The Rezadeira
Marc Eliany
1997
Announcer
Two thousand years before the common era,
a Babylonian by the name of Abraham
travelled across the Orient.
He discovered a myriad of superstitions
that made of stone, wood and? humans – gods,
and in their names wars were? waged continuously.
All his life,
Abraham could not tolerate conflicts
and looked for ways to stop them.
Abraham raised his eyes to the sky
and discovered
a boundless
and infinitely harmonious Creation.
He thought to himself:
“beyond this earthly existence
must lie another way of living,
at peace
with one?s self
and with one another.”
Since that day,
he preached tirelessly
to all those that would listen.
His first converts
forsook their earthly existence,
destroyed their idols
and undertook to live in harmony
in an infinite universe.
His first converts
are the ancestors of the Jews of our time.
To this day,
the G-d of the Jews
has no bodily shape or form,
but consists of? a set of rules
that can be summarized in a single axiom:
“Love your neighbor like yourself.”
All the rest is but a matter of interpretation.
At the beginning of the common era,
?Jesus,
a descendant of Abraham,
observed that with a weapon,
Jewish or Roman,
human life was reduced to misery
to the advantage of the few.
Jesus raised his eyes to the sky
and discovered
a boundless
and infinitely harmonious creation.
He thought to himself
that beyond this earthly existence
must lie another way of living,
at peace
with one?s self
and with one another.
Since that day,
he preached tirelessly
to all those that would listen.
His first converts
forsook their earthly existence,
and undertook to live in harmony
in an infinite universe.
His first converts
are the ancestors of the Jews of our time.
To this day,
the G-d of the Jews
has no bodily shape or form,
but consists of? a set of rules
that can be summarized in a single axiom:
“Love your neighbor like yourself.”
All the rest is but a matter of interpretation.
Armed with this vision,
the Jews dispersed
throughout the universe.
In 1497,
in the land of Portugal,
Jews lived peacefully
among their neighbors.
They knew much about navigation,
and possessed the skill that make any community thrive.
In 1497,
a man by the name of “Emmanuel”,
Hebrew for “G-d is in our midst,”
decided that the Jews living
in the land of Portugal,
would no longer be Jews
but would become Christians.
Children under the age of fourteen
were torn from their mother?s arms
to be raised by Christian families.
Jews who refused to convert
were condemned like criminals
and their children were exiled
on a deserted island, St. Tom?,
where reptiles? devoured them alive.
For 500 years,
in the land of Portugal,
Jews,
now new Christians,
were called by their neighbors
??marranos? which means ?pigs? in Portuguese.
For 500 years,
before entering a church,
the Marranos proclaimed these words:
?I enter this house of worship
but I adore neither the wood nor the stone in it.
For I adore with all my heart
the only G-d, the King of the Universe!.?
In early 1997,
a stranger came to Belmonte,
in northern Portugal.
He met an old marrano woman,
Rezadeira.
One day,
Rezadeira
locked herself
in her house
and poured out her heart before
an altar of candles
hidden in a small cupboard.
Rezadeira washes her hands and prays
Blessed be You
King of the Universe
who commanded us to wash our hands
as our ancestors did
in the Holy Land.
Rezadeira
opens an altar hidden in a small cupboard, lights the candles
and prays
Blessed be you
King of the Universe
who commanded us to light this candle
as our ancestors
did in the Holy Land.
May Your light
illuminate our lives
May Your light
illuminate our souls
May Your light
deliver us from oppression
May this prayer
reach You in the Heavens
Amen.
Rezadeira begins a monologue with God (Adonay)
A combination of confession, criticism and prayer.
??????????????? Adonay,
??????????????? ?Where are the Jews???????
??????????????? asks this stranger.
??????????????? And still some reply
??????????????? ? I am a Jew,?
??????????????? as if nothing had happened,
??????????????? as if all had been forgotten.
???????????????
??????????????? Forgive me, Lord, if I have said:
??????????????? ?No, we are not Jews!?
??????????????? Forgive me
??????????????? if I recited ?Our Father in Heaven?
??????????????? if I ate impure beasts
??????????????? if I attended mass
??????????????? if I crossed myself.
??????????????? Forgive me
??????????????? For telling my brother
??????????????? to reject everything.???????????
??
??????????????? You know
??????????????? that he is a nobody, and
??????????????? that he value not his life
??????????????? since You have forsaken us and abandoned us
??????????????? ?to the Princes that only cherish earthly belongings.
Choral
Those that seek
only earthly belongings
know not
that what they own
does not belong to them.
Those that seek
only earthly belongings
forgot their duty
to? widows and orphans.
Those that seek
only earthly belongings
sold us as slaves
throughout four corners of the world.
Those that seek
only earthly belongings
are nothing
without good deeds.
Rezadeira continues her monologue
??????????????? Adonay, G-d of the universe,
??????????????? knower of all things
??????????????? You know
??????????????? that we follow Your path
??????????????? even if we are lost;
??????????????? You know
??????????????? that in our heart we remain still Jews,
??????????????? even if some of? us
??????????????? have forgotten it,
??????????????? the others remind us daily.
Even if we prayed fervently
we could never erase
our “reputation” as convert;
we never lost our “prominence” as Jews.
Useless is our own denial.
But now that the door is shut,
You know
that I am telling the truth.
Who is Jew
and who is not?
We are all Jews,
even those that don?t know it.
Jesus is a Jew.
Yes, Jesus is a Jew,
even if they don?t know it!
You Yourself
have told
Your prophets
that there is but one end;
all will seek Your salvation
on? Your Temple Mount,
for All are One.
Adonay,
forgive me for asking
what are You waiting for?
Have we not wandered enough
atop the mountains of Belmonte?
And this stranger that You sent,
is it another test of Yours?
He says that his ancestors are our ancestors.
Marranos in Lisbon
or Cap Verde,
Jews in Amsterdam
or Marrakech.
In his eyes
I saw Your light shining;
The light that illuminates our way,
already 500 dark years,
an exile within another 2000-year exile!
Forgive me
G-d of Abraham,
God of Jesus,
if I ask You why
we still live in misery.
Haven?t You seen enough of our suffering,
?God of mercy?
You heard the stranger
talk of all that we have forgotten.
He said that
??????????????? with holy water,
??????????????? his ancestors,
??????????????? from Cohen,
??????????????? they became
??????????????? Jesus.
??????????????? Blessed be they!
??????????????? Their souls rest in Marrakech.
Choral
In bondage
I followed Your commandments
yet I was chastised.
I heard others say
?From whence comes their salvation??
and I wondered.
I submitted to you
with all the Love and devotion I could spare,
but You did not come,
You have forsaken me.
Adonay,
show Your face,
illuminate my soul!
Rezadeira sings:
Adonay
purify me
with your water of salvation??????????????? Choral
Adonay
forgive me
with your water of salvation??????????????? Choral
Adonay
cure me
with your water of salvation??????????????? Choral
Choral
??????????????? with your water of salvation???????????????
??????????????? with your water of salvation
??????????????? with your water of salvation
give me peace.
Rezadeira recites:
??????????????? Adonay,
??????????????? with my right hand
??????????????? on his head,
??????????????? I blessed him:
Adonay, bless us
Adonay, protect us
Adonay, show us Your light
Adonay, grant us peace
Amen
??????????????? And he said:
??????????????? ??????????????? that his father rests in Heaven!
??????????????? ??????????????? May his soul be in peace!
Rezadeira sings:
The one from whence he came
did what she could
to show him
the way of Moses
even though he was lost.
God of Israel
save him
from his pursuers
If he is not worthy enough,
remember
his ancestors
God of Israel
save him
from false witnesses
If he is not worthy enough
remember
the martyrs
God of Israel
save him
from stake
and flames
even if his merits
do not satisfy You.
God of Israel
grant him
eternal peace
and remember
remember!
God of Israel
bring us closer to Jerusalem
give us peace on earth.
??????????????? He said:
??????????????? ??????????????? From the Holy Land
??????????????? ??????????????? he came
??????????????? ??????????????? From the Promised Land
??????????????? ??????????????? he? brought? news.
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? Israel!
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? May he be blessed.
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? His mother lives in Israel!
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? May his mother be blessed.
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? His mother sent him
??????????????? ??????????????? to find? the Jesus? family? in Belmonte!
???????????????????????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? Adonay, tell me,
??????????????? ??????????????? am I dreaming?
??????????????? ??????????????? Is he telling the truth?
Rezadeira sings:
(her hand upon her heart)
Adonay
at dawn
On Daniel?s wings
my prayers rise
Choral
Peace on earth
Celestial blessings
(her hand on her lips)
Adonay
at dawn
from Abraham?s lips
my prayers climb
Choral
Peace on earth
Celestial blessings
(her hand on her head)
Adonay
at dawn
In Moses? name
my prayers mount
Choral
Peace on earth
Celestial blessings
Rezadeira recites:
??????????????? Adonay,
??????????????? Do our brothers truly dwell in the Holy Land?
??????????????? Do they think of us?
??????????????? Is our fate, their worry?
???????????????
??????????????? ??????????????? He says:
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? Their life is firmly grounded.
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? They cultivate the land
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? and eat from its fruits.
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? By day,
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? they search for
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? the lost sheep.
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? By night,
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? they guard the gathered flock.
??????????????? ??????????????? He says:
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? From their mouths,
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? he brings us
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? blessings and invitations
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? to gather in Jerusalem
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? riding on eagle?s wings
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? or on whales backs!
Rezadeira sings:
May God
grant us
??????????????? ??????????????? Choral before each verse
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? May God
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? grant us
Abraham?s faith
Noah?s clemency
Jacob?s happiness
Moses?s wisdom
Gideon?s courage
Jeremiah?s spirit
David?s repentance
Solomon?s knowledge
Tobie?s charity
Job?s patience
??????????????? ??????????????? Choral before each verse
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? May God
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? grant us
so that we may gaze
upon the Lord?s delights
so that the Law of the universe
extends from here to Jerusalem
Choral and Rezadeira
Lord
God Adonay
Amen
Rezadeira recites:
Adonay
I have prayed to You for at least 100 years
and not a word did I hear from You.
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????? 14
For 500 years
my mother
and the mother of my mother have prayed to You
and not a word did they hear from You.
And now
You have sent us this stranger
wearing torn jeans
and long hair
like that of a young girl.
Is this Your way of telling us
that our penance has ended?
Adonay
Come into my dreams,
give me a sign,
as I am drifting into sleep.
Principle of principles
Dust and ashes I am,
if I have sinned,
my sins in bondage
are of no meaning.
On Judgment Day,
weigh my intent
and You will see
that I do not deserve
Your penalty.
Rezadeira sings:
Evening prayers
With Abraham?s keys
the door was locked
In my bed
I lay down
with Esther?s coat
I shielded myself
To Adonay
I entrusted my soul
In my dreams
the Archangel Gabriel
said:
fear not.
Adonay,
Amen,
May this prayer reach You.
At dawn, the next morning, Rezadeira rises, washes herself and recites:
May the angels praise the Creator who has made me
May the angels praise the Creator
who gave me
??????????????? ??????????????? eyes to see
??????????????? ??????????????? hands to touch
??????????????? ??????????????? ears to hear
May the angels praise the Creator
who granted me understanding
May the angels praise the Creator who made me
Adonay, King of the Universe, Amen.
Rezadeira sings:
With dawn
I rose to sing
holy psalms
??????????????? ??????????????? Choral
??????????????? Adonay is my joy
??????????????? Adonay is my faith
With the beauty of the dawn
the Almighty rose
??????????????? Choral
???????????????
??????????????? Adonay is my joy
??????????????? Adonay is my faith
With the light of day
my prayer
rises to the Heavens
??????????????? Choral
??????????????? Adonay is my joy
??????????????? Adonay is my faith
???????????????
??????????????? Rezadeira washes her hands and prepares the morning bread and recited the following:
Adonay
Blessed be You who returned
the soul to my body,
on this beautiful morning;
but tell me why have You not sent me
the Archangel Gabriel?
Maybe You think
I do not deserve it.
But You are wrong.
In bondage
I followed in Your path,
Without Cohanim,
Without Leviim.
And now
You leave me alone,
with a stranger wearing torn jeans.
(musical emphasis on italics below)
And alone once again,
I must decide
if the exile has ended,
if Jerusalem is once again within our reach.
Offering of the halla
(If Pessach is near, sing the following)
Rezadeira throws a ball of dough into the fire and repeats three times:
Choral
Adonay
Shema?
Rezadeira:
Lord
accept our sacrifice
even though we have sinned
Lord
Blessed be You
who Knows all
Choral
Adonay shema? tefilatenu
Offering of the halla (for Passover)
Choral
Adonay
Shema?
Rezadeira
Adonay
accept our sacrifice
as You did for our brothers
in the Promised Land
Adoany
feed Your wandering flock
as You fed
our ancestors
in the Holy Land
Adonay
forgive us
Knower of all
Adonay
may we celebrate Passover
in peace
May our prayer
rise to the Heavens
Choral
Adonay shema? tefilatenu
Rezadeira at the table
Adonay
This stranger that You have sent us wearing torn jeans
recites Your blessings in Your holy language.
He blessed Your bread
in a way we do not know;
but what we know
comes from You.
Rezadeira prays:
May all that we eat
bring us abundance
May all that we drink
bring us health
May all that is left
bring us Your blessing
May this prayer rise to the Heavens
Blessed be the King of the Universe
Amen
Rezadeira recites:
Adonay,
the stranger thinks
ours is a beautiful prayer.
If it is so beautiful,
why do You not hear us?
Why have You abandoned us in this double exile?
Did it not suffice
that we be Jews in exile,
we also had to be marranos in bondage?
Adonay
I have been talking
to You for years.
You are the only one
with whom I dare speak my mind;
So, do not be cross,
if I share with You,
my most sincere thoughts.
I do not agree
with Your judgment of exile;
but, I thank You,
for not condemning us
to depend on others.
Rezadeira sings the prayers following meals and rises.
Blessed be Adonay
who nourishes us
Blessed be the Almighty
who preserves us
from dependence
at all times
God of the Universe
Gabriel
sings Your glory
Choral
Blessed be
the King of the Universe
Amen
Rezadeira recites:
Adonay,
This stranger
with the long hair
and the torn jeans
wants to know everything.
If he is Your messenger,
forgive me for having doubts.
After all,
You have told us nothing
and You give us no sign,
and we have already suffered enough from slanderers.
But even so,
we did not loose hope.
So, I hide nothing from him,
in case he might be Your angel.
Just in case that,
in my old age,
You decide to show me Your face
or light my way,
I taught him
all that I learned from my mother,
may she rest in peace,
I showed him how,
even in this dark exile,
we have not forgotten Your commandments.
The ritual slaughtering of a chicken
Blessed be
the King of the Universe
who created animals
for our nourishment.
Blessed be
the King of the Universe
who forgives
those who take life for nourishment
for the love of the Almighty
Rezadeira recites:
Adonay,
this stranger
that You have sent us wearing torn jeans
finds this prayer beautiful too.
He said
that angels cry
when they hear us pray.
And, I saw him hide more than one tear away.
Adonay,
If angels cry,
may he be one of Your angels?
And You,
God,
do You hear us?
Adonay,
sometimes I feel
that this stranger
that You sent us
with torn jeans
likes our prayers too much.
Sometimes I think
that he will not lead us to Jerusalem
but stay here.
(music to highlight the italics below)
Adonay
tell me, is it possible
that Jerusalem is no longer there
but here?
Is it possible
that Jerusalem is
where one’s? happiness is found?
Adonay,
this stranger that You sent us
and who speaks Your holy language so well,
wants to know everything.
He bid me to take him to the cemetery
to pray for the grandmother of all his grandmothers.
How could I deny him
such a prayer?
When I entered the cemetery,
I recited the prayer that I learned
the day my grandmother died:
Adonay,
deliver these souls,
as they were living beings,
like us,
deserving of the wind of life.
Adonay,
accept their prayers,
for we shall join You as they have:
lifeless!
Adonay,
let us enter and leave,
this valley of tears,
with life within us.
May this prayer
rise to the Heavens
Amen
Rezadeira continues her monologue:
Adonay,
We came and went in peace
from the valley of tears,
where our dead still rest,
lost,
between the crosses
on which You hung
Your son Jesus.
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????? 23
And the stranger found his grandmother,
Tanya of Jesus,
daughter of Marrano,
daughter of Mathatias.
He placed a stone on her tomb,
and lit her path to You
with candles from the Holy Land.
He spoke to her in Your holy language,
as if she was still among us,
but he did not say a prayer.
He said
that my prayer was enough
and that angels
preferred it
to any other prayer.
I wanted to tell him
that I hoped You liked it as much.
I hope you do,
because I have been praying for a long time
and You never answered me,
as if You had never heard me.
So You see,
even I,
who has walked in Your path,
in this dark exile,
I am lost of understanding.
I did not know
if I had to strew
the tomb of? the saint grandma’ Jesus
with white and pure flour
or plain hard stones.
In the end
I did as I always did.
I strew flour
on my ancestors? tomb,
and Tanya Jesus
was among them.
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????? 24
I recited the prayer I had learned:
Adonay,
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
You who cares for all Your children on earth,
have mercy
on the souls of our dearly departed.
If they are not worthy enough,
Remember,
for their sake,
the virtues
of our ancestors
who revealed Your light to us.
Remember,
for their sake,
the virtues
of our martyrs
who praised Your name on earth.
Have mercy
on our brothers
in the Land of? Israel.
May the souls
of those who rest in peace
in this valley of tears
rise to the Heavens
Amen.
Rezadeira continues her monologue:
Then, we walked
along the winding path
that always leads
to the village that You had destined for us,
without saying a word,
as if everything had already been said.
We gave
charity
to the poor gathered
on the footstep of the church
without entering it.
We visited
old Mendes,
who is sick
and who cannot see anymore.
And the old Mendes
took the stranger?s hand
between her hands
and could not let go of it.
And she spoke to him,
as if she knew him from a long time ago:
? Daniel!
You have returned!
I prayed God so often.
All I wanted was to see Your face again.
And You came.
Now,
I can go in peace .?
Then the old Mendes
recited the prayer for the ill
and the stranger recited it with her:
God of Israel,
On the day of my affliction
hide me
in Your Tabernacle,
You who has promised redemption.???? (choral)
On the night of my supplications
take me
under Your wings,
You who has promised redemption.?????????? (choral)
??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????? 26
I will praise all the days of my life
Your sweetness,
because You have promised redemption??????????? (choral)
Every night, with great joy,
I will gaze upon Your marvels,
because You have promised redemption.?????????? (choral)
May this prayer?? ??????????????????????????????? ??????????????? (choral)
rise to the Heavens
Amen
Then we stopped
at my daughter?s house,
as if destiny had ordered it.
And this is where
the stranger
saw my grandchild,
Tanya Jesus,
as if it was written.
There,
he repeated after me
the prayer reserved for those
who make a pilgrimage
to the grave of their ancestors:
Adonay,
You who have blessed Abraham
and his descendants
to this day,
bring Your blessings
to this bread
to this table
and to all those sitting here.
Adonay
deliver us
from danger.
Adonay
guard our soul
and the souls
of our ancestors.
May this prayer
rise to the Heavens
Amen.
And he repeated after me
all that I said
as if he had always been in our midst.
And for the first time,
I asked his name.
?Daniel,?
he simply answered,
as if my
own grandson
Daniel was answering
my question.
And his mother?s name is Esther,
like my mother and my great grandmother,
and like my Santa Rainha
Esther.
(musical higlight build up)
Adonay
tell me,
is he real
this stranger
that You sent us
without a sign or warning?
Is he the man or? the angel
who will lead us
back to You?
Or is he
the misleading image
of an evil angel
who escaped Your powers?
But what is the point
to all these questions?
I know that You will not answer me!
And this stranger,
with jeans and long hair,
Daniel, in flesh and blood,
was there,
right in front of me,
sharing our meal
like the angel Daniel
in the lions? den.
Suddenly,
I caught him looking
at my grandchild,
Tanya.
And I understood
that even if You don?t answer me,
my comforting angel was here.
Daniel will take Tanya
and stay in our midst
to deliver us,
as it is promised
in Your Holy Bible.
Choral sings
Hear,
Oh! Children of Israel,
Daniel is heralding
our delivery.
Count the days
walk in his path
forgiveness is nigh.
With a humble heart
looking up to the sky
Adonay will gather
his flock
from Lisbon
from Babylon
in the Holy Land
at the foot of His temple
in Jerusalem
Rezadeira continues her monologue:
Adonay,
You who knows
that because of excess of sacrifices
Your temple lost its worth.
You who knows
what Titus and Mathatias
intended.
You who knows
that it was written
that the hands who built
Your temple
would turn it into rubbles.
You who knows
that judeu
only means “help” (ad judar).
You also know
that we have
walked in Your path.
So
no matter
who is this Daniel;
we will look
after him,
with torn jeans
or long hair.
We will share
with him
the best of our fruits.
We will not forget
that thanks to our mother?s good deeds
our ancestorswere delivered
from bondage in Egypt
and from here,? from Belmonte.
Adonay
God of the Universe
God of Jacob
God of Rachel
in Your name
I have united Tanya and Daniel.
Rezadeira sings
Adonay
follow us with Your gaze.
On the way
of our wandering
Choral ? ??????????????? deliver us
From slander
Choral ? ??????????????? deliver us
Where the sun rises
Choral?? ??????????????? deliver us
Where the moon shines
Choral?? ??????????????? deliver me! deliver me! deliver me!
Adonay
follow us with Your gaze.
And we will walk
in Your path
in peace.
Choral
Adonay,
God of the Universe,
Bless Jerusalem
Where Your flock strays.
Ottawa, mars 1997.
Other prayers
Wedding prayer
In the name of the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Your are now wed
and I recommend You unto Him.
Supplication
Sabaot
macolares cobrado
You know
that in bondage
far from Jerusalem
with no Cohanim
with no sanctuary
we cannot
carry out our duties
forgive us
deliver us
from hardship
as You did
for Israel in Egypt
as You did
for Esther from Haman
May our children
abide by Your commandments
Adonay,
in my thought
Adonay,
on my lips
Adonay,
in my heart
whispers in the dark
no priests
no books
only faint words
in the dark