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 HILLEL'S SONG
Mah Tovu
Ruach 5761
Music: Steve Brodsky & Sam Glaser
Text: Steve Brodsky, Josh Zweiback & Jeff Greenstein,
based on Pirkei Avot 2:6
[Steve Brodsky writes:] When I was a kid, I used to run around and get into all kinds of trouble. My mom would say to me, “Stop acting like an animal and act like a human being.” I learned as an adult that our great and wise teacher [Rabbi] Hillel had said essentially the same thing thousands of years earlier: “In a place where no one else is acting like a human being, YOU must act like a human being.” That phrase buzzed around my head for several months while this song took shape. The final result is a little Indigo Girls, a bit of James Taylor, a hint of David Wilcox and a touch of Sam Glaser. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone followed Hillel’s simple advice!
 
VERSE 1
A long time ago there lived a great teacher,
Hillel was his name.
People would ask him all kinds of questions,
His wise answers brought him fame.
Someone once asked, "In a place that is evil,
How are we supposed to behave?"
Hillel thought for a moment, he pondered the question,
And this is the answer he gave:
CHORUS
"B'makom she-ein anashim,"
Hillel omeir, "hishtadeil lih'yot ish."
VERSE 2
Every person has two inclinations
For evil and for good.
Hillel knew that it's not always easy
To act the way we should.
So we look to our parents, our teachers, our children,
And we search for the answer inside.
And in the struggle between what's right and what's wrong
We let this lesson be our guide.
CHORUS
BRIDGE
Where people are acting inhuman,
Hillel said we must strive to be human.
Make peace with your sister and brother,
What is hateful to you do not do to another.
VERSE 3
So many questions, not enough answers
As we travel along the road.
But if we remember the words of wise Hillel,
We will al ways know which way to go.
When we find ourselves in a place that is evil,
And we don't know how to behave,
If we stop for a moment and ponder the question,
We'll remember the answer he gave.
CHORUS © 1996 S. Brodsky, J. Zweiback, S. Glaser & J. Greenstein. All rights reserved.
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