A classic Jewish legend says that, prior to birth, a baby’s soul knows all worlds — or, in the traditional phrase, “knows the entire Torah” (all of Jewish learning). Right before birth, an angel appears and taps lightly above the baby’s upper lip, and in that moment the baby forgets everything. (That act is said to form the small indentation that modern biology calls the philtrum.)
Let’s imagine that when our little ones are asleep, they are trying to recall faraway and once-known wisdom and worlds. These instrumental renditions of popular songs may be useful in conjuring those worlds as your child slips into sleep.
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Track 1 "Tumbalalaika (Strum the Balalaika)"
Traditional Yiddish folk song performed by Mike Marshall (guitar and mandolin) and Kaila Flexer (violin).
In a far-off world, a couple walks in an Eastern European forest. The young man ponders three riddles: What can grow without rain, burn without end, and cry without tears? The young woman smiles and answers: a stone, love, and a heart.
Track 2 "Adio Querida (Goodbye, My Beloved)"
Traditional Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) folk song performed by the group Zaruk, with Iris Azquinezer (cello) and Rainer Seiferth (guitar).
In a distant land, an inconsolable person stands beside a river. Are they heartbroken after a lost romance? Or are they mourning the loss of their homeland after being expelled from it?
In Spanish, goodbye became adios, but in Judeo-Spanish it remained adio to avoid the Latinizing trend. This song was likely written 200 years ago by Turkish Jews whose families had been expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century.
Track 3 "Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses)"
Hebrew folk song composed by Yosef Hadar with lyrics by Moshe Dor. Performed by Jerusalem Duo, with Hila Ofek (harp) and Andre Tsirlin (flute and saxophone).
In a long-ago setting, a happy young couple strolls through an evening together in a beautiful grove, surrounded by a gentle breeze and the scent of spices and flowers.
This song was written in the 1950s and is based on images from the biblical Song of Songs, one of the world’s greatest love poems.
Track 4 "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by E.Y. (“Yip”) Harburg. Performed by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett.
Stars and clouds, lemon drops and bluebirds, blue skies and lullabies — and of course, a rainbow. Where are we? Maybe our children know best.
In 1939, as World War II erupted, this song was written by a Jewish composer and a Jewish lyricist for the film The Wizard of Oz.
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