Durante el fin de semana, disfruté de la última función de “El violinista en el tejado”, una pieza original de Broadway asumida en el país por el reputado productor artístico Guillermo Cordero.

Quedé gratamente impresionado con la majestuosidad de su puesta en escena. Cada detalle lucía muy bien cuidado  (la escenografía, los efectos de luces, el sonido, el vestuario, las coreografías, las interpretaciones vocales, la dirección histriónica, etc). Como dirían los mexicanos, sus más de tres horas pasaron “de volada”. O como decimos en Dominicana: “Se fueron en un dos por tres”.

La repartición de roles fue acertada. Un elenco de primera tomó las riendas de una historia que si bien dista mucho de nuestra realidad, no deja de tocar las fibras más sensibles de todo ser humano.

Pero, sin lugar a dudas, los principales lauros se los lleva Kenny Grullón. El mismo que vemos día tras día desafiándose a sí mismo para pintar una sonrisa en nuestros rostros.

Su espectacular desempeño como Tevye constituye su definitiva consagración en las tablas. El mérito de Kenny va más allá del simple hecho de interpretar el personaje principal. No de gratis la audiencia le tributó una prolongada ovación de pie que le hizo romper en llanto.

Demostró como nunca antes (y que conste que nunca hemos dudado de ello) que es un artista multifacético, completo. Que puede actuar, cantar y bailar a la misma vez con una gracia sin par, digna de envidia.

He de confesar que me emocionó sobremanera haber sido testigo de semejante éxito. Y una vez concluida la representación, no vacilé ni un segundo en hacérselo saber personalmente.

Me sentí sumamente orgulloso de que se trate de un talento nacional y, especialmente, de alguien a quien conozco y respeto sobremanera.

Para quienes no conocen a fondo la historia, aquí les va un extracto de la sinopsis publicado por Wikipedia: “La acción se desarrolla en la aldea ucraniana de Anatevka, en el año 1905. Es una comunidad en la que convive una población judía y ortodoxa de manera más o menos cordial. Tevye (Tobías), el lechero, intenta mantener su vida tradicional, y la de sus hijas, en un momento en que los tiempos están cambiando. Tevye solo ha tenido hijas, cinco, y la mayor preocupación que tienen tanto él como su mujer, Golde, es casarlas a todas de la manera más provechosa posible. Las tres mayores, Tzeitel, Hodel y Chava son las que más cerca tienen el matrimonio. Tevye conoce un día a Perchick, un estudiante de Kiev, al que la gente de la aldea considera un radical. Tevye le invita a su casa a cenar, para el Shabat, y después de la cena le ofrece trabajar como tutor para sus hijas más pequeñas a cambio de manutención. Durante el tiempo de su estancia en la casa de Tevye, Perchick se enamora de Hodel, e incluso ve como ella sigue ciegamente el modelo de vida familiar judío que tanto le molesta a él e intenta cambiarlo.

Tzeitel que es la hija mayor se casa con Motel que es un sastre, que aunque es un poco cobarde es un “buen tipo”. Honrado pero pobre, así que Tevye decide celebrar la boda de su hija con el sastre. Chava que es la hija que sigue en el orden de casamiento conoce Fyedka, quien resulta ser un amante de la literatura y quien se enamora de Chava. Esta última unión no será permitida por Tevye ya que Fyedka no era judío y ya en los dos anteriores compromisos había desafiado su tradición.

Al final se ven los problemas de la diáspora judía en la Rusia  zarista, hecho por el cual son obligados a abandonar sus tierras”.

P.D.: Felicitaciones extensivas a mis primos Haffet Saba De Marchena y Erick De Moya, quienes trabajaron en las áreas de producción y sonido, respectivamente.

Waiting below. Making our voices bigger, better, louder. A prayer, giving it up to God. Encouragement, to and from friends, hugs, circles, back massages, smiles, kind words. Thank you, ten!

Cast vanishes upstairs, backstage. Traveling to first place, getting ready. Fixing costume, checking makeup and microphone. Talking to co-stars alongside. Waiting for people to enter. Two minutes, guys.

Doors close. Silence. Speech from inside. Places! Stomach flies, jitters, shivers. Okay now. Turned to excitement. Speech ends. Silence.

Music begins. Getting in character. Voices. Enter!

…

Exit. Last scene finished. Run run run backstage. Make sure co-stars are correct place. End music. Fulfillment. Put on a big smile. Squeeze her hand. We’ve done it!

Run out. Hear the applause. Take a bow. Cheer for the rest. We’ve done it!

Lights, once powerful and blinding, fade. Run out. Congratulations, groups, more hugs, more cheers, more circles! We’ve done it!!

Realization. Mellowing out. Go backstage, take off costume, makeup. Joke around. More congratulations. We’ve done it. Never again to do it.

We’ve made a great show. We’ve learned, we’ve loved, we’ve lived. Created a world, welcomed people for three hours. For three hours only. Walk across stage. Town taken down.

We’ve done it. Exit stage left.

We’ve left Anatevka.

Pastors and members alike have forgotten that church is not about the traditions of men, but about a holy and righteous God. Never once in my entire ministry did I ever hear, “Pastor, we would be willing to grow together with you as we study the Word of God to see how we are to act amongst ourselves, how we are to act around the world, how we are conduct ourselves in a place of worship, and if it does not line up with our traditions – well, then we are willing to give the praise and glory and honour to the Lord Jesus Christ for helping us to see what was actually important in the light of eternity!”

The above is from my thoughts on the problem of tradition. For the sake of space here, I have placed Pt. 1, Pt. 2, and Conclusion on my own blog which I welcome you to read at The Desert Pastor!

Weary of the traditions of men,
The Desert Pastor

We get wrapped up in what we think is supposed to happen around us or in our precious buildings instead of dealing with the issues of our hearts. Yes, many churches have kept their balance for years because of tradition just like the village of Anatevka, Russia, but sadly, they are more like the fiddler on the roof with his precarious position. I cannot help but wonder if God were to reveal the scales of balance to each of us whether we would be found tried and wanting.

Tradition takes a church, its pastor, and its members and destroys their first love. Should people desire to go to church, to sing good theologically correct hymns, to be careful how they act towards each other and in places of worship, to wear appropriate clothing that does not attract attention to one’s person — yes, yes, YES!!!

Is there anything wrong with the leadership choosing to use a certain hymnbook or Bible version or Sunday School material? Is there anything wrong with using just an organ, or a guitar, or a trumpet, or a violin? Is there anything wrong with wearing ladies wearing a hat or men wearing a suit? Is there anything wrong with a particular order or style of service? — no, no, NO!!!

The problem is when these items MUST be in place or it can’t be considered true worship. Or, they MUST be in place or your church can’t fellowship with our church! Or, they MUST be in place or your church is just not a spiritual center for truth! Or, they MUST be in place or your life will never amount to much in the service of God!

Pastors, we need to have our eyes focused solely on the Author and Finisher of our Faith – NOT the Author and Finisher of our Tradition! We need to preach Jesus Christ crucified and Him alone, not wishy-washy messages that extol how great our church traditions are! We need to step away from many of our traditions and ask ourselves if they please and glorify God or do they only exalt the well-intentioned meanings of fallen men and women? Are we willing to take a stand against the sleeping giants found in many of our churches?

Believers, we need to hold our leaders accountable for what is being preached. We all need to be Berean Christians to see whether those things being taught are from God’s Word or from a dusty, worn-out copy of “Our Standards and Practices.” We need to know that we have the Lord’s help and guidance in providing solace to those who come into our midst seeking the truth that the world cannot provide, not the tradition that restricts the truth of Scripture from being expounded for fear of how it may offend somebody!

Weary of the traditions of men!
The Desert Pastor

1. Ministering in one series of meetings near central UK, some very theologically hymns were sung. However, in more than one instance, I noted some of the older believers who instead of standing to sing would take note of the hymnwriter and if too modern would close their books and sit back down.

2. In many English churches, style of dress and the wearing of certain types of garments are more important than what is in the heart. I remember being told that I would not be welcome to even preach at certain churches if my wife did not wear a brimmed hat!

3. Traditions included what type and precise number of hymns was allowed, what version of the Bible, what time the children’s Sunday school would be, only organs could be used and in many places the music sounded like funeral dirges, no gospel appeal of any kind could be made (directly or indirectly even in the sermon), where a person was allowed to sit, ladies’ meetings attended mostly by the elderly in a manner that has continued just as it did when they started 75 years ago or more, reverence in the church hall for 5-10 minutes before service time, etc, etc.

In the USA, some of these same traditions exist but in various guises. Again, there is nothing necessarily wrong with some of these areas. But when tradition becomes so important as to exclude God from our plans or endeavors, or we seek to stifle and limit the working of the Holy Spirit within our midst for the sake of keeping a tradition because it was done that way for the last 25, 50, 80, 130 years or more, then tradition has become a sin.

It never ceases to amaze me when I watch old church members cluck their tongues with disregard towards a new believer ONLY because those new Christians or visitors do not know the established pattern of how things must be done! Yet those same self-righteous members are bitter at heart, struggle in their marriages, do not evidence the fruit of the Spirit, and then have the audacity to demand that all believers must “conform to the way things have always been or you will just not be considered as spiritual as I am!”

Sadly, the traditions are not just propagated by the members, but even by the pastors. Instead of teaching the entire counsel of God and encouraging all believers (young and old alike) to respect the Word of God, they encourage or condone or at the very least implicitly give their tacit approval for the stifling of church.

Pastors and members alike have forgotten that church is not about the traditions of men, but about a holy and righteous God. Never once in my entire ministry did I ever hear, “Pastor, we would be willing to grow together with you as we study the Word of God to see how we are to act amongst ourselves, how we are to act around the world, how we are conduct ourselves in a place of worship, and if it does not line up with our traditions – well, then we are willing to give the praise and glory and honour to the Lord Jesus Christ for helping us to see what was actually important in the light of eternity!”

(to be continued)

I concluded my last post by speaking about the movie The Fiddler on the Roof where the characters sing a song about Tradition. At one point right before the song starts, Tevye looks at the screen audience and states the Jews have been there for a very long time, always keep their heads covered and wear a prayer shawl to show their constant devotion to God.

He says, “You may ask, how did this tradition get started? Well, I will tell you!” After a brief pause, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know, but it’s a tradition. And because of our traditions, everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do!”

Earlier in his little introduction to the movie, Tevye notes, “Because of our tradition, we have kept our balance for many, many years! Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as…as…as a Fiddler on the Roof!”

******************

Vast numbers of churches have fallen prey to tradition. This aspect of church seems to hold more importance than what really matters to God and what is found in His Word. My concern is not to find unnecessary fault with some of the examples or traditions found in our churches, but to show the need for concern over what level those traditions not only keep us from biblical fellowship with our Heavenly Father and with other believers, but also from often being an effective witness to the world around us.

Without actually saying it, many believers live like Tevye and believe with all their heart that without the traditions of their churches in place, their lives and their church would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof! They believe it is through their tradition that they have kept their balance for many, many years!

In 1 Timothy 4, Paul reminds the young pastor, “In latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron and If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.”

Traditions which weigh churches down can include the following which I have observed in England as well as in the US. Traditions often can be confused with a desire to follow Biblical principles and more times than not, these traditions can become an issue of the heart which robs the believer of their joy in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(to be continued)

Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything. How to sleep. How to eat. How to work. How to wear clothes. -Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof

I recently saw Fiddler on the Roof at one of our local high schools.  The production amazed me; it was much better than the 1988 version I performed in high school. I took my son and as we spoke about the themes of the show on the way home, a few things struck me.

First, The show starts with the song Tradition. This song establishes everyone’s roles and the part they have to play in the community. It clearly defines the rules and perspective: “Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years,” and “And because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”

Immediately after Tradition, we meet Tevye’s five daughters and his wife, Golde, waiting for the matchmaker who is about to fulfill her traditional role in assisting the girls’ parents in arranging the eldest daughter’s, Tzeitel’s, marriage. Of course Tzeitel bristles at the thought of the arranged marriage; this being complemented with the arrival of Motel, the poor tailor, Tzeitel’s true love interest. Love, however, has no bearing on the choice of spouse, but this is about to change. The three eldest daughters will each choose for themselves a husband, each moving further and further away from established traditions until the thrid daughter elopes and marries outside of her “kind” and completely outside of her traditions.

The play sets two dichotomies against each other: Tradition and Change. These parallel education today. The play has multiple connecting points of application throughout, but the central themes of tradition and change are the most salient.

Our very traditional educational system has poignant illustrations in two of Tevye’s lines in Tradition  (one modified slightly) : “Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years,” and “And because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what [he is expected] to do.” Now, however, we find that we are off balance and many of us are seeking to discern our new roles in light of traditional, not necessarily wrong, expectations. We are still expected to educate our kids and prepare them for their uncertain futures; that hasn’t changed. The traditional ways of doing so must. Unfortunately, our concept of “school” is defined within the traditional boundaries of school where education is dispensed by a highly qualified expert during specific times of the day and year to arbitrarily sorted groups of disengaged learners craving relevance.

We’ve been arranging these educational marriages for so long that it has become our traditional definition of education.  To conceptualize education any other way seems “unheard of” and “impossible” as Tevye sang on more than one occasion as two of his daughters presented him with husbands of their choosing. Like Tevye, attempts to change the tradition are often met with stalwart opposition in the name of upholding tradition. The Tradition refrain winds its way through the course of the play like many themes in education. As Tzeitel begs to be released from the artificial betrothment bargain Tevye has made Lazar Wolf, we beg to be released from the artificial structure of seat time equating to learning. Anyone who may choose to respond here can probably list myriad traditions that stand in the way, but ultimately under the current educational tradition we arrange for our students educational spouses they neither love nor care about.

We simply must examine our traditional practices and determine how much has changed since their inception. Whatever doesn’t fit or has become outdated, we must cast off in order to adopt new ways. Those, too, may become traditional, and we must constantly examine and adjust our practices for relevant alignment so our purpose doesn’t become as “shaky as a fiddler on the roof.”

What educational traditions are we holding on to that are getting in the way of change?

Zanger Ivan Rebroff is op 76-jarige leeftijd overleden, zo heeft het concertbureau Richard Weber donderdag bekendgemaakt. De zanger met de zware basbaritonstem, Hans-Rolf Rippert bij de burgerlijke stand, bezweek woensdag na een hartstilstand.