“AMEN SONGS”: Beautiful Day (U2)

November 20, 2024

Cantor Eyal Bitton highlights a song that connects with this year’s Congregation Neveh Shalom theme, “Amen – Be a Blessing.”


U2’s “Beautiful Day” is a celebration of gratitude and resilience. The song’s lyrics remind us to find beauty and hope even when life feels imperfect: “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.” This perspective reflects the essence of a blessing—recognizing goodness in our lives and sharing that positivity with others. Like a prayerful “Amen,” the song calls us to affirm the blessings we encounter daily and live with intentional joy.

In Parashat Chayei Sara, we see this idea reflected in the actions of Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, who embarks on a mission to find a wife for Isaac. Through his prayers and acts of kindness, Eliezer ensures that the blessing of Abraham’s legacy continues. Just as “Beautiful Day” encourages us to embrace the opportunities before us, Eliezer’s journey exemplifies how faith and positivity can transform our efforts into blessings for others. The parasha reminds us that even amidst loss and uncertainty, as Abraham faces the death of Sarah, there is room for hope and renewal—a true “beautiful day” in the making.

BEAUTIFUL DAY

The heart is a bloomShoots up through the stony groundThere’s no roomNo space to rent in this town
You’re out of luckAnd the reason that you had to careThe traffic is stuckAnd you’re not moving anywhere
You thought you’d found a friendTo take you out of this placeSomeone you could lend a handIn return for grace
It’s a beautiful daySky falls, you feel likeIt’s a beautiful dayDon’t let it get away
You’re on the roadBut you’ve got no destinationYou’re in the mudIn the maze of her imagination
You’re lovin’ this townEven if that doesn’t ring trueYou’ve been all overAnd it’s been all over you
It’s a beautiful dayDon’t let it get awayIt’s a beautiful day, ooh
Touch meTake me to that other placeTeach meI know I’m not a hopeless case
See the world in green and blueSee China right in front of youSee the canyons broken by cloudSee the tuna fleets clearing the sea outSee the Bedouin fires at nightSee the oil fields at first light andSee the bird with a leaf in her mouthAfter the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful dayDon’t let it get awayBeautiful day
Touch meTake me to that other placeReach meI know I’m not a hopeless case
What you don’t have you don’t need it nowWhat you don’t know you can feel it somehowWhat you don’t have you don’t need it nowDon’t need it now
It was a beautiful day