What do I know?

Matt Bar
April 23, 2012
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Editor of Sh’ma, Susan Berrin, introduces this month’s theme with “What happens when we treat our positions — our versions of reality — as ‘truth.'” What I believe I know and don’t know and how does that inform my Jewish identity? Yeah, it gets deep. I thought I’d make a list of what I think I know juxtaposed to my ultimate truth which is: I don’t know G~d. You might be surprised that many Jews, from Ramban to Heschel, find great spiritual nourishment in how they negotiate not knowing G~d. I wrote a song about my relationship with not knowing G~d while pontificating on other subjects including, Jesus, Mohamed, Judaism, Mother Earth, Science, Television, Movies, Money, Poverty, America, Sex and Torah. You know how we get down! Click the image and enjoy. Lyrics are below as well.
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What Do I Know?
What do I know?

CHORUS: Oh, I know I don’t know Gd

though I try all the time

I can’t find a single rhyme

and I don’t think that’s so odd.


What do I know about Jesus?

I know that he’s swell

and wouldn’t send me to hell

for not thinking of him when someone sneezes.

CHORUS


What do I know about Muhammed?

That he wished peace

to men of different beliefs

could’ve read it in the Koran if you wanna’ed


What do I know about Judaism?

I know I hear within

the Oral Tradition

that’s pretty awesome now isn’t it?


CHORUS


What do I know about Mother Earth?

When global warming hit

it won’t hurt her a bit

as we burn up in our temple and our church.


What do I know about Science?

You can still fault em’

as they ride upon Golem

like they’re “standin on the shoulders of giants.”


CHORUS


What do I know about television?

Well, it roars and it booms

and it bounces round the rooms

but it don’t say much when you listen in.


What do I know about movies?

Though I leap and I shriek

from Harry Potters in 3D

in the end they don’t really move me.


What do I know about money?

One dollar is worth ten

if you earn it as a friend

and worth even more if you can spend it on your honey.


What do I know about poverty?

I know I’m not in it

and someone else is

and lord knows that that should bother me.


CHORUS


What do I know about America?

Our constitution blessed

to bring out our best

and Barack Hussein Obama ain’t a terrorist.


What do I know about doin’ it?

Its plastered on the walls

in the halls of the malls

but even that don’t seem to ruin it.


What do I know about Torah?

It connects my mind to my soul

and that’s all I need to know

and that’s not the only thing it can do for ya.


CHORUS

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Matt Bar is founder and Executive Director of Bible Raps, a non-profit born from Matt's desire to engage his Hebrew School classes on a deeper and more contemporary level than the way they were being taught at the time. Bible Raps launched out of Bar's participation in the PresenTense Institute during the summer of 2007. He continued to further his Jewish education during his 2008 year of study at The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Since its inception, Bible Raps has reached tens of thousands of young Jews with Torah-rich performances in schools, Hillels, conferences and camps across the US and abroad. Their teaching materials are being used in countless classrooms and teachers are currently being trained to be certified "Bible Raps educators". ‬ ‪In 2011, Bar was also named to The ‬NY‪ Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" list, a prestigious list ‬"highlighting the dedicated lay leaders who are reordering our legacy organizations alongside community activists and social justice crusaders whose startups are chock-full of innovation,". He is also 2009-2010 member of slingshot. Before his current role as Executive Director of Bible Raps, Bar was also featured on MTV and NBC, has opened for Grammy winning group Outkast and performed at numerous clubs and venues as a folk rapper. Matt currently resides in Philadelphia and is working on Bible Raps Album #3 and hoping to put out Hip Hop Lullabies, within the calendar year.

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