Yes, You Have the Kochos! | Rabbi Avrum Mordche Malach

יא, דו האסט די כוחות. Yes, you have the strength. It's been almost a year that by every Chasidishe wedding there is that dance on that famous song that we know it as ואמרתם כה לחי, יא, דו האסט די כוחות. Yes, you have the strength. יא, דו האסט די כוחות. Keep on going. What's the story behind the scenes of this song? Rabosai, there's an organization called Einayim, inspired by Vayimaen, run by my good friend, Rabbi Shimon Lefkowitz, to spread the word of Shmiras Einayim for Yiddish-speaking people through a hotline, that thousands of people listen to it daily. Shimon Lefkowitz told me this story. It was a year ago, a few weeks before Purim. He was traveling a whole day with a list of names of big philanthropists, that his plan was to see from them a donation, a nice donation, to keep going this organization. He tells me: It was at the end of the day, I'm sitting in my car, so broken. I didn't make a penny. And I started thinking to myself, I'm running this organization already for a few years. It's struggling. There's no money coming in. That's it. I think it's time to close shop. And then sitting in the car, he started thinking to himself, What is the whole purpose of Shmiras Einayim, of the awareness of Shmiras Einayim, if not for these moments? This is exactly what Einayim is all about. Moments that you are broken, moments that you feel: I'm giving up, I tried so many times, it didn't work. It's done, it's over, I can't. Now it's my time. You know what? In Yiddish, they say: A patsh for a patsh. If that's what I got today, I'm smacking back. And then he had this interesting thought. Purim is coming up in a few weeks. How about, let's make like a Purim truck that should go around the streets of Williamsburg, where he lives, and have, like, a good jingle, a good song, that will hype up everyone and maybe through this way, he’s going to make a a few bucks. He calls a friend. He tells him: Listen, I need a song. I know the words. The words are going to be יא, דו האסט די כוחות. Do you have any catchy tune? His friend tells him, Listen, I think just stick to R’ Shimon bar Yochai. You know, all the Lag Ba’omer songs, these are the most powerful songs. People never get bored of it, never get tired. Purim comes. It was on a Friday. It's a few minutes before Shabbos. The truck of Einayim was parked on one of the streets of Williamsburg. Shimon Lefkowitz wasn't even in the truck. He went in to greet one of his relatives. He comes out and he can’t believe what he sees. Hundreds of people dancing around his truck, on the way going to Mikvah or coming back from Mikvah, Erev Shabbos, half drunk, and everybody's dancing to the words, יא, דו האסט די כוחות. People with tears in their eyes. Yes, you have the strength. Keep on going. Rabosai, I could tell you how far it went. A week after Purim, I gave a Shiur about Shmiras Einayim in Yiddish and I sang this song. I never got so much feedback of people from all over the world, telling me how this song inspired them and gives them the Chizuk to go further. We can sometimes take a day after a challenge, and maybe we fell through, and say to ourselves: Wow, that's what I am. I'm giving up. Or you could turn it into a song. Not only for yourself, for thousands of people. For you, for your children, for your great, great grandchildren, עד סוף כל הדורות. Yes! You have the strength. כל מילי דמיטב מיט שמחת החיים all good things with happiness מיר האבן די כוחות פאר שמירת עיניים we have the strength to guard our eyes יא, דו האסט די כוחות Yes, we have the strength !גיי אן ווייטער. כה לחי Go ahead. Cheers! יא, דו האסט די כוחות Yes, we have the strength