Daliah Lavi דליה לביא‎ - "Ma Avarech" ("מה אברך")

"Ma avarech" (What shall I bless him?), sung by Daliah Lavi in 1975. This is a song about young people, who die in wars. It has been released on Daliah Lavi's international distributed hebrew album "I'm Israeli, I'm a Sabra".

In October 2008 Daliah Lavi announced, that she decided to terminate her singing and acting carreer. In spring 2009 she returned on stage for the last time on her successful farewell tour throughout Germany.
Here on youtube you can also watch some live clips that I shot in March 2009 during her concerts in Berlin, Leipzig and Hamburg.

Phonetic Hebrew lyrics:

Ma avarech?

Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze hayeled sha'al hamal'ach
Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze hayeled sha'al hamal'ach

Uverach lo chiyuch shekamohu ka'or
Uverach lo enayim gdolot vero'ot
Litfos ban kol perach vechai vetzipor
Velev lehargish bo et kol hamar'ot

Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'nar sha'al hamal'ach
Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'nar sha'al hamal'ach

Uverach lo raglayim lirkod ad ein sof
Venefesh lizkor ba et kol halchanim
Veyad ha'osefet tzdafim aley chof
Ve'ozen kshuvali gdolim uktanim

Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'elem sha'al hamal'ach
Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'elem sha'al hamal'ach

Uverach ki yadav halmudot bifrachim
Yitzlechu gam lilmod et otzmat haplada
Veraglav harokdot et masa hadrachim
Usfatav hasharot et miktzav hapkuda

Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'gerev sha'al hamal'ach
Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze ha'gerev sha'al hamal'ach

Natati lo kol she'efshar li latet
Shir vechiyuch veraglayim lirkod
Veyad me'udenet velev meratet
Uma avarech lecha od

Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze hayeled ha'e lemarach
Ma avarech lo bame yevorach
Ze hayeled ha'e lemarach

Hana'ar haze achshav hu mal'ach
Lo od yevarchuhu lo od yevurach
Elohim Elohim Elohim
Lu ach berachta lo chayim

English translation:

What shall I bless him?

What blessings can I give this child, what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel
What blessings can I give this child, what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel

And he blessed him with a smile, bright as light
And he blessed him with big observing eyes
With them to catch every flower, every living creature or bird
And with a heart to feel what he sees.

What blessings can I give this adolesence , what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel
What blessings can I give this adolesence, what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel

And he blessed him with legs to dance for ever
And a soul to remeber all tunes
And a hand to collect shells on the beach
And a ear attentive to old and young

What blessings can I give this man , what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel
What blessings can I give this man, what can he be blessed with?
Asked the angel

And he blessed that his hands which are used to flowers
Will succed in learning the might of the steel
And his legs to dance the roads journey
And lips to sing the command pace

What blessings can I give him , what can he be blessed with?
This child this young adult
What blessings can I give him, what can he be blessed with?
This child this young adult

I gave him all I could give
A song a smile and legs to dance
And a delicate hand and a trembling heart
What else can I bless you with?

This boy is now an angel
No one will bless him, he will never be blessed
God God God
If only you blessed him with life

Hebrew letters:

מה אברך לו, במה יבורך?
זה הילד? שאל המלאך.
וברך לו חיוך שכמוהו כאור
וברך לו עיניים גדולות ורואות
לתפוס בן כל פרח וחי וציפור
ולב להרגיש בו את כל המראות.
מה אברך לו, במה יבורך?
זה הנער? שאל המלאך.
וברך לו רגליים לרקוד עד אין סוף
ונפש לזכור בה את כל הלחנים
ויד האוספת צדפים עלי חוף
ואוזן קשובה לגדולים וקטנים.
מה אברך לו, במה יבורך?
זה העלם? שאל המלאך.
וברך כי ידיו הלמודות בפרחים
יצלחו גם ללמוד את עוצמת הפלדה
ורגליו הרוקדות את מסע הדרכים
ושפתיו השרות את מקצב הפקודה.
מה אברך לו, במה יבורך?
זה הגבר? שאל המלאך.
נתתי לו כל שאפשר לי לתת
שיר, וחיוך, ורגליים לרקוד
ויד מעודנת, ולב מרטט
ומה אברך לך עוד?
מה אברך לו, במה יבורך
זה הנער, העלם הרך?
הנער הזה - עכשיו הוא מלאך.
לא עוד יברכוהו, לא עוד יבורך.
אלוהים, אלוהים, אלוהים
לו אך ברכת לו - חיים.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dalaih
• Lavi
• לביא‎
• דליה
• Ma
• Avarech
• מה
• אברך
• Anti
• War
• Далиа
• Лави

[yonataneshel]

Is she really Israeli? because she has quite a heavy accent.. she sure doesn't sound like an Israeli, that's for sure..

[screenfocus]

Yes, she is a sabra. Daliah Lavi was born in Haifa. She had a german mother who immigratet from Hitler Germany. Her father came from Russia. So she was raised in the languages german, russian and hebrew. In the age of 12 she left Israel to study ballet in Stockholm for 4 years. After her military service in Israel she lived and worked as an actress in Paris, Rome and London. Since the early 70s she lives in the US. Her cv might explain that Daliah Lavi probably has an accent in any language.

[Talaiden]

The collective Israeli soul is wounded and crying for its beloved sons that have rither died in order to protect the homeland or those who were murdered by the bloody cursed dids of evil terrorists.

[gal4600]

wow she was crying...

so sad

[funnybunnylol416]

great job!



[thewind01]

@Redwitch15 yes, the album was out on CD, but guess it's rather rare to find these days...

[papadevatoymiguel]

Daliah Lavi sound like the angels must sound. her voice is a dream! and a most beautifull woman. or course she is a sabra. remember, the whole worlds culture is in israel, so it is not strange that she has a strong accent ( that I personaly adore).

[DivyaPreity4ever]

@plusquamperfekt1957 yes she was

[plusquamperfekt1957]

I think she is born in Shawej Zion?

[mites7]

I understand her fine. She has a very interesting accent, but it's not so bad that it's hard to understand. If anything, it sounds kinda cool.

[narzissprometheus]

seit dem ich ein mann wurde, liebe ich diese frau

[Redwitch15]

The hebrew songs have never published on CD...seperate only on LP.

The songs haven´t lost to her actuality till this day. A great pity ones that there are no other songs in Hebrew from her.

[luxcretia2]

i miss the song "jerusalem" in english.

[luxcretia2]

most of you don`t get the peace messace.she sings about peace, not violence.she certainly wants the israelis to live in peace with the palestinians.she would despise the fanatic comments inciting against arabs and palestinians.the knesset as well is sending children into war.or aren`t we children at this age anymore? a man of courage never uses weapons.