There is a particular piece of music that has become synonymous with the Holocaust. I would even suggest that if there was one tune that could capture and encapsulate the entirety of our extensive Exile – from beginning to end – this would be the one.
Chazal teach us that the power of prayer is not a matter of kavanah as much as it is our emunah in the efficacy of our prayer and in its intrinsic strength.
At the end of every Shabbos, as we begin Havdalah and prepare ourselves for yet another week of unknown, we do so by symbolically overflowing our cups with the sweet blessing we hope and pray will fill our lives. With the words that we say each Motzei Shabbos, we confirm our belief in this Divine blessing, while at the same time acknowledging our firm trust in its Source.
Year after year, a barren Chanah would cry from her sorrow, and would even be ridiculed for her inability to bear children. Finally, after 19 years of pain, she felt she could no longer accept her childless fate. Chanah lifted herself up and tapped into the most potent vehicle for change that exists in the world – Tefillah. At that moment, she davened the most heartfelt prayer she had ever prayed – clear and to the point, from the depths of her broken heart.
The piyut’s profound depth is aptly matched by the song’s melody and brought to another level still, by the artist tasked with singing it. I would argue, therefore, that you could not have found a better singer to convey such powerful and lofty concepts than the incredible Shmueli Ungar.
When we speak of Reb Shayele, we quickly recognize his excellence in the middah of having a Lev Tov. He loved each and every person no matter their financial, social or spiritual status. He didn’t focus on the sins, mistakes, or bad habits of others. He saw each person as they truly were – a beautiful, pure neshoma with unlimited potential.
Jewish a cappella. When people ask me for my opinion on the history of this genre (and if I’m being honest, even when they don’t ask me for my opinion), I tell them where I think modern Jewish a cappella got its start.
Three brothers. Two words: Kol Achai
“Sefira Music” is not meant to be a cheap substitute for music, rather should be music that helps invoke a spirit of change, repentance and improvement in the way we think and behave toward our fellow man. If the song makes you want to sit and sway with your arm over your friend’s shoulder, then it has accomplished its goal.