I thought we could all use a much-needed (short) music break, and maybe get some inspiration from this week’s parsha. But if you thought picking a song for Parshas Lech Lecha was hard, try doing it for Parshas Vayeira! With so many monumental moments and their matching melodies to choose from, it was hard to decide which one to go with.
So, I did what I always do when this happens – I followed my heart.
In doing so, I found myself going with a very special tune (actually one of my personal favorites), called Kochvei Hashomayim, composed by R’ Feivish Orenstein. This beautiful song was the title track of Suki & Ding’s all-star production back in 2003, and was sung by the inimitable Abie Rotenberg and the incomparable Rivie Schwebel.
Following Akeidas Yitzchak (!Spoiler alert! Yitzchak is not sacrificed), Hashem reiterates to Avraham that his descendants – Klal Yisroel – will be as many as the stars in heaven and as numerous as the sand on the beach. This incredible assurance is actually a bracha within a bracha! Hashem tells us that not only will we be great in number – so great that we cannot be counted – but that by following in His ways, we will also become an invincible and undefeatable entity.
Just as the stars illuminate the night’s sky, we the Jewish People will shine bright in spite of the darkness that surrounds us. And just as the ocean’s mighty waves incessantly clash with the sand on its shore and yet the beach reliably and resiliently holds those waters at bay, we, the Am Hanivchar, will outlast our enemies and their constant attempts to destroy us.
In this blessing, we are being taught that when we do what we were put here to do, to love our fellow Jew and to serve Hashem without fear, then we become unlimited in both quantity and quality, in both purpose and potential. In these words, we are being told that when we follow the Torah and perform the mitzvos with love, just as Avraham Avinu did, then the sky’s the limit, and that truly, no enemy can touch us. Now that is something to sing about.
Lyrics (22:17):
כִּי בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ
וְהַרְבָּה, אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֲךָ
כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּמַיִם
וְכַחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם
0 Comments