"Gad Elbaz: My Near-Death Experience That Changed Everything"

I got knocked out completely. I saw myself. I saw my dad. I saw everyone else. And slowly I'm departing. And slowly I'm going up and up and up. The paramedics came. They put a blanket on me and they told my dad that I'm gone. This old man came straight at me with a big smile and told me, "This is not your time." Leaned over, touched my face, and told me, "Promise me you will always sing for Hashem." And then I woke up. >> So you went from club life to a kosher lifestyle. >> Yeah. [Music] >> I was on the floor whipping like a kid and I needed to perform. Director came into the room, see me like that. He says, "How are you going to perform now?" I couldn't breathe. I couldn't talk. After the concert, my entire body was sick for 10 days. Sick. Literally sick. Hi everybody, it's Arya Finger. Welcome back to another episode of the Jewish Jo podcast. This week I have an incredible episode for you. Something like you never ever heard before. God Alba has a craziest story. From being a child prodigy singer to near-death experience to clubs to doing a lot of bad things to divorce to almost losing everything. God Alba has the craziest stories. I have a question for you. Where do you live? We asked this before. We got some crazy answers. I want to know where you live. Do you live in Barak? Do you live in five towns? Do you live in Flatbush? You live in Lakewood? Do you live in Africa? Do you live in Australia? Do you live in the UK? Do you live in China? I don't know. Let me know. Comment below. Wherever you're watching, please comment below where you live. Please make sure to follow and subscribe. But we have some great news. By the way, we now have a hotline. So, no internet, no problem. You don't need internet right now. If you only have a flip phone, that's great. And you can now call official hotline. Be sure to stick around to hear our number. You can also check the show notes. Later in this episode, you're going to hear about our friends at Kabad and the incredible work they're doing and about their new app as well as knowledge and we have some more incredible interviews coming out. Be sure to follow subscribe and enjoy this week's episode. Welcome God. So excited to have you on the podcast. A lot to uncover and there's a lot of things people probably do not know about you. So great to have you on the podcast. Welcome. >> I'm really happy to be here talk all your good work. >> Thank you. So can you take us back to your upbringing to your childhood? Tell us where you grew up. >> So I grew up uh in a city called Ra. I moved so many places that it's very hard for me to catch up myself. I've learned in uh non-religious schools then went here to America. It was Kabad and went back there as well to a nonreligious school where my parents are not religious. We moved always around. Um my dad never owned a house. We just travel from a place to place. One of the reason is my dad was when he was non-religious when we moved around he was a famous singer and he was traveling a lot but he was also like I would say Frank Sinatra back then that was involved with all the mafia. So my dad was the same. He needed to move us around. Not a very normal childhood. Needed to adjust every time to new friends, new communities. the beauty about it because if you see the good in everything, you realize why you love Jews and why you can adapt yourself to actually have unity and and uh and see everyone equal. And I and I lived in a non-religious city that hated religion and we were probably maybe 2% of the entire city that were uh observant. >> What was your religious observance like as a child? So we weren't religious at all. There's nothing that we did besides I remember my dad doing a kadush and that's it while we watching TV. >> Wow. >> Okay. So now what made you the man you are today? When did you and your family become religious? >> So my family and I became religious after I had a near-death experience and and that shook my entire family. Um my mom my dad became very karate and my mom became just uh shmer chabas slowly uh grew into it and my dad never pushed us religion. So in the age of 16 um when I was uh asking myself did I choose religion or it's because my dad chose it >> then I took a break but we're going to go back when I was 9 and a half years old and I'm going to share with you this beautiful story Shabbat of that was the third Shabbat that my dad is keeping without us he's doing ku he's going to and so that before Shabbat he said to my mom listen if you're not going to keep Shabbat, we're going to get divorce. I have a bad feeling. Please do not turn the TV on this Shabbat. He said, "Sorry, Benny. It's not happening. You can live your life. I'm going to live my life." It was u minim Shabbat and um I was outside playing with all the kids in the neighborhood. We had a competition, who runs the fastest. and we used to run down the hill and um I had a competition with one of our friends and then he pushed me while we were running and I hit my face right here on the side curve on the on the sidewalk right on the curve and I got knocked out completely and it took me to a whole different um journey. During that time, my dad was screaming down going down the stairs, running towards me. The paramedics came and they put a blanket on me and they told my dad that I'm gone. My dad lift me up, took me from their hands and scream, I'm not the time to sacrifice my son. This is the only you only knew back then. >> Wow. >> And I woke up. But this was a long time. During that long time for me was eternity because I saw myself, I saw my dad, I saw everyone else. And slowly I'm departing and slowly I'm going up and up and up and I was nervous till I got to a very quiet, bright, beautiful energy. And this old man came straight at me with a big smile and told me, "This is not your time, leaned over, touched my face, and told me, "Promise me you will always sing for the word." I didn't know. And then I woke up Shabbat. I shared my dad the story and I said the name and he was crying and he composed the song with me. That song made hundreds of thousands of people in Israel religious and my entire family. Um, my dad was showing me pictures of rabbis. When I saw the Babasali, I ran to the room because I was scared that he's going to grab me again. So, as a little kid, I got panicked. And then we realize that the same person was the Babasali. >> So the person that you saw when you were let's say unconscious world in a different realm >> that was the Babasali and he told him to be okay. >> Yes. And we digged into the Babasali legacy lineage and we saw that the Babasali last name is Elbaz. Abu Kha is just a nickname. So you know you meet your ancestry. So that's probably what happened. And since then my dad started performing with me all over Israel 40,000 60,000 since I'm a little kid on the on the knees of all the biggest the age of 16 I told my dad I don't want to do this anymore too much pressure everybody's asking me what's what's what which which page I'm at and my Gamara before I go on stage I feel the the micro lenses on me and my soul and I felt the pressure and I said I don't need this I don't want to perform this is not for me and my dad instead of like being extremely upset on me he said you know what God you don't want to sing don't want to and then I worked for two years and I I got to say that to every viewer here that this is something I didn't share till now But I want to give K to everyone that is falling and he's a teenager and he went to a party and he got drunk and he did whatever he needed to do to feel loved or whatever it is. I'm going to tell you this after 2 years of wondering the only reason that I wanted to go back and find for myself is because when you go out there and you want to build a kosher home and you want to have a wife sitting next to you and your kids around you on the Shabbat table, there's nothing can replace that. Only if you're looking in the right places. So if you want to have the right wife next to you, you need to say stop to all those things and take upon yourself and exile yourself from the entire world. And what it means to be kadosh kadosh means is to be sacred to God. The only way to do that is by adding more and more and more. And that's what I did. And I wanted to build a kosher home and not with what I saw around me when I was 16, 17, 18. From the age of 18, I I decided that I'm going to go back in Chuva and I do everything and I was show that day show everything. And I learned two years straight till I found my my my first wife. Got married in the age of 20 and a half years old. And I was about to release a non-religious album when I was 18. My dad was listening to it and instead of being auntie of this music and the non-religious lyrics, he said, "Wow, this is amazing. This is amazing. This is amazing." I was shocked that this was respond. And it made me rethink and it made me talk to Hashem to give me the strength to stop going out, stop doing whatever is not off the basically. And he showed me the way. And that day that he showed me that he loves me, that he showed me that he wants me back. That day turn changed my life. I lift my eyes to Hashem and I said, "Hashem, thank you so much that I just walked out from this gem." And I saw everybody's dancing like monkeys. With my own eyes, I went upstairs to the second floor. I never do that. And I just observed everyone dancing and I saw this best friend of mine has a relationship with someone and she is talking to someone else while he's not watching and I saw so many so much chaos in one place and I realized that's not the life that I want. went outside, looked at Hashem, and I said, "Hashem, thank you so much for revealing to me such in bright colors that this is not where I want to be." And he took away all my desires and he just put a a nun shama inside of me that burned burned and burnt. >> It's unbelievable. Wow. So, you went from club life to a kosher lifestyle. >> Yeah. >> So, what encouragement would you give what what encouragement give someone now? Let's say someone thinks that the club in disco life is the is place where it's at late night and you get to have fun and party and they say, "Oh, I'm a yeshiva bak." Or they say, "Oh, I have to be from and I can't go to those places." Or let's say someone that's there right now and they want to maybe get out of it. What would you give them? How could they work and improve on their kaduca and all >> the only way the only way and they know already whoever is listening knows already that it's not the right way. They know it. They wake up in the morning feel very very sad >> and and you feel it because your nama is being emptied out. So the the first thing I would say ask from Hashem or Yeshua. Show him what's your what's your will. The way the the letter is this is the thing. Whoever goes with with the he will become and his also his his legacy will be sadikim. Why? Because the is the it's the same letters of and you right away tap into the just like if you know that you know everything. What does that means? When Hagar was crying to Hashem and Ishmael was praying to Hashem, he did chuva that moment and Hashem judged him for that moment only. His desire, his was to return to and Hashem judged him by not what he was, not what he's going to be. We all know what came out of Ishmael. He judged him at the at the spot and he gave him everything that he has till today till Mashia will come because it's all about the now. Where are you now? Even if you went yesterday, you went before that, you know, you may be going to go tomorrow, take your step out of the equation and speak to Hashem in the middle of it because he is there >> never leaving you. >> It's it's all about the present. >> Yes. >> Wow. Um I also want to tackle obviously Jewish and joyful, we try to tackle mental health aspects of people and their lives and their journeys. So first I I want to talk more about your childhood and how that influenced on your later life. You said that you were you switched a lot of schools when you were younger and you always moving around constantly. What effect did that have on you as a child and your well-being and your mental health? Like I said, it was very traumatic and I went from sphartic the non-religious religious this this all type and I'm an outsider and I'm a son of someone very famous and I sing but everybody's mocking here or there and I was always alone and I was never talking. I didn't talk to no one. I was very very shy. Uh believe it or not. >> Are you still shy now? >> No. >> No. It's me and being shy. It has nothing to do with each other. Uh I blossom eventually. And um like you see, I um I'm very social by the way. And I think that's that's why because I was seeing and also living other people's uh um walks of life, different binoculars, different I would say different glasses to to the way we look at Torah, the way we look at Hashem, the way we look at Judaism from different aspects. And it made me not judge no one. It made me understand each type and stream of worshiping Hashem. So it made me not judge anyone. And because of my versatile music that I was raised on and came from different places, listening to um American music, country, Latin, hip-hop, R&B, to Israeli, to Moroccan, to Arabic, everything. It It made me who I am. >> Your latest album, Ghoul, is a large mix of different types of songs from different cultures. >> Yes. because I want to touch every Jew and I want to I'm versatile. This is who I am. It's not because I'm catering to people. It's also who I am and I love a lot of things in music and I compose that way and I compose every style and I like to talk to to touch every genre and unity is what I'm all about. And I had a dream when I became religious that I want to unite and I want to do collaboration with religious and non-religious and I want in my audience to have religious and non-religious and I was the pioneer and I was one of the first Jewish singer ever that collaborated with non-religious artists made concerts for separate seating and also family sitting so non-religious can come and and watch and I was the first one doing modern modern music and bringing it to the to the orthodox world and took beats and created hip-hop and dance and all that. I'm one of maybe three that were at my time of Simus and and I don't even remember to be honest but but that was my mission and I brought modern music to the orthodox world against all odds and against a lot of rabbis that were against me and all my music was people put my albums basically underneath their mattresses in yeshivas and I already saw in the future that this is a mistake and they are looking and they are hearing in non-Jewish music and I am just making it much more closure for them to listen and I touched a lot of Jews a lot of people in the shama throughout the years and I made that unity and I traveled the entire world and I think because I was I was closer to Kabad the Rebel Eskafa made me not give up and continue in Kabad embraced me and slowly everyone else. >> We got to some of my favorite parts of this week's episode. I want to talk to you about Kabad. Kabad is helping the needy people in Israel and they already helping over 47,000 families. Imagine 47,000 families who otherwise won't have food. Kabad is there for them. They're supporting them. They're helping them. You can now help them by just downloading their push app where you could donate anytime, anywhere to kabad. To visit their app, you can visit the website pushapp.cc/joyful. That's pk.cc/joy. CC/joyful. You could also make a general donation to Kabad by visiting kabad.org/joyful. Be sure to check out Kabad. Download their app and you could help save and satisfy thousands of hungry people that are just dealing with the flack from the communities. I was sad to be honest. People were calling me Set all over Jerusalem with like posters with my name calling me Setame. And uh I remember sitting with my dad, my rabbi at the time, and he said, "What do you think Hashem knows and sees to the heart, sees to the inner why you're doing it, and you know the truth? Because you've been all over. Wait, with time you're going to get the reward." And it happened. And I was completely sad in the beginning. Then I realized that you cannot do good without have having people um going against you even the Rambam everyone you know so I was ahead in my time and today everybody's like wow there's cool music I was the only one investing in music videos tons of money to do the best music videos so everybody can say wow Jewish music is cool >> wow it's cool so yeah >> beautiful so what would you say was most stressful time of your life? Definitely if you look look at the business side I was traveling a lot going Israel the world traveling back and forth back and forth back and forth and slowly because I got married so young and I didn't have noa I this cost me my marriage this cost me of us growing apart and then to save my marriage she came up with the idea to move to the United States because I was there a lot and I took everything I have all the tools I stopped music I stopped performing I took only few gigs just to save and build my marriages again unfortunately didn't work out cuz she was already away so much away from where I was at and we couldn't we couldn't connect again I'm saying unfortunately back then right >> but everything is for Letova for her and for me. We moved from New York to Miami and I got to share again, this was the hardest time of my life, losing uh the love of my life. I lost not just my wife back then. I lost everything I had. When it's raining, it's pouring. It's just nonstop. I lost everything I have. started from scratch again. And because I know and I have Hashem beside me, he helped me step by step to recruit myself and stop any uh I will say that out loud. Stop any addiction. So, I started drinking alcohol and and not finding myself and ask Hashem, please save me. During that time, my ex-wife flew back to Israel with my kids. And I need to go back and forth and back and forth every six to eight weeks and see them for four days and go back and work and work and work and and and try to recover from everything that happened to me. During that time, then CO hit. So, it was another punch, but it made me stop every single uh uh uh uh things I got used to drinking and and sleeping late and being sad and being like all over the then the world stop and it made me stop. Wait, what if God takes my voice also? Who am I? What am I? Does Hashem love me also? Do I have any? If I don't have that, where is Hashem in that lowest point in my life? Then I realize that I just don't have just a voice. I have my personality, my life experience. I can teach others. I can make people become much closer to Hashem even if Hashem takes my voice. >> Wow. >> So I started doing more lives on Instagram. I started touching more people's nishama, my surroundings. And then I came up with what I'm doing today that I'm starting it right. I was supposed to start it before October 7 but because of the war I stop I stopped it. I'm starting it again igniting it and I called it the Sheffer House Foundation. It's a hub for wealthy, strong people to come give their donation and with their funds we do a weekend that is amazing for singles events, amazing for couples to save their marriage, amazing for the business owners that want to collaborate with others that they are supports the chef system and I'm developing an app right now while we're speaking that you open the app and you don't have a place to spend Shabbat. If you're green and you see a house that's green, you can communicate and you can do kush by them. You can spend by them. There is a lot of people do kushim but they don't know where to go. And this is going to be the map the map of unity. This is what I'm working on only because I had co only because I got divorced and only because I said what if I don't have my voice? Wow. So sometimes you became the man. >> All those challenges made me start God's gallery. I have art from artists from all over gave me their art and I did some popup events here and there. I went to the wine industry and I have my own uh brand with Shilo Collaboration. back before I lost everything I had, I became a partner with him and I made this bottle and it came out and from that now I'm working on a Jadea situation that I have my own brand uh together with the collaborations and it's it's not ending and chef a house is basically me knowing that I know so many wealthy people and strong people and influential people I need to create that hub and with this relationship I can put this one that needs money for his project in Israel, high-tech or whatever it is, and have this family uh uh offices that they can support and I do the matching. And I said, you know what? Let's just open a hub for that. And with their funds, with their m with their tadaka, I'm going to give back to the entire community and make people save their marriages so they don't have to worry about any financial from psychology to rabbis to support every everything. And also to build Jewish homes and have it the right way, not as a coming to a party, everybody drinks and go home. No, to have it with the system. So, I'm building it right here in Florida. We'll be the hub and from here in a year from now, we're going to go everywhere else. Get back to some of my favorite parts of this week's episode. I want to talk to you about the Parish inspiration at changing so many people's lives. We all want something nice in the parish. We all want an uplifting thoughts, something that will really make us feel great and inspire us. Pion Knowledge provide just that. Passion knowledge provides weekly inspiration on the Pful takeaway every single week with a beautiful Van story. And you could join for free by emailing [email protected] visiting the site passion.com or you can WhatsApp 646397200. >> I would say that that uh yeah I had a major concert in uh King's Theater back then. It's either was King Theater or it was uh uh Brooklyn College. I'm not sure. It was full house. People paid to see me and this is before I moved to America. My ex-wife calls me. She knew I had that show. Uh, I don't blame her at all. She was exhausted. She couldn't handle any more of my profession. And she called me. I know you have a concert, but I got to tell you, you're coming back home and all your stuff is by your mom. And when you come back home, it's done. >> Oh, wow. >> And that was 15 minutes before I went on stage. I was on the floor whipping like a kid and I needed to perform and the director came to the room see me like that says how you going to perform now I couldn't breathe I couldn't talk said I need I need 5 minutes I went out I looked at myself in the mirror I talked to my inama and I reminded her that what you do was meant to happen what happened just now and you already knew it as the nama and you gave me the tools to overcome it and I need to remember that the reason why I'm here in this world is to make all of those zoos happy and sometimes it's not about me it's about what you give and now I'm going to give the best show of my entire life to everyone sitting there I went outside and I gave literally the best concert I've ever ever did in my entire life. >> Wow. But how did you do it? >> I just breathed say she a minute before I went on stage like I do all the time. I closed my eyes and I said this is what you came here to the world to do. That's it. No. You think that only you're able to do that? Anyone else could do that in this situation? That's so >> any situation. >> Yeah. >> And how do you handle with this after after the concert? Did you cry again? Were you sad? >> After the concert, my entire body was sick for 10 days. Sick. Literally sick. Cuz I put all my energy last just like a fight. I don't know. >> Do you think it was because you withheld those tears or maybe you don't >> holding everything because I was uh putting it aside didn't let the mava to give it a lot of power and uh yeah broke me to pieces. I went back to Israel and then she said, "You know what? Let's try one one last time and let's move to America together." For me, it wasn't even an option. I didn't never thought she's going to say such a such a thing. She did. But uh then slowly it fell apart and hashem I got to talk about my positive situation today that I overcome all challenges and I have a bigger relationship with Hashem that I ever had. I know I made a lot of people become closer to Hashem, but Hashem rewarded me for all of that and he made me his son is working on becoming his slave and and and and like I can talk to him like I talk to you. And this relationship is what saved me. and I got my reward and I got married to the most amazing wife that has exactly all the tools to help me become the best version of myself. And even now, I'm working to be what it is to be I would say uh uh to be worthy to the most beautiful woman, the most amazing woman in the world. that happens to be my wife. So, so hashem everything pays off in the end. I got married to a beautiful wife named she has three kids. I have three kids and like you say we're going to have more kids in the world. Amen. >> Amen. Amen. >> So, was there a certain point when you were single that you were performing between your first marriage and your second marriage? Um, I was I was more into myself. I took jobs here and there and I couldn't perform. I was like broke into pieces. It took me a year and a half to recover almost two. >> Did you do any weddings at that time? >> Yes, I did. So, if you're doing a wedding and you personally are single after a broken marriage, how did it make you feel and how did you cope with your feelings? If you have a new >> Unfortunately, I had to drink a lot of alcohol. >> Oh, boy. So, you were drinking alcohol to cover up your feelings. >> Exactly. And then co literally like stopped everything and then I re re regroup. >> Wow. >> And said like I said to you before, who is God? Who is God? If he's not a singer, who is God? Who is me? And then I started healing. >> Beautiful. We just had on Lipa Schmeltzer our last interview. Alipa has an incredible story of healing. So it's amazing that you guys both have such incredible stories of healing and growth. We have some more incredible parts of this episode coming. I just want to tell you about our Shabur, the revolutionary Misha that's enhancing so many people's ways learning Mishuba. If you never learn, now's the time to start. Our Mub makes it so so easy. It's Hebrew English Mubal. You also have some beautiful pictures and diagrams and Q&A's in the back. So, it's perfect. You can go on your local bookstore. You can also click on the link in the show notes, get the RL Mabura. It will change your way of learning Mabura. And we also now have a new WhatsApp group for the podcast and for the weekly inspiration. So, you could join by WhatsAppapping 646397220. You could click on the link in the show notes. Also now have an official Jewish and joy hotline. So, no internet, no problem. You could listen wherever you are on your phone. To listen in the United States, you can call 605-562-3522. And for Israel, you can call 972-79-579-5099. So again, US605-562-3522 and Stra Israel 972-79-579-5099. So say that in your context and be sure to share with friends and family whoever will enjoy it. You think that looking back instead of using alcohol to overcome to cover your feelings, how would you cover your feelings now? >> It's very easy now. after Hashem saves you and you are in your focus and you're in your zone um to come over challenges, you just say you learn you go to the mikvah and and you purify yourself with your thoughts, with your mind, with with the relationship with Hashem that you develop and you just need time and you need to remember that those moments that you felt alone, Hashem made it happen. It's all Hashem. Everything is Hashem. Everything. You know what separates for being holy or not? When you complete the letters, everything then it becomes holy. >> This is the journey of our life. We need to complete the journey in order to be where we're supposed to be. That's number one. Number two, what makes the claf holy? the the the the paper holy black ink. All your damn fobs, all the black dots in your white nama is what makes it a holy nishama. Because hashem, if he wanted us to be blank, white and pure, he would have not brought us here to the world. What is Hashem biggest desire? Lust is that you you in those moments when you are suffering and you don't see the light, you put Hashem and you say, "Hashem, I love you and I know you're going to save me. I love you." >> Take that black ink and you penetrate it into your na and everything becomes holy. >> Wow. So even when things seem tough and challenging, it's really all from Hashem. So that reminded me of a story you once said that you had a huge huge concert and right before then something happened. One of the big sponsors pulled out. >> Yes. >> Had a concert my major concert age of 26. I'm the first religious Jew that took Cesaria amphitheater and filled it up. The religious people didn't want to touch it because a lot of robbers were against amphitheater in general. Um, so I was the first like in other things. >> Why did you decide to do it if other if the rabbis weren't really didn't want people? >> Cuz I had uh because I know what's my mission. My mission is to unite. I had a rabbi that were backing me up. I had the reb that that's what he's all about. And I knew that I have to do it by and uh I did it. But the story of how I got there is remarkable and I'm going to say it as fast as I can. I had a company that was supposed to be the sponsorship 2 months before they are telling me they don't have the money to send it to me and I could not do that show. And that show used to cost back then those numbers used to be extremely high and it was $220,000. >> Wow. to do that concert back then and they were supposed to give the down payment and they bailed out. I speak to my rabbi and he says to me, "Who do you think is the one that told you to do that? Hashem, you believe in Hashem? Hashem will get you the money." Tell him, "But but I got a call from from the from the place, from the venue. They want the money by Monday." This was Wednesday when I spoke to him. I took a flight to New York. I had a bar mitzvah and he said to me, "Don't don't worry, miracles would happen. Hashem wants it to happen. Don't worry." Said, "You know what? I'm going to fly to America and whatever will be will be." I flew to America. First thing I went was to the Reb's oil. It was 6:00 a.m. Straight to the Rebel crying my eyes out if I already and my face is all over Israel. billboards, buses, and if I'm not going to do it, everybody will say, "Oh, probably he couldn't fill it up." This and my own house was a signature guarante to the entire show. >> Wow. >> So, I'm going to lose or go to court and lose my house. >> Oh my gosh. I can't believe how you're feeling. >> And I went whatever my rabbi says I do. And I went to America. It was 6:00 a.m. I'm devastated. There was a guy looking at me praying like that. And he went to me straight and he said, "Why are you crying so much?" Said, "It's a long story. Never mind." He said, "You know what I do for a living? I'm a clown in hospitals. I want to take you first to the mikvah and then I want to show you my thing." I was so drained out. I said, "You know what? I'll go with you." I went, tried to hype up. didn't work. I got a phone call from a friend of mine that wanted me to help him with his new album. I'm going to say his name. His name is Gum Varoba. He called me that he needs me. I wasn't in a in a situation to help anyone and listen to anyone's music. He insisted. Then I said, "Hashem, Hashem, how I'm going to go to him? I don't have the power. I don't have the energy in my body to go and help him. It's it's so hard for me to do it. Then I got a phone call from the lady that I did this bar mitzvah. She said, "Listen, he called me. I don't know how he got to me, but he asked if you can go to him." Said, "If he goes all the way and he calls her and he reach her, so I should just go to him." I went to him. There's a couple sitting there watching my music videos and I'm like so depressed. I go to the piano. I play a song. May all the sources will come home. Back then was kidnapped. >> I turn around. I see them crying. They go outside. They come back. They say, "Where can we listen to this song? Where?" I told them I was supposed to have a concert because I already believe the concert is canceled because there's no money to give. I was supposed to have a concert but I need to cancel it out. Um they say where I showed them the place and I already cancelled because Monday whatever like that they go outside they come back after 2 minutes. They ask me let me ask you a question. if you have money now, are you able to revive it? Said, "Yeah, but I'm never going to have money for what I need." They go out, I'm playing the music to him, we're working. They come back. They say, "Let me ask you a question. If we give you the money, will you be able to do it?" >> Said, "What? What? What do you mean? You don't know me. What do you mean?" I started crying right away. couldn't like was joking. They say, "Stop. Don't worry. Give him water." They got water to drink. I said, "Listen, it's a miracle. What do you mean? Why you want to help me?" Say, "We saw and we heard you now alive and we saw this amphitheater and you're the first religious Jew that going to sing there. When we saw just in Wikipedia that was dying there in front of all the Greeks and the Romans or whatever this said, yeah, this is exactly why I want to do it. I want to bring Kaducha back." So they said, "How much is the down payment?" I said the number. It said he's sitting in the computer and he's wiring in the money. I didn't believe the money is going to be in my account on Monday because I have to give it to them cash. I flew to Israel Shabbat. Sorry, Sunday. I arrived in I arrived there Monday. I drove to the bank to check and pray that the money is there. The money was there. I drove to Casaya. I gave them they sitting in Jerusalem but I had to go to the Cay anyhow. So I gave them the money and that's how this show happened. >> That's crazy. >> They flew into the concert. They came to my rabbi and my rabbi I cannot say his name because he's not allowing me to saw the guy that gave the money the the couple and he told them, "Listen, I know you cannot have children." They were shocked. What do you mean? How do you know that? Yes, I know you cannot have children, but because of you doing this, I'm going to promise you next year the same time and you're going to have a baby boy. And I was like, how can you promise such a thing? >> Whoa. >> They had an they had a baby boy a year after a year after a baby boy. They named him named him Leo because he was born on August the same date of the concert the year after. >> Oh my gosh. >> And they had two more kids after that. >> And this is the story of and believing in Hashem. How did you came up with Hashem? How was it? The story goes like this. I went in a tour in Kaneka all over. I finished in Leil France. The rabbi before Shabbat said, "I got to play you a song. You can hear it after Shabbat. You're gonna you're gonna you're going to your mind is going to be exploded." And he's repeating it the entire Shabbat. Wait, Shabbat did not go anywhere. He plays the song. I listen to I said, "Wow, that's a hit. But I don't do covers." That's it. I fly to Israel. 1:00 a.m. I got a phone call from my dad. 1:00 a.m. after a tour of 10 days. Where are you? I said, "What do you mean, Aba? I'm I'm sleeping. It's 1:00 a.m." He said, "I don't care. You got to come to the studio right now." Said, "Aba, I'm tired. I can't. I'm just like, this is Kibu. I'm telling you, you got to come." I heard Kibav. I woke up, put my shoes, and drove there. Arrived there. He plays me the same song, but he came up with the course. I take the sidur. I open the sids up in. And before book there is and it fits exactly. I record it. After an hour and a half, we hear the song. It's amazing. And he asks me, "Please put it in your album." I said, "Aba, I can't." I finished the graphic. I finished uh all the mastering. Everything is ready to go. And my album is more to the non-religious radio station. And it's very mellow. And I cannot put a fast song that speaks and blow the name of Shem to straight to their face. They're never going to play it in the non-religious radio station. He got upset. We went out of there. 10 days after his birthday, we sit together. We're in front of all of his friends. I asked him, "Aba, what do you want for your birthday?" He says, "You know what I want for my birthday? I want you to put the song that we did a week ago at your album. Inside of your album." So, what Aba? Everybody's looking at me. It's 5k more and I have to change all the graphic and and I can't really name it hashem because nobody will listen to it in the non-religious radio stations. He said you can name it whatever you want. Said you know what for kibuab I'm going to do it. I put it as number 21 or 22 in the album words of spirit and I named it the song. So I put the song and I named it Lam so they can listen to it but we renamed it after to because it was a huge success. >> Wow. So the the the scale the is that if you take the no matter what you will receive in this world all the while you're alive and I had mega hits before and many many etc reached the level so much that nim black called me after two years. And by the way, the song is not Mark Anthony. It's an Algerian song that just came out two weeks before me. I heard it right away recorded a month after went out to the radio and a year later Mark Anthony did it. He heard probably the Arabic version as well, not mine, but he did it very beautifully. Then people said he took Mark Anthony. I said, "No, it's not Mark Anthony." Nissim Black called me, loved the song, gave me a call. I didn't know who Niss Black. He wasn't famous at all. He sent me a link to his old non-Jewish stuff. I listened to it and then I spoke to him on the phone. Said, "I have I have a new version for it." Said, "Listen, you cannot say you cannot do the same joke twice." You know that phrase >> too many. >> I cannot do the same. So, it's not the same. You got to listen. I heard it. I loved it. I invested so much. We did another music video and it blew up again. >> So you made Niss Black big >> and Hashem Hashem brought Niss Black to my life. We did many songs together. I believed in him. He was signed in my record label for almost two years. >> Hashem, he is now where he's at. >> Wow. >> Oh, you're sing nice. I'm going closer to the to the screen just because I want the light to to be on my face. I want to finish up by giving you a braha that >> you are taking people's story and you bringing them to life. It helps so many people in their journey. I'm going to wish you that that help you help others. Hashem will see that and will help you in your own journey. You'll always have Hashem right next to you. You will see him. You will see the grace of of Hashem on you and you will have an amazing life. And to all your viewers, thank you for watching. Thank you for listening and hope with no judgment you will understand that everybody everybody can fall and everybody can rise again. >> Got back up. You have a song rise again, right? >> Yes. Rise up. >> So >> when I fall, >> just just one fun question we always ask. Who is the happiest person that you know? >> Vika Borenstein. the one that writes lyrics in English to my songs and we produce a lot of productions. He's the happiest person no matter what he's going through in his life and we did a musical together of Ysef and it was amazing and we do a lot of things and pes I'm going to spend the first hog with him the second hog as well and in between I'm going to travel uh four different places with Costa Rica so I can't wait shout outs for you >> and what's coming next with god Albazy anything new coming up any new >> besides the chef house foundation besides the wine and the holidays is that's going to be mush in all the restaurants and my current wine. >> Besides that, I'm coming up with an international album. It's going to be called It's All About Love and it's uh it's it's to represent the Jewish nation in Israel to show that we are all About Love and that's what we're here for. And it's a beautiful song music video that's going to come this this uh this summer leads to a full international album. >> Amazing. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you so much for coming on. God >> beautiful podcast. >> I hope you all enjoyed this week's episode with God Albas. God's story or stories to be precise is so incredible and amazing. So much to learn from. God had such crazy stories and he made such big changes in his life to get closer to Hashem. Shows us the power of change and shows us the power of letting go and letting God. Make sure to download the Kabad app by visiting pushkapp.cc/joyful. Help the anarchist. So go ahead and download the app by visiting the website pushkapp.cc/joyful. tc/joyful. Make sure to join the weekly inspiration group by emailing [email protected] or by WhatsApping 6463972320. You can also visit the website parnowledge.com and check out the R Mura. The incredible R shabura. They're changing the way thousands of people are learning Mr. Shabura. Get one local bookstore. Visit the website ranelm.org. This will really change your way of learning mura. We have some more incredible stuff calling byem. So make sure to stay tuned and subscribe. As I said, I may not I may not have the best consistency of posting. So, make sure to subscribe so you know when I put out more stuff. Join our WhatsApp group by clicking the link in the show notes. And if you got inspired by this episode, please share your friends and family to inspire them as well. All the best. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful, happy day. Remember, your small can change the world. And we all the power to be great. [Music]