Get out your spades, shovels and hoes!
It's time to get out and plant, because Tu
B'Shvat is here!
♪ (intro) ♪
Welcome to Jewish Music Toronto!
I am Eli.
Remember that all of our lesson and sing-along
videos are closed captioned, so if you want
to follow along, all you have to do is click
the CC button at the bottom of the YouTube player.
And yes, Tu B'Svhat, the new year for trees,
is upon us once again.
So you may be wondering just what a song called
Artza Alinu (We Went Up to Our Land)
would have to do with Tu B'Shvat.
It probably sounds more like a song about
travel than one about trees.
Well, that's a great thing to wonder! And
if you're interested in knowing more, keep
watching or click here for the song's background.
Otherwise, you can skip to its author and
composer,
or right to the lyrics and melody!
And, don't worry. If you click any of these links, I'll leave the window open here, so you can come back for more.
Here comes the Background!
So you want to know what a song called Artza
Alinu has to do with Tu B'Shvat?
Well, the truth is that it's all about pioneering
and planting.
In fact, it was written by a man during his
visit to a Kibbutz (or farm settlement) in Israel,
two whole decades before the establishment
of the modern State of Israel.
Yes, it's about going to the land,
but it's also about working the land and,
with hope, eventually reaping what was sown there.
That's about as tree and plant-related as
you can get!
So let's move on to the author!
So who was that man who visited that kibbutz
I mentioned earlier?
Well, it was Ukranian-born author, teacher,
and student of the theatrical arts, Shmuel Navon.
In 1919, at the young age of 15, Navon immigrated
to Israel and, for a short time, worked under
Zionist leader and philanthropist Isaac Leib Goldberg
before moving to Jerusalem to study teaching.
In the 20's, he received dramatic training
under the guidance of Menachem Gnessin,
one of the founders of Habimah, the world's first
professional Hebrew theatre.
And, over the years to come, Navon would work
in various theatrical and Zionist ventures,
and all that even before reaching his thirties!
By the end of his life, he had written around
100 plays, composed at least a couple of handfuls
of songs, and was well published in the topic
of education.
As for that kibbutz visit, that was during
his 20's.
According to the Milken Archive of Jewish Music,
Navon conceived the words to Artza Alinu
while observing workers tending to the
field in Kibbutz Geva, in the Galilee.
For reference, that's this portion of our
trip to Israel.
Shameless plug!
Anyway, it was this sight of settlers working
the land, likely paired with his staunch Zionist
upbringing, that is credited for his coming
up with the lyrics.
There's a lot more great information on Navon
down in the description, so be sure to check it out.
I'll just mention though, that the translated
page that I have linked below... didn't quite
translate that well, so keep that in mind
if you're going to look through it.
On to the composer!
Here's where things get a little interesting.
You see, Shmuel Navon has received some partial
credit for the melody for Artza Alinu,
except that he didn't really write it.
In reality, it turns out that the melody comes
from a much older Chassidic niggun from Europe.
And, once again, we've got the Milken Archive
to thank for this juicy tidbit of information.
While it doesn't clarify exactly who composed
the niggun, musicologist, researcher and
Curator at the National Sound Archives of the Jewish
National and University Library, Yaakov Mazor...
wow that was a mouthful...
Uh, Mazor points out that the tune was originally
sung to the morning prayer text
Ashreinu Mah Tov Chelkeinu.
Growing up in a relgious school, I personally
never heard it sung to those words, but I
did learn the melody as a part of the morning
blessings text Eilu D'varim.
Next up, the lyrics!
Artza Alinu is a short and simple song. And,
once again, these lyrics perfectly fit in
with the theme of Tu B'Shvat.
They are:
Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu, Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu,
Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu
We Went up to Our Land, etc.
K'Var Chah-rash-nu V'Gam Zar-ah-nu
We've already ploughed and, also, sown
Ah-val Od Lo Kah-tzar-nu
But we've not yet reaped
And you can really see the Zionist influence there.
Given the fact that this was written in 1928,
20 whole years before Israeli independence
was declared, this is all about knowing that
the effort has been put in, and waiting for
the day when that effort will all pay off.
Finally, it's time for the melody!
The melody goes:
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu, Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu, Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ K'Var Chah-rash-nu V'Gam Zar-ah-nu ♪
♪ K'Var Chah-rash-nu V'Gam Zar-ah-nu ♪
♪ Ah-val Od Lo Kah-tzar-nu ♪
♪ Ah-val Od Lo Kah-tzar-nu ♪
One more time!
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu, Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu, Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ Ar-tzah Ah-lee-nu ♪
♪ K'Var Chah-rash-nu V'Gam Zar-ah-nu ♪
♪ K'Var Chah-rash-nu V'Gam Zar-ah-nu ♪
♪ Ah-val Od Lo Kah-tzar-nu ♪
♪ Ah-val Od Lo Kah-tzar-nu ♪
That's it for this week's lesson!
Be sure to come back later in the week for
our sing-along to Artza Alinu,
and definitely take a look at those links down below
for that extra information!
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Thanks for watching, and bye for now!
