The "smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet" is coming to one of the biggest venues on Penn's campus. YOOD is comprised of three North American Jews currently making it big on the Israeli music scene; they will be performing Thursday night in the Quad. In addition to musical inspirations like Hendrix, Cream and Dylan, YOOD draws upon another source familiar to fans of reggae star and fellow member of the tribe Matisyahu: Judaism. As they put it on their Web site, YOOD is "on a burning journey to elevate Rock's heyday, via Kabbalah and Chassidic influences." Their debut album, Passin'over, fuses words of the Torah with sounds of the '70s.
Rabbi Levi Haskelevich (co-director of Lubavitch at Penn along with his wife Nechama) finds great symbolism in YOOD's slogan: "the smallest letter in the alphabet is the new name for great, big sound."
"The most powerful things can come from the smallest and hidden places," said Haskelevich, referring to the Kabbalistic concept of a "divine spark" found in the essence of one's soul. He says it's no coincidence the band will be performing just a few weeks before the Jewish New Year, when Jews will blow an instrument called the shofar (a ram's horn), which he explains epitomizes the concept that "the deepest sound is the simple cry of yearning and emerges from the depths of one's heart and soul."
YOOD will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight in front of McClelland Hall. There is no charge for the event and free falafel will be served. The event is being co-sponsored by the Lubavitch House at Penn, Ware College House and SPEC.
