This (Hebrew) article below contains a copy of a 2600 year old silver amulet from the valley of Hinom near Jerusalem with the blessing. (Third photo from the top).

http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7% ... 7%99%D7%9D

[vered]

here are some photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/saarve4/Leo ... rael240909#

[JudeDor]

Thank you Mr. Cohen for an unforgetable performance.
It was so moving. It felt like an intimate show, you sang individually to everyone in the crowd.
I will never forget this once in a life time experience.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

[adamintelaviv]

Is there a video of the final blessing on the 24th?

[flytomars]

Regarding a DVD of the show -
According to this:

http://www.mefik.co.il/page.asp?page_parent=5460

The last line is:
חומר הגלם יעבור עריכה ל"
-DVD
מיוחד, שיוצע למכירה על-ידי חברת המדיה של הזמר בכל העולם."

"The raw footage will undergo editing for a special DVD, to be released by the singer`s media company worldwide"

Though this seems bogus, as there are also some mistakes in the article itself (it is stated that this is the last show, "mabe ever", with disregard to the american tour) and I really dont know this site`s credibility)

[iamronen]

took some time for the energy to settle and for me to collect words...

for what it's worth: http://www.iamronen.com/2009/09/leonard ... n-concert/

[chickensunited]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9wrdcdlrZI a Cumbrian take on the "Take This Waltz" Video, comments welcome!

[blueriksha]

If it be your will -
to let me sing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T1HW3z_DEQ

Thank you L.C. for a magnificent show, it truely has been touching for us, as I think we all could see it has been touching for you.

Thank you for everything.

Dan.

[bridger15]

9 minute youtube video by MajorTom2oo1 (Alon Elhanani) includes:

-No Way To Say Goodbye

-Whither Thou Goest

-Leonard's final words 7.00

-The Birkat Kohanim 8.00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Y1x2y3qyg

[missesmuch]

i love you deeply Leonard.

Thank you for what you gave us.

[lizzytysh]

Dear Adam ~

Oh, dear... I lost a long posting to you when I tried to submit it... I was no longer signed in... it said everything exactly as I wanted to say it, and reconstruction never fares as well. Still, I'll try.

Cohen’s music has been popular in Israel since he first appeared there during the 1973 Yom Kippur War to perform for troops. He ended the concert by blessing the crowd with the traditional prayer known as the “Birkat Ha’Cohenim,” or the priestly benediction, closing with this line:

“May God lift his face upon you and give you peace.”

I hope you will be able to get that personal translation of Leonard's. The photo that Calev Ben-David chose for his review is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen of Leonard's face when he's serious.

I will be digesting this blessing for some time. You probably know that these are the Jewish high holy days, days of awe, "terrible" days. Time of the decision, "Who by fire." To give the Numbers 6:24-26 blessing in Israel, in Hebrew and just before the day of atonement is a once in a lifetime thing for all concerned.

Yes, through reading various things on the Forum, Adam, I did know that. Leonard's timing for this concert could not have been coincidental. He came to all of you with the deepest of intention. In reading the above, I ended up reading it through tears.

My heart has long known the significance of this concert and I appreciate so much all of you filling in my mind with the details of why that is so, and its importance to you. It has been so moving to see how Leonard kept his commitment to perform in Tel Aviv; seeing his determination on how the proceeds would be used only for the deepest good; watching how quickly the tickets were seized; seeing the generousity of a thousand more being released; watching the heartfelt reception he received from everyone, and the awesome beauty and appreciation expressed by the thousands of green lights; seeing Leonard's emotion and listening to the truth and beauty of his words; watching the throngs depart; feeling the gratitude of Leonard and his many fans for this great event; learning here all the levels of symbolism and significance of this sharing between all of you and Leonard, together in Tel Aviv; and reading how much being at this concert meant to each and all of you.

I would have loved to have been there to experience this historically and spiritually significant concert; however, I would not have wanted my place to have taken that of a single Israeli, Palestinian, or Jew, who wanted to be there. These are the times I wish for wealth; I was so moved to read of the performer, who was unable to secure a ticket and then was given one.

As Ali Abu Awwad said:

Talking about pressure from Palestinians that led to a boycott of a proposed show in Ramallah, Awwad said, "I can't boycott a heart as big as Leonard Cohen's."

There is never a time in this world when genuine love is unwarrented or out of place. In coming to sing for you in Tel Aviv, Leonard was true to himself, to his heritage, and to all of you.

Thank you, Adam, and everyone else for sharing what Leonard's presence, songs, and words meant to you, personally. Even though I've not said everything I've wanted to and originally said here, the main thing has been said and that's thank you.


Love,
Lizzy

[lizzytysh]

Oh, Adam, I see now how Arlene has posted someone's actual footage of Leonard's blessing . I'm so happy for all of you ... and for us, too . Now you have it forever.

Thank you, Arlene.


Love,
Lizzy

[Lizlogs]

.

Cohen ended the concert with the priestly blessing in (excellent) Hebrew. Being a descendant of the holy men of Israel (literally, that is what his name, Cohen, means) he has the power and the right to do this.

This blessing is one of the most beautiful ancient poems you will ever know.

I felt most blessed.

יְבָרֶכְךָ יהוה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ:
יָאֵר יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ:
יִשָּׂא יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:

Here is my outrageously personal translation:

May the most holy bless you and protect you
May the most holy take a shine to you and grace you
May the most holy take a good look at you give you peace

Here is something more precise:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestly_Blessing

I am wondering if this is something he has done before. I had the feeling it was a very special moment indeed.

adamintelaviv

Reading all the various reports, I have no reason to suspect that Leonard has ever used this particular Priestly Blessing. He gives a four-faceted priestly blessing at the end of each of his concerts; however, it seems that this one was especially appropriate for and hence given to all of you.

~ Lizzy

He gave this blessing at the end of his Belfast concert on 26th July, albeit in English.

[sirius]

'Hallelujah' in Tel Aviv: Leonard Cohen Energizes Diverse Crowd

By Nathan Jeffay
The Jewish Daily forward
Published September 25, 2009.

http://www.forward.com/articles/115181/

Tel Aviv — Despite the row ahead of his performance, when Leonard Cohen began his sell-out Tel Aviv concert Thursday, September 24, there wasn’t a hint of awkwardness about coming to Israel.

Pro-Palestinian activists called on him to boycott Israel, but he came anyway and was brimming with enthusiasm about his host country. “How goodly are your tents Jacob, your dwellings Israel,” he declared, using the original Hebrew from the Biblical book of Numbers.

Almost 50,000 people crammed in to Ramat Gan Stadium — a far bigger crowd than Cohen is used to. Judging by the numbers mouthing along to each and every song, most were dedicated fans. And judging by numbers on the look out for tickets outside the stadium at the last minute, many who were equally devoted didn’t get in.

Cohen’s Israel following isn’t only surprising for how large it is, but also how mixed it is. There were plenty of people in the stereotypical Cohen fan age-range, forties and upwards, but there was a large much younger following — many of whom were not born when he last performed Israel in 1975.

This is what a couple of square yards near the stage looked like: a couple in their late fifties stood arm-in-arm; a young couple in their early twenties sat on the ground transfixed, the woman in her army uniform evidently on the way home for the weekend; a girl in her late teens, drunk in the extreme, danced enthusiastically singing along word-perfect. A middle-aged man wearing a kippah and his wife with a headscarf were nearby, as were two young Israeli Arab women, one in a headscarf.

When Cohen started his classics, like “Chelsea Hotel” and “First We Take Manhattan,” the crowd erupted into rapturous applause and sang along for sections. But for much of the concert the crowd was surprisingly quiet, doing something that Israelis don’t tend to do: watching respectfully and in almost-silent appreciation. The concert was un-Israeli in another respect: It started right on time at 7.45 p.m., even though people were still on their way in.

The audience found Cohen’s rendition of “Who By Fire” particularly poignant, as it is based on the liturgy from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Throughout the whole concert, as Cohen sang lyrics were translated in to Hebrew on giant screens, and it was surreal seeing the lines from the liturgy he had switched to English translated back to Hebrew and matching the prayer book word for word. A policeman who had kept an on-duty stern expression throughout the performance welled up, reached in to his pocket and pulled out a camera to capture the moment.

There was a sense of Cohen advancing a claim-of-ownership when he came to “Hallelujah.” This song has been covered by so many artists, including Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright, but Cohen sang it with such feeling and gusto it was as if he was questioning why anyone else would bother.

During some of his recent concerts Cohen has spent a lot of time speaking to the crowd, but in Tel Aviv it was all about the music, he kept the chat to a minimum. When he spoke he was gracious, verbosely introducing and praising his band and thanking the audience for welcoming him.

The only other topic that merited a break in the music was Middle East conflict. He is under no misapprehension that he can solve it, he said, but he is determined to help those he believes can play a part in doing so. He praised those on both sides who have lost loved ones and still strive for peace, saying this is why proceeds from the concert would go to help them. Theirs is a “healthy response to human suffering, baruch hashem,” he said.

When Cohen finished his third encore, “Famous Blue Raincoat,” ending with the perfect sign-off line, “sincerely L Cohen,” everyone was sure he was finished, but he was having too much fun, and carried on. In the light of his discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict his song “Whither Thou Goest,” went down particularly well. “Thy people shall be / My People” he sang, drawing on the Biblical book of Ruth.

Then there was a surprise that nobody could have anticipated. Cohen, an ordained Buddhist monk, put his hands together in the special formation reserved for Cohanim, members of the Jewish priestly caste, to use when giving the Priestly Blessing in synagogue. He then pronounced the words of the blessing, which come from the Biblical book of Numbers. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look kindly upon you and give you peace.”

Even that wasn’t the last that concert-goers saw of Leonard Cohen. On the way out of the stadium, there were Leonard Cohens everywhere. Next to the shopping carts purloined from supermarkets by street sellers using them to sell hot bagels was a stall offering black fedora hats, Cohen’s trademark. It sold hundreds, and so Leonard Cohen has left a behind a different Israel to the one that greeted him. Today, you don’t have to be Haredi to wear a black hat.

[lizzytysh]

Thank you for your clarification, Lizlogs .

Never has this blessing meant more at the ending of a concert than it did when Leonard spoke it in Hebrew in Tel Aviv, Israel.

I love the article that sirius just posted from The Jewish Daily.


~ Lizzy