Pirkei Avot Reminder #2 - ESTHER

Again on Shabbat Parshat Chukat, I was learning Pirkei Avot with HaRav Yisrael Meir Lau, shlita, and came across another reminder that we are getting closer to beginning our trek to Shushan.
Perek Six, Mishnah Six tells us the 48 ways we can acquire Torah. They include: study, an attentive ear, serving the sages, discussions with students....
The last way mentioned is quoting something in the name of its author.
The Mishnah continues, "From this [last] you learn that whoever says something in the name of its author brings redemption to the world. As the verse states, 'Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai'. (Esther 2:22)
Rav Lau writes, "The redemption of Israel through the Purim miracle came about via Queen Esther, who spoke to the king in the name of Mordechai."
This is how we understand that our future redemption will come about when people reveal the source of their words and "quote something in the name of the author."
Rav Lau continues, "When Mordechai the Jew hear Bigtan and Teresh plotting to assassinate Achashverosh (Esther 2:21-23), he reported that information to Esther, who 'spoke to the king "in the name of Mordechai"'. Her chief concern was to increase the king's positive feelings toward Mordechai."
... Esther herself "had learned of the plot of Bigtan and Teresh through Divine Inspiration. Neverthless, she suppressed her own prophecy and did not report these words in her own name, so that Mordechai might have the honor of being recognized as the man who saved the king's life."
Thank you, Pirkei Avot for your wonderful messages of "Good luck" through your eternal words. We're on the way to Shushan.

Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) Wishing Us Well 1 - HAMAN

As we draw closer to the opening of rehearsal on our newest Raise Your Spirits production, ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court, everything around me seems to remind me that the journey is about to begin.

Last Shabbat was an example.

Shabbat (Parshat Korach) seemed to point the way to Shushan and the court of King Achashverosh. The Shabbat hugged me and smilingly said, "Off you go."

You see, I was learning Pirkei Avot in the afternoon – Perek Five, Mishnah 19. My teacher was HaRav HaGaon HaRav Yisrael Meir Lau, shlita, from "Rav Lau on Pirkei Avos."

I read, "Any love that depends upon something, when that thing ceases, the love will cease.

But if it is not dependent on anything, it will never cease…"

To give an example of a love that is dependent upon something, HaRav Lau spoke about HAMAN.

He said, "As long as Haman was the wealthiest, most powerful man in the kingdom, he had many friends who fawned over him and flattered him. In Megillat Esther they are referred to as his 'lovers.' But as soon as the tables turned on him and he was forced to give public honor to the hated Mordechai, Haman's friends turned on him. Instead of comforting him, they told him that he was doomed to be defeated by Mordechai – and no longer does Scripture refer to him as his 'lovers'. Now they became his 'wise men'.

And what was their wisdom, "If Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but will undoubtedly fall before him."

I have the terrific opportunity to play the diabolical Haman in this year's production of ESTHER. How evilicious! 

Friends, we have so much to learn from the story of Esther and Mordechai and Haman and Achashverosh. And IY"H, we have so much that we can learn from one another. IY"H, it will be a fabulous adventure, and I am so looking forward to taking it with our entire cast and crew, and you, my readers and friends.

To keep updated on ESTHER, join us here every week, or on our Facebook page.

New Season, New Excitement

We're off to a new season of Raise Your Spirits. It's our 11th year of raising spirits throughout Israel. And this year we're presenting our first original musical, created exactly ten years ago - ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court.
ESTHER was a spectacular success a decade ago, and we're expecting great things from her now, ten years later. With a new cast and crew, new musical arrangements, new choreography and new staging ideas, ESTHER is going to bring tremendous excitement to the Gush Etzion stage, as well as other locations in Israel, IY"H.
Emails abound, getting the cast ready for a summer of rehearsals and humongous excitement is in the air.
ESTHER was written by Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Greenwald and Sharon Katz with music composed by Rivka Hattin Epstein. This year's production includes musical arrangements by Amit Ben Atar, Paul Salter and Mitch Clyman. Direction by Toby Klein Greenwald, music direction by Gayle Berman and choreography by Sarah Orenstein.
More news to come as we head off to Shushan!
For more information, www.raiseyourspirits.org or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raise-Your-Spirits/295615200474928

Remembering Sarah Blaustein, HY"D

I thought of the women of Raise Your Spirits on Shavuot, as we listened to Megillat Ruth. I imagined all of them in their places on stage in the show, RUTH & NAOMI in the Fields of Bethlehem.

I didn't sing out in shul, but I did swing my bent knee to the imaginary music playing in my head.

Then I though of them again today.

We broiled this morning in the hot start-of-summer-sun, at the cemetery in Gush Etzion, as we remembered Sarah Blaustein, HY"D, who was murdered on Isru Chag Shavuot 11 years ago.

It's a sad thing to remember, but it's also the catalyst that caused me to found Raise Your Spirits.

My friend Sarah's murder, along with that of my next door neighbor Esther Elvan, HY"D, and other friends and neighbors of Efrat/Gush Etzion, led to a depression in the entire region that could not be shook.

In order to raise the spirits of the area, I came up with the idea for a summer project – a show. Our first production was the Andrew Webber-Time Rice Musical  JOSEPH and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. B"H, it was a celestial hit.
The little women's theater company that I founded to raise spirits, comfort and strengthen all of us who had been so shaken by terror truly became the mouse that roared!!

Now today, eleven years later, hundreds of women have taken the stage as a part of Raise Your Spirits.

Tens of thousands of women from all over the world have come to see the women/girls of Raise Your Spirits.

RYS women/girls have entered the hearts of so many, putting a song on the lips of women and girls from Perth, Australia, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to Bombai, India, to Brooklyn, New York.

Thanks to Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Greenwald and me (at left - and our company http://www.bible-arts.com/) for the words we have written over the years. (ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court, NOAH! Ride the Wave!, RUTH & NAOMI in the Fields of Bethlehem, and parts of In Search of Courage). And thanks to Yael Valier who joined Toby for In Search of Courage and JUDGE, The Song of Devora.

Thanks to Rivka Epstein Hattin, Mitch Clyman and others for their musical contributions.

Thanks to Toby for her inspired direction.

Thanks to Rivka Schlesinger, Aviva Karpel, Sara Halevi, Elisheva Savir, Tamar Rund, Gayle Berman and everyone else who pitched in, for bringing out the music in our casts.

Thanks to Arlene, Sarah Orenstein, Tamara Spitz, Jocelyn Odenheimer, Batya Daniel and everyone else who turned our performers in to dancers.

Thanks to Eudice, Tammy, Felicity, Toby, Yael, Arlene, me and others for their production work.

Thanks to the Board – past and present – for their guidance and hard work – Arlene, Toby, me, Shelley Bloom, Susan Suna, Jill Kuchar, Tammy Rubin, Felicity Aziz, Ruthie Lieberman and Yael Valier.

Thanks to all those talented women who appeared on stage and those talented women who helped off stage (our artists, our make-up artists, scenery designers, seamstresses, ushers, saleswomen, techies, etc. etc.). We thank all of them. "__________, you are great."

Together we ARE Raise Your Spirits.

And we have raised spirits for 11 years. B"H we're still going strong.

Sarah Blaustein, HY"D, (in life as in death) was responsible for tefillah and Torah study in Kever Rachel.

I think she'd really smile to think that women and girls sing and dance and light up the night in Gush Etzion and beyond, because of her.

May her memory and that of Esther Elvan be blessed.

Excitement is mounting for the newest RYS production, ESTHER and the SECRETS in the KING'S COURT.

Even last night after the Yom Yerushalayim Tefilla, when I handed out the notice at Zumba, women were abuzz. J

And yesterday's Pirkei Avot reminded everyone (who learned the Perek) about ESTHER.

Perek 6, Mishna 6

The Mishna speaks about the virtues with which sovereignty, priesthood and Torah are acquired. They include studying, listening, …awe…humility,…joy, purity…slowness to anger…good heartedness…love of charity….and saying something in the name of its speaker.

The Mishna continues, "Thus we have learned,  'One who says something in the name of its speaker brings redemption to the world, as it is stated (Esther 2:22), "And Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai."'"

I read those words and thought of all of the wonderful Raise Your Spirits Women, and the stories of Jewish history and heritage that their performances introduce to others. I'm excited that RYS is performing ESTHER this year. 

Today is Yom Yerushalayim. Jerusalem Day.

Together may we see Mordechai and Esther's dream fulfilled – the complete redemption of the Jewish people and the return of all of our brethren toJerusalem and Eretz Yisrael.

AUDITIONS for Women and Girls

ANNOUNCING AUDITIONS for our newest SHOW

Excitement is running high here in Gush Etzion. Auditions have been announced for the newest RAISE YOUR SPIRITS production: ESTHER and the SECRETS in the KINGS' COURT. 

As Raise Your Spirits celebrates TEN YEARS to the production of ESTHER, we're going back on stage to introduce a new audience to this fabulous show. JOIN THE CAST.

AUDITIONS FOR SINGERS/ACTRESSES:

WHERE: The boutique theater in the Rakefet room of Matnas Efrat.
WHEN: Monday night, May 21st, from 7:30-10:00 PM

WHAT TO PREPARE: Two minutes of a song, OR a song + monologue. Please bring sheet music or playback, if available.

AGE: From 5-120. Girls under the age of 12 must come with a mother, or other female relative or friend who is 15 or older.

ESTHER..., the story of the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people from the murderous hands of HAMAN, through the courage of Esther, Mordechai and the Jewish people.
Written by Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Greenwald and Sharon Katz.
Music by Rivka Epstein Hattin.

New choreography and musical arrangements!


ALSO AUDITIONS FOR MUSICIANS AND DANCERS!
For more info: toby@wholefamily.com

Photo above, the cast of ESTHER ten years ago! Photographer, Hilary Hurwitz