Oyfn Pripetshik In the Woodstove Burns a Little Fire by Mark Warshawksy
In this song, rebe refers to a humble teacher of young children. For over 100 years, the song has conjured up a picture of little boys restless and warm by the woodstove as their teacher patiently drills them in the Hebrew alphabet.
Zet zhe kinderlekh, gedenkt zhe tayere
See now, children, remember, dear ones
Vos ir lernt do
What you learn here
Zogt zhe nokh amol un take nokh amol
Say it one more time and even one more time
Komets-alef “o”
Aleph with a komets vowel — “o”
When you are adults and dem goles shlepn, carrying the burden of exile, draw strength from the letters, look deeply into them.