Lev Tahor
G C
Just a deaf man in the shteeble,
D C
and to everyone’s surprise,
G C
He comes to shul each Shabbos,
A D
and he prays with tear-filled eyes.
G C
His son he is the Chazan,
D Em
though his voice he’s never heard,
C D
But he sits there, enjoying every
G
word.
G C
He watches every motion,
D C
every gesture that he makes,
G C
And he stays till the very end,
A D
however long it takes.
G C
And when the davening is over,
D Em
he’s the first to reach his son,
C D
And the deaf man in the shteeble says,
G D
“Well done”.
Chorus:
G C
Now it’s right before Yom Kippur,
D G
and in the shteeble there is fear.
G C
They want to start Kol Nidre,
A D
but the Chazan’s still not there.
Am D
Oh, the shul is filled with people,
G Em
as the night begins to fall,
C D
But the deaf man’s chair stands empty,
G
by the wall.
G C
Then suddenly the Chazan,
D C
he comes rushing through the door.
G C
He’s wearing his white Chazan’s hat,
A D
he’s never worn before.
G C
He pauses for a moment,
D Em
at his father’s empty chair.
C D G
And quietly, he wipes away a tear.
Chorus:
G C
And he runs up to the bimah,
D G
for there’s no time left to wait.
G C
And half the shul can hear the rabbi
A D
Ask, “How come so late?”
Am
“Oh, just getting ready
D
for Yom Kippur”,
G Em
is all he’d say.
C A D
“But now, I’m going up to pray.”
Chorus:
G C
And he takes his place surrounded,
D G
by the holy Torah ring.
G C
And in a voice so beautiful,
A D
he begins to sing.
Am D
Oh, every heart was broken,
G Em
Oh, and every soul burned bright.
C
From his Kol Nidre,
D G
that Yom Kippur night.
G C
And when he finished davening,
D C
the rabbi asked to tell
G C
What was it he was thinking of,
A D
that made him sing so well.
G C
“Well you knew my dad was deaf”, he said,
D Em
“Last night he passed away.
C D
It’s the first time that my father’s,
G
heard me pray”.
Chorus “And he takes his place...”