For part two of our thankfulness trifecta (say that three times fast), I thought we would use one from the 2007 album Harei Yehudah – a collection of compositions by the late, great Yehudah Gilden, z’l. As you can see from the album cover below, it was a combined effort of some of the best in the business, with each singer adding a little of his own style and interpretation to his assigned song. Today’s chosen ballad is Gilden’s Mo Oshiv which was so eloquently sung in Hebrew, Yiddish and English by the always extraordinary, Avraham Fried.
Just so we get an idea of who the composer was, R’ Gilden (1952-2018) was an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, vocalist, choir director, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member and lead singer for Toronto’s Nafshenu Orchestra for many years, and led the Eitz Chaim School choirs until his Parkinson’s began taking a toll on him. [It is on his 1990 Eitz Chaim Boys Choir (E.C.B.C.) album that you can hear most of the songs that would eventually be chosen for Harei Yehudah’s track list.] He was a man of unflinching emunah and unconquerable spirit. When it became apparent that his condition would no longer allow him to work, the Jewish musical fraternity came together to record Harei Yehudah, and all of its proceeds went directly to Gilden’s family for his continued care.
מָה אָשִׁיב לַהַ’ כָּל תַּגְמוּלוֹהִי עָלָי
ווי זאל איך וואס קען איך אפצאלן גאט פאר זיינע גוטנס צו מיר
What can I give in return to Hashem, for all His kindness to me?
How can we ever repay Him for all the goodness that He bestows? I believe this is a question that is somewhat rhetorical, for it really has no answer. However, this does not mean that the question shouldn’t be asked; on the contrary, we should constantly look for and try to recognize all the goodness we receive and ask ourselves “what can I give to Hashem in return?” Dovid HaMelech (Tehillim 116:12) prompts us to ponder the question that I think this song asks best.
0 Comments