words and music by: Emily Aronoff Teck, www.missemilycelebrates.com
This song can be used in conjunction of study with Parshat Balak, Numbers 22:2–25:9 or Mah Tovu, part of the morning liturgy.
Note from the songwriter:
I wrote this song in hopes that it would re-frame the way that our community uses "Oh My God!" so that community members can consider the meaning and power of the words.
This song tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. Help the students tell the story by asking the students to illustrate the lyrics of the song and then binding their illustrations to tell the story.
See example here: Children's Illustrated Story of OMG! (Mah Tovu)
Lyrics:
Chorus:
Oh My God- Your work is great
These tents, of Jacob’s
They are first rate
Oh My God, Awesome is your space
Please bless me when I’m in this place
A mean King named Balak sent Balaam, his not nice friend
To say mean things to Jewish people, he wanted us to end
With a Donkey as a helper, he didn’t do what the King said
When Balaam opened up his mouth, he made a blessing instead
CHORUS
With God’s help the Jewish people have stayed alive and strong
We love God and God’s work, we praise God in this song
We remember this story, when we gather to pray
We sing a prayer in Hebrew, this is what we say
Ma tovu ohalekha Ya'akov, mishk'notekha Yisrael