Bless On It

It is 1986. I am in eighth grade at Yeshivah Gedolah of Detroit. There was a problem with our seventh grade year, some might even call it a complete waste of time, and parents have pressured Yeshiva Gedolah to take our class in, and save us from our elementary school.

In retrospect, it might not have been the best move, but at this point, who really cares.

The important thing is I am in eighth grade, and Shlock Rock's first tape has just come out. And of course, it has been banned by the powers that be who run our yeshiva. Too goyish, they say. It is clear they have either listened to the tape, or heard a report from someone who listened to the tape, because they find two songs so offensive, they can barely speak.

A song about the Abarbanel, which celebrates the Abarbanel, and a song called Bless On It, which encourages brachot.

The Abarbanel song, they feared, would lead students to have less respect for the Abarbanel, although when I think about it, I wonder how they could have any sefer with the Abarbanel in it, being as he actually had a job and went to work.

The Bless On It song, though, waas the real problem, because somewhere in the lyrics, it said Thank you Lord, You're a Real Cool Cat, and hey man bless this day, or something to that affect. Calling the Lord a Real Cool Cat was clearly a no-no in Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Detroit.

So last night, as I was sitting at Akiva Hebrew Day School, listening during sefirah to Shlock Rock as I celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut, I hoped that they would play Bless On It.

You know, just for the irony of it all.

But they didn't. Maybe next time.