Saturday, October 06, 2007

Something new under the sun

Everyone knows that most of the lyrics of the song "Turn Turn Turn" come from the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), with the refrain (and title) "turn turn turn" as a notable exception, right?

Wrong.

SDB, an expert on this song and its textual roots, pointed out (during the annual gathering on the Shabbat of Sukkot) that the title comes from Kohelet 1:6:

הוֹלֵךְ אֶל-דָּרוֹם וְסוֹבֵב אֶל-צָפוֹן; סוֹבֵב סֹבֵב הוֹלֵךְ הָרוּחַ, וְעַל-סְבִיבֹתָיו שָׁב הָרוּחַ.

Goes to the south and turns to the north, turns, turns, goes the wind, and on its turnings returns the wind.


Next step: Find a source for "I swear it's not too late."

(Also, I would fully support a triennial cycle for the reading of Kohelet.)

2 comments:

  1. Or you can do the Sephardi way and not read it at all!

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  2. Also, that pasuq describes the AriZ"L sequence of waving the lulav (South, North, etc. etc.) pretty well. And yes, Sephardim actually TURN their bodies to face those directions, so in a sence, their re-enacting that pasuq. Turn, turn, turn.

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