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“MOLEDET” BY HANAN BEN ARI – LESSON PLAN

Introduction

Hanan Ben Ari, a popular singer and songwriter in Israel, wrote the song Moledet immediately after the terrorist attack on Southern Israel that left countless wounded, 200 abducted, and more than 1300 murdered on October 7th, 2023. Prior to this attack, Israeli society was more divided than it had been since its establishment. 

In his dedication to the song, Ben Ari writes: “This song is dedicated to my country. Not the one that was here a week ago, the one we will rebuild when all this is over…We fight and are ready to sacrifice our lives for the opportunity to be a model society. Because we discovered who we can be. Who we really are. This song is dedicated to my people. The most beautiful people in the world…. Am Yisrael Chai.”

In the lesson plan below, you will find the original song lyrics, a translation into English, discussion question prompts that relate to the lyrics only, and discussion question prompts relating to both the lyrics and the music video.

Original Lyrics in Hebrew

:הקדשה של המחבר 

השיר הזה מוקדש למדינה שלי. לא זאת שהיתה פה עד לפני שבוע, זאת שנקים מחדש כשכל זה יגמר. כשנקום מהתופת, כשנשוב מהקרב. לא בגלל שאין לאן לנו ללכת, ולא מאש הנקמה. אנחנו נלחמים ומוכנים להקריב את חיינו עבור הסיכוי שיש לנו להיות חברת מופת. בגלל שגילינו מי אנחנו יכולים להיות. מי אנחנו באמת. השיר הזה מוקדש לעם שלי. העם הכי יפה בעולם. אל תסתכלו בחדשות, אל תציצו בטוויטר. צאו לרחובות ותראו. עם ישראל חי ❤️🇮🇱 

מילים ולחן: חנן בן ארי

 עיבוד והפקה מוזיקלית: תומר בירן

מולדת

מקווה שאת עוד שומרת
רגעים שמחים למזכרת
פעם אנשים עוד כתבו לך
כאן שירים על מחברת
? זוכרת


היפיפיה הנרדמת
עד מתי תהיי מדממת
ברחובות כולם
אין חלון ואין סולם
אין גם דלת
או שלט


אז שר לך
שיר ישן
שיר ישן
שיר ישן
נשאר לך נאמן
נאמן
לעולם
לעולם


הנביאים חזו לך אחרת
מישהו נרדם במשמרת
איפה החלום
אין אמת ואין שלום
אין גם צדק
רק סדק


אז שר לך שיר ישן
שיר ישן
שיר ישן
נשאר לך נאמן
נאמן לעולם
לעולם לעולם


לא נשבר בשלום
ובצר במתוק ובמר
רק איתך אני שר
רק איתך אני שר


את היחידה המיוחדת
לעולם תהיי לי מולדת
גם על סף תהום
גם בתוך הגיהנום
את גן עדן
גן עדן 

Homeland by Hanan Ben Ari
Translation of the lyrics by Leah Herzog

I hope that you are still keeping track of
Good moments to remember
Once upon a time, people wrote songs to you
In notebooks.
Do you remember?


Oh sleeping beauty,
How long will you bleed?
Everyone is in the streets (but) there is no ladder, no window
No door and no sign…


Chorus: So (I’ll) sing an old song, an old song, an old song
I am staying faithful, faithful, faithful
Forever.
Forever.


The prophets envisioned something different for you.
Someone fell asleep while on guard duty.
Where is the dream?
There is no truth and no peace
And no justice.
Only breaking apart…


Chorus: So (I’ll) sing an old song, an old song, an old song
We will stay faithful, faithful, faithful
Forever.
Forever.


We will never break
Neither in peace nor in trial
Neither in sweet (times) nor bitter
I will only sing with you.
I will only sing with you.


You are the only one, the special one
You will always be my homeland
Even on the edge of the abyss
Even in hell
You are paradise.
Paradise.

Discussion Questions, based on song lyrics only:

  1. In Hebrew, Israel is referred to in the feminine gender. How does this make the song more powerful?
  2. Who are the people who “used to write you songs in notebooks?” Why is referencing those people important to the current moment? (Note: The singer is referring to the old Zionist poets–Bialik, Rachel, et. al. who dreamed of having a country of their own prior to 1948.)
  3. Israel is referred to as “Sleeping Beauty,” but we don’t know where to find her. What does that image convey? A call to arms or despair?
  4. What is the “old song?” Is it prayer? Poetry? Hativkvah? Tehillim? Any or all of these? Something else? (Note: The answer to this question can be anything. The point, perhaps, is that in this crisis there is no “new” song–no time to write one, no time to learn one–we need to fall back on the “old” songs, on what we already know and what is integral to our national identity. Another possibility is that Jews have been persecuted for centuries, and at our core, we “know” the tune and the lyrics of songs filled with yearning for a country of our own, where we can be safe and free).
  5. Why do we rely on “old songs” in times of trouble? What do “old songs” do for us as a people?
  6. What is the value of national memories?
  7. Which prophets is Hanan Ben Ari referring to? And what was their vision? (Note: He is referring to the Biblical prophets. The prophecies of comfort and rebirth are part of the national psyche. Some examples: Yeshayahu 11,52,55, 56, Micha 4, Yirmiyahu 40).
  8. In his statement “someone fell asleep on guard duty,” Ben Ari is making a very pointed and painful statement. How does stating that pain strengthen the overall message of staying loyal to the beloved? (Note: In Tehillim 121 God is referred to as the Guard of Israel who neither sleeps nor slumbers. This phrase in his song may be an allusion to that concept of God. The pain in this phrase may be directed at God—this may be an opportunity to discuss with our students the appropriateness of directing feelings of loss, anger, fear, and even abandonment by God.)
  9. There is “no peace, no truth, no justice”: The Mishna in Pirkei Avot (1:18) states that the world is sustained through three things: justice (din), truth, and peace. These three values are often at odds with each other. Students can imagine situations where one, or even two of these values are missing. This statement is so drastic because Ben Ari is saying that in the wake of the October 7th massacre, all 3 are absent. What does that mean for the world? Is Ben Ari blaming Israel for this or Hamas? Or God? Or just stating what is? Is this line said in anger or grief?
  10. In the last two verses, how does Ben Ari declare his love of Israel? What is so powerful about his declarations?
  11. How can Israel be “paradise” even when it is “hell?”
  12. The lyrics in this song are very simple—how does this support the overall message?
  13. What do you think is the ultimate message of this song? How do you come to that conclusion?
  14. For Tanakh inclusion: What are the words Ben Ari chooses that connect to Tanakh texts and themes? How do these word choices deepen the meaning? Note: Ben Ari is known as a singer-songwriter who incorporates Biblical language and themes into his songs. Some of the Biblical language in this song includes:
    1. The visions of the prophets—see question 7. 
    2. The mantra of “song”—many Israeli songs are inspired by/interweave lines from Tehillim and from Shir Hashirim.
    3. The words “abyss” (tehom), “hell” (gehenom), “paradise” (gan eden), and ladder (sulam) are all biblical words. In fact, the word “sulam” only appears once in Tanach, in the story of Yaakov’s Dream.
    4. The famous phrase from Tehillim “ לא ינום ולא ישן שומר ישראל—The guardian of Israel, God, does not sleep or slumber” (תהלים קכא, ד)
  15. For Hebrew literature inclusion: What other songs, songwriters, poets, and literary works is Ben Ari referring to in the song? How do these references deepen the meaning? Note: Often literary works “talk to”/echo other works. In this case, we can see references to modern Israeli songs and mainstream literary works/themes:
    1. Bitter/sweet—Naomi Shemer, Moledet—possibly Ehud Manor (Ein Li Eretz Acheret) or even Hatikva 
    2. The story of Sleeping Beauty—the idea of climbing through the brambles and kissing her; the idea of the whole country being “asleep”—either having let their guard down, being put under the spell of the witch; the people wanting to find the princess…. 
    3. The concept of remaining faithful no matter what, that love does, in fact, conquer all 
    4. There is an undertone that there will be a “happy ending”

Discussion Questions, based on the link between the lyrics and video visuals:

  1. Choose three frames from the video that really resonated with you and explain why.
  2. Why do you think the video ends with a wedding clip?
  3. How do the images convey both Ben Ari’s love for Israel and his almost inexpressible grief?
  4. How does the video support/augment the lyrics of the song?
  5. The Biden quote is actually a quote from Golda Meir. How does this image of the American president quoting Golda Meir on the eve of the Yom Kippur War communicate even more meaning?
  6. Can there be joy and pride in the midst of horror, trauma, and grief? How do you see that in the video? Why does the video include both?
  7. How does using a map of Israel as a “frame” strengthen both the video and the song itself?