Purim may be over but
Pisces is still in full swing - yes, we've "peaked" at the Full Moon and now we're on the downswing towards the next
Rosh Chodesh which will bring us to
Nissan/Aries /Passover time, but how do we get there? We SWIM, like the Fishes we truly are - after all, don't we bless our Jewish children with the hope they will be "Like Ephraim and Menashe, multiplying like fish" - what do you think that means? Fish swim beneath the water, so they're impervious to the "Evil Eye." Fish are always moving their mouths, but who are they talking to? They're talking to HaShem, constantly in a state of underwater Hibbodidut (free-form intimate unstructured prayer). Pisces, the 12th Sign of the Zodiac, associated with the month of
Adar, is represented by two fish - one large, one small - swimming in opposite directions, completely unconscious of each others' presence. The downside of Pisces is unconsciousness, the upside of Pisces is sensitivity and awareness. No one is more oblivious than an undeveloped Pisces person and no one is more psychic, sensitive, empathetic and kind that an evolved Pisces. The Trick - and yes, of course there's a Trick - is to understand that we ALL have a part of our psyche which contains the watery energy of Pisces, and to redeem the Holy Sparks of our G*d-given personalities with the positive attributes of the Fish - beauty, grace, generosity, sensitivity, understanding, deep empathy, intuitiveness, kindness and the kind of completely effaced sense of service to humanity that
Adar Energy inspires.
Today's Torah Schedule:
- 1pm, 5:45pm - Rabbi Betzalel Phillip Edwards' "Chevyria" Series on the teachings of the Piasetzner Rebbe Continues (Part 12).
- 2pm, 5pm, 7:45pm - Rabbi Chaim Richman's Parsha Shavua "Ki Tisa"
- 3pm - Rabbi Moshe New's "Pesach Overview" (yes, it's time to start learning about Pesach!)
Today's Music Schedule:
- 8:00am - 1pm: Lorelai's "Morning Dew For The Morning Jew" Show begins (as always) with Rebbe Nachman's Tikkun HaKlali, and continues all morning with songs from John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joe Cocker, Steely Dan, Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello and The Doors. Why these artists today? It's the birthday of Lorelai's old college friend-for-life Buzzy Bruce-Lamour (so-called "real" name to be withheld as he grew up to be a really famous person!). These are the tunes and artists that remind her of Buzzy and, as he liked to say as he was pretending to be a dive bombing Luftwaffe aircraft drunkenly crashing into her on the floor of her dorm room at San Francisco State University: "Bite My Fish!" Happy Birthday, Buzz!
- 1pm - 6pm "Israeli Soul" Afternoon features beautiful All -Female musical stylings from Meirah Miriam Bet-Dovid and the Gan Eden Project, and Nomi Teplow.
- 6pm: Stevie Wonder's masterpiece, "Songs in the Key of Life." Everybody needs some Stevie!
- 8pm: Country Joe McDonald and The Fish! Live at Fillmore West, 1969! Fillmore West was the famous concert venue in San Francisco which Bill Graham ultimately turned into Winterland. This is one of their classic performances, don't miss it!
- 9:30pm - 12:30am: The Grateful Dead Live at the Cow Palace 1976 (Just to make sure we give equal billing to the "other" San Francisco concert venue, we don't want Fillmore West AKA Winterland to get jealous, a LOT of great music went down at The Cow Palace in its day although acoustically it wasn't nearly as good as Winterland - but don't worry, this is a concert recorded directly from the Sound Board so it'll sound fine).
So, dear listeners, swim with the fishes today - not like Luca Brazzi did in The Godfather, G*d forbid, but like Ephraim and Menashe - beneath the waters, away from the gaze of the Evil Eye, always moving your mouth in silent Hibbodidut prayer to HaShem, and full of gratitude to your Creator . . . whether you're swimming upstream or downstream, you're not alone. Fish swim in SCHOOLS. School is where you LEARN. May the lessons of Adar be deeply ingrained within you and don't forget, Radio Free Nachlaot is swimming along right beside you!
