Ilan
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Hebrew: אילן (Tree). Circle dance by Elad Shtamer, 2010.
The lyrics are taken from the Talmud, order Mo'ed (Seasons), tractate Ta'anit (Fasts), 5b–6a. The context is a discussion between Rav Nachman, a judge in Nehardea, and his master Rabbi Yitzhak, a rabbi in Babylonia, third century CE. Rav Nachman asks Rabbi Yitzchak several questions on puzzling matters and learns the answers. As a random example, Rabbi Yitzchak mentions that any man who says the name of Rahab will immediately experience spontaneous ejaculation due to her great beauty. Rav Nachman, ever the consummate empiricist, demurs, saying that when he says "Rahab" he manages not to ejaculate, whereupon Rabbi Yitchak explains that this only applies to men that knew her and recognized her face.
When they are about to part, Rav Nachman asks Rabbi Yitzchak for a blessing. Rabbi Yitzchak says that this request reminds him of a parable: A man was walking through a desert and was hungry, tired, and thirsty. He found a tree whose fruits were sweet and whose shade was pleasant, and a stream of water flowed beneath it. He ate from the fruits of the tree, drank from the water in the stream, and sat in the shade of the tree. And when he wished to leave, he said: Tree, tree, how shall I bless you? I may say to you that your fruits should be sweet, but your fruits are already sweet; I may say that your shade should be pleasant, but your shade is already pleasant; I may say that a stream of water should flow beneath you, but a stream of water already flows beneath you. Rather, I will bless you as follows: May it be God’s will that all saplings which will come from you should be like you.
Rabbi Yitzchak continues: And so it is with you, Rav Nachman: How shall I bless you? I may bless you with Torah, but you already have Torah; I may bless you with wealth, but you already have wealth; I may bless you with children, but you already have children. Rather, may it be God’s will that your offspring shall be like you.
(The lyrics to the song are the part in boldface in this translation.)
The first few steps of the dance imitate a tree swaying in the wind, and in the final section we raise arms like the branches of a tree.