Today’s post is dedicated in honor of my dear friend Elazar M. and his wife upon the recent birth of their daughter. May she be a continuous source of nachas to you, your family and to gantz Klal Yisroel!

Hadran alach Maseches Nazir v’hadrach alan. Mazal Tov!

If I were to say that Maseches Nazir contains some of the most tangled sugyas in all of Shas, I’d be splitting hairs. But it comes to a close on a high note, so to speak, as the masechta culminates with a most familiar Talmudic teaching:

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְכׇל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי ה׳ וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ״

As this will be the third to last time we see these words on the holy pages of our Gemaras (see Brachos 64a & Yevamos 122b for the previous two, Krisos 28b for the last), I thought we could spend a few moments analyzing this cryptic quote before we enjoy a very special rendition of an iconic cantorial classic.

“Said Rabi Elazar in the name of Rabi Chanina: ‘Talmidei Chachamim increase peace in the world,’ as it states (Yeshaya 54:13) ‘And all your children will be students of Hashem, and your children will have abundant peace.’” The short passage is complex in structure, and is difficult to translate into English because it rests upon interpreting the pasuk in Yeshaya using an arcane wordplay. But on its surface, the verse tells us that if Bnei Yisroel learn of and seek to know of Hashem, peace will prevail.

But Rabi Chanina famously interprets this verse homiletically so as not to read it as: “Your children (בָּנַיִךְ)” but as: “Your builders (בּוֹנָיִךְ)”. Torah scholars are those who build peace for their generation. All views, even those that seem contradictory, in fact help reveal knowledge and truth. When Talmidei Chachamim broaden knowledge and provide new insights in their unquenchable quest for the truth, they increase שָׁלוֹם and bring completeness (שְׁלֵמוּת) to the world.

For this reason, Rabi Chanina emphasized that Talmidei Chachamim are like builders. A structure is built with many sides, using a variety of materials and skills. So too, the whole truth is constructed from diverse views, opinions, and methods of analysis. It is only through the proliferation of divergent views, when all the various facets and angles of an issue are exposed, that we are able to better clarify and substantiate the truth, and thus increase the building of peace.

Amar Amar Amar – as it was originally called – was composed and sung by the famed effervescent cantor Moishe Oysher. Although Moishe recorded this number on a “45” for RCA Victor in the early 50s, the record never received proper distribution. The reason for this was due to copyright complications – the selection on the reverse side of the record was restricted and the manufacturer had to withdraw the entire lot from further distribution. Consequently, the original is a collector’s item today.

It wasn’t until 1965 that this song first received popular acclaim, after Oysher had already passed away, when it was introduced by “The inimitable Mimi Sloan” at the Village Theater in New York. Sloan also featured this selection on her album, “Moishe Oysher Melodies” in 1966. And it wasn’t until 1968 that Oysher’s original vocals were taken and reproduced by the good folks at Menorah Records for the first time since its initial withdrawal those many years before.

I have included that version here for those who are interested in hearing the Oysher original, however, for today’s post, I wanted to highlight the most recent rendering by another, almost equally skilled vocalist. Umar Reb Eluzar is from Shulem Lemmer’s brand new 2023 album entitled Kiddush Hashem. Speaking of builders, the spirited orchestral arrangement was expertly executed by producer Doni Gross and pays perfect tribute to the original. The finished product absolutely speaks for itself, and the result is a tour de force of musical prowess!

{Be sure to check out the JMN article that we posted on Moishe Oysher’s Chad Gadya, too! Here’s the link for you to enjoy: https://jewishmusicalnotes.com/chad-gadya-1956/}

Wishing all of you a rousing Shabbos HaGadol!