The Shocking Truth about Music (Interview with Yaakov Shwekey)

and the guy comes over to me he says you know I'm so happy that I see you I I I never thought I was going to meet you he says the reason I'm wearing filling is because of your music hi everybody it's Arya finger welcome back to the Jewish and joyful podcast music has the power to uplift to inspire to elevate and to transform a person in the times of the Holy Temple in the Bas of mdash the Levan engrossed in music they used to always play Connect Hashem bishir V zimra with joyous song with music you'll be able to reach the most loftiest levels spiritual levels that's the power and the greatness of music but if it's using the wrong way it could be detrimental to a person it be terrible for a person it could ruin the person an idea I heard is that medicine if it's used the right way it could be greatly beneficial to the person medicine if used in the right way could greatly benefit a person but if it's used in the wrong way it could kill a person or we could compare it to music music if done the right way could spiritually uplift someone it give someone the power to move on and there's so many count stories of people who got inspired by music and they got a new outlook on life or how music brought people back to YY there are stories like that we're going to hear Shear for music the word sh like Shir has the same letters as yashar which means upright if you want to listen to music if you want to connect to music you have to do it upright cuz if you don't it could be terrible for you it could be terrible for your n it could destroy a person could destroy your soul i' like to introduce yosaki and we have to realize the power of music and how great music is but since it's so great we have to be so careful and very very soon we should be to see Mia in our days and we'll all sing together with the leim Mish zimra the holy Bas mcdash enjoy this episode and please follow And subscribe for more please share this with friends and family and here we [Music] go welcome the great honor to have you here honor is mine the honor is mine so if you could please first start off by sharing with us a little about yourself and your background the saric side is my father my mother is the ashkan side my mother Al Shalom she was born in the DP camps in Germany so I have uh extreme opposite uh you know backgrounds from both sides and that that uh in turn you know I use it in the music in the spartic side of Music the Israeli side of music and also kidish and and and regular kic music that helps me definitely because I grew up that way I grew up you know from both sides of the spectrum and uh I was able to you know to get both of those backgrounds and I put it into music so we're talking about being Jewish and joyful so from a musical perspective what's the connection between happiness and music the connection between a growing through music the connection is very simple I mean it's not it's not uh you know it's it's the tool of music and the gift of music to the world you know the vill going right is that there wasn't Torah he would be dealing with music all day long was full of Music um King David the that we say till today is filled with every single you know okay but you have Mis which is z you have she shal of course everything is about him the gar says he used to get up on and and and and sing you know said he was willing to give onethird of his to know how to sing why because singing in music is an expression of the Soul you know said it's the pen of the soul and you want to express and now we're coming out with just came out with a brand new song and we're coming out with a brand new video tomorrow goof and it's the Goof is your wants to express you know it's not about the Goof of course you have to take care of your goof in this world but um the main the main song within is from the Nish and the Nish wants to sing sing expression of Ras obviously you have to use music to connect um to the creator of it all our natural thirst is to connect to the Creator and and of course toyra is the way but the gift of music is there as a conduit for us to get a lot closer unfortunately a lot of people use it to disconnect so like how would you give someone advice someone's listening to non-jewish music and could you explain the how bad it is for the Nish a lot of people don't realize right away and the effects of non-jewish Music well I can tell you there are countless countless stories that are people that have come over to me over the years and said you know uh thank you for your music and thank you for this and I'm so but they told me the one thing that changed their life is once they heard the music and they connected to the music they wanted to stop listening to to um you know the non non-jewish music and and the music that have steered them the wrong way that's how much music makes an impression on the soul it's uh people don't realize this what whatever you I mean it says it all over in F whatever you hear whatever you see whatever you hear you know makes an impression on you even though you don't realize it so music has a way they they say a beautiful thing I mean they ask why don't you make a br on music you make a you make a on why don't you make a br on music so the answer because music bypasses all the Goof and goes right to you don't make a something that by passes the physical and it goes straight straight through and it hits the soul and these people you know the the G out there that have millions and millions and hundreds of millions and billions of people they're not worried about that it's a business and they want you to hear what what you know what's a hook song and what's a hit song and what what you know we you know in our industry a lot of times people say you know let's make a hit song and I always say it's not about a hit song it's about your inspiration and you speaking it to the world if it becomes popular it becomes popular it's great but again you don't do songs in Jewish music you don't create a song for yeah okay you want to get the right beat the right dance the right okay not saying it shouldn't be you know uh worthy of a dance and worthy of no question but our our goals should be how to express what inspires us and wanting to uh and everybody has a different song to sing you know there's so many beautiful nishas out there that know how to sing and everybody has their taste and their way and Hashem wants it that way Hashem wants a world where we you know we all sing in unison different types of songs and uh but it's important very important to I'll never forget I was in uh I was in Manhattan years ago I think it was uh it was a h concert and I stayed overnight night there because it was very late and I went in the morning I went to early in the morning I went to the Safra synagogue in Manhattan and the guy comes over to me right after daving with his fillan on and he starts talking Hebrew and French and I think he I forget his exact words but he says you know I'm so happy that I see you I I I never thought I was going to meet you I said yeah who are you this that well I'm from I think it was from Paris he said the reason I'm wearing Fain is because of your music I said what do you mean he says well I grew up in a very non-religious house and somebody got me your music and I was able to to connect through the music and it made me change everything and I told him I'm so happy I was able to stay overnight and come here to this minion to hear that because it doesn't get old when people and it's not only it it's it's I'm sure kba had it's not only me sure this kak and many others had so many Beautiful Stories because Jewish music if you do it for the right reason and you're singing the right messages when you explain to them what V means and when you explain to them you know what what what you know sh means and now now everything that you're doing it it and then you put it into music The Gift of music is something that is I see it with special children special children are known to be very very high n Shas and whenever I sing through the years my wife has the special children center so I go there and each one of them lights up as soon as you start a nigging they start going wild because it's all the shama they are all the shama and you could see it right away through their whatever challenges they have everything goes out the window when a song starts so it's a very big gift it's a great gift music and obviously it's it's there to enhance yish and it's there to especially in our in our generation where we have a lot of a lot of things going on a lot of uh sadness now through the war and through things that are challenging in life and the journey of life is you know takes you on a road sometimes where you know the the nigan you sing is is an expression of you know hope expression of sadness for things that are happening and people that are being lost at a young age but at the end of the dayem wants us to be is the same letters as is the the same letters because to have joy and to have happiness it starts in the mind and if you think happy if you think happy and if you want to listen to a song and get into the song I mean I think the in right that somebody sent out a text before shabas to me um that if you explain to people the words of the niggan if you explain to people the the meaning of the song and then you sing it the n and chabas has a much much higher higher reach to where it's going to reach I saw you know from from G so Jewish it's just a gift to be able to express from the Nish your your uh you know the song that's playing in your heart that's for sure r p said that the city of happiness is in the state of mind it's exactly what it is well it's proven in the letters the same letters you know there's a lot to that RAB Miller even said it happiness is a state of mind and uh it's great that you have this podcast because people can listen and people could connect through here and and understand that Joy is everything everything about Judaism is Joy they ask their arel they ask their arel of how you got to where you got to in life how you got to such a high level in Judaism he said one word he said Joy said so we realize that yeah there are challenges yes there is many different but if we look at the the the um what we call sometimes small things and life the fact that we wake up I know we had now my wife brought the the mother of a hostage Tak in Gaza and she invited her to my house and we took her around to schools and we took her I mean obviously she's going through tremendous SAR with about her son you know not coming out but at the end of the day she said I wake up the fact that I wake up in the morning I thank Hashem that I'm able to get up and express to him how much I owe him and she's she's talking that way and she says you know what just aected you get up in the morning say right you say thank you the ask why do you say what's that extra word you say you could just say thank you thank you why do you say they say is youra in me W you gave me back my soul because you believe in me and you believe and you want you want me to go through life happy now it's and that's why they asked the the vill going what's the hardest Mitzvah and he said the hardest Mitzvah is to he took a few minutes and he thought he said the hardest Mitzvah is to keep to be happy all seven days of suus because it's a Mitzvah there to be every second happy yeah so that it's it's um it's a tremendous Ava to be connected through Joy but that's what Hashem listen in the Torah it says black and white black and white all the curses and all the evil came there's no greater proof than that right there says it in the Torah there not it's not some safer that that said and explaining something it's black and white because you did not serve Hashem with gladness and a good heart and you know Joy now is it always easy no but it's extremely important it's probably the greatest ingredient in Judaism is is joy and Sim put on your put on your it's it's it's um probably the greatest ingredient we have no question about it i' like to tell you about parion knowledge an incredible weekly Torah publication with a nice Torah thought story and incredible inspiration it's perfect for you for your shab's table so if you want to get it for free please email parion gmail.com you can visit par knowledge.com also like to tell you about an incredible project called Mur m is changing the world it's helping thousands upon thousands of people learn the and the with beautiful English translation and notes and beautiful pictures if you like to get one please visit your local bookstore you can visit the website rhen island.org this will change way of learning Mr B a real game changer for you so please check it out and get it far one of this F that I love is this one right here gway to happiness byel phenomenal I mean the stuff in here is just you open any page is is just amazing amazing amazing stuff he took he took a one of the things he says in here is that he took a he took his muser he has a muser of like 10 people is in Israel yeah and he uh he told them he asked them what your favorite thing is in life and one of the guys says you know write it down he said write down what your favorite thing is one guy wrote down coffee he says now think about coffee for 10 minutes and how it got to your table the guy had to grind it he had to do the field he had to make the beans they had to ship it with with who knows what they had to and then how it got to there and how it and he gives a whole list it took him he said he thought it's going to take him 10 minutes it took him an hour and he could have spent another five hours on how that coffee came to his table and when you think when you use your mind like we said when you use your mind to appreciate just this even a coffee and how it got to the table and how we don't now I'm speaking for myself I don't always whenever I have a C cup of coffee I don't think for an hour if we take sometimes to think about these things how a shirt is made how how I got this jacket how many hours did they spend making this jacket for me how many wow and I get to put and it fits perfect and it's everything glasses I mean you could go on and on and on thinking about how things are made and how Hashem gave us especially in our generation where we have also Way Way Beyond I mean the poorest guy today is richer than any Prince and king of you know 100 years ago I mean the people that work in your in your in your house as as janitors have cell phones it's it's it's not a generation that doesn't lack but again physicality doesn't always equal Joy just because you have a lot of physical things is you have to use your mind to appreciate it to appreciate those things and if you use your mind use your mind to appreciate and understand what we have and how we got there and then you listen to a song and you're able to express through through a song what it is that you're feeling that's Hashem wants that who is the happiest person that you know that's a good question because happiness sometimes is not an external you can't tell externally if somebody's happy because we said it's in the mind so it's very hard to go into someone's mind and know but it's most of the time it's the people in the co that I see every day next to my tables here in in in deal I mean I see guys that are you know don't miss a Seder and they come and they learn and they pour their hearts out into the Torah because torim you know Torah has a way to you know satiate the soul and also give it that Joy there's no better Joy than to um than to connect to the infinity you know to connect to the to and the way said this is where you should choose so the people that are the people that I see on a daily basis in my co I mean I do see a lot of happiness and joy there I do thank you for coming thank you so much for having me keep keep uh keep it up you know for cl they needed more than ever now with this war and everything that's happening now we got to work on it it's reading this book reading books like this and this something that helps tremendously and it's we should the Goof project is coming out so that should give a lot of people you know hopefully inspiration and we should dance with thanks so much for having me I hope you all enjoyed this week's episode with yoi hope you got more of an understanding about the power of music and how careful you have to be with what you enter into your Nish it's hard for everyone but this is not just with hearing it's also with seeing we have to be careful we know with what we watch what we look at and we all have challenges we all have trials and tribulations and at times we do fall but we have to remember to get back up Hashem made us human we're not six in Stones we have challenges we have temptations and if we do full with through it's not what defines us B there are going to be some incredible guests and content coming soon some interviews inspirational videos please follow And subscribe for more please comment on this episode it helps please comment share like subscribe please remember to subscribe to Parish knowledge free great inspiration for your shopping table it's beautiful inspiration and a story for it's good for all ages please check it out email par gmail.com visit par.com and M get it for yourself it will change your way of learning M so please get one at your local book stor beautiful pictures illustrations notes commentary everything you need good for all backgrounds all learning levels if you'd like to reach out to us you could email Jewish and joyful it's a letter N Jewish letter and joyful gmail.com thank you for listening and have an amazing day cry no more ye shall I yeah holding jerus shine once more you should we we need to see you proud again upon the mountain of I say hear them cry I I ain't no more oh yeah we wait for that day when we'll cry no more [Music] 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