#163: Behind the Bima - Yaakov Shwekey

from Boer rone Florida this is behind the beima on this week's episode rabbis efim Goldberg Josh broi Philip masit are joined by the iconic Jewish music star Yakov schw as one of the most beloved voices in the Jewish world yako shweky has touched the hearts of countless listeners through his powerful songs that Inspire and unite communities across the globe known for bringing both Joy and deep emotion to his music shweky shares his Reflections on this past year one filled with profound challenges for the Jewish people and how he has used his talent to uplift and support the Jewish Nation particularly in Israel from singing for soldiers to comforting families during times of immense pain shweky discusses the role of Music in healing unity and resilience plus we dive into the emotional preparation for Simas Tor this year balancing Joy with sorrow and the deeper meaning behind his latest projects all this and more behind the beima welcome back behind the Bea your host from Goldberg joined by my dear friends and colleagues Rabbi Philip moscot and Rabbi Joshua bro we're here to take you behind the Bea tonight's episode ised by a dear friend of ours Jonathan donath the great Dr Jonathan donath who's doing incredible extraordinary things with daily giving daily giving is just an amazing organization they don't take one penny for their overhead that is covered and every dollar that people give daily giving give a dollar a day and they give it out and they distribute it you're a member I'm a member we're all members it is insane to me that there aren't thousands and tens of hundreds of thousands of Jews who give a dollar a day like you'd put in the pushka they give out over7 million dollar a year $119,000 a day they do it to Diversified organizations that are all vetted and it's a way for you to diversify instead of you're spending that time taking that time dividing up your dollar every day your dollar gets split up and it's amazing so I I love it everybody should be going to daily giving.com ORS giving donating signing up being part of it everybody has to be um you know again we don't get anything bokeron synagogue does not get money from daily giving for whatever reasons its requirements and and we're okay with that so we are not encouraging you to give to daily giving because they give to us we are not on their list we're encouraging it because there should be hundreds of thousands of Jews who give a dollar a day through daily giving and they can make an even bigger difference as they have throughout the war in Israel and around the world go to daily giving and be part of it today yeah tell tell tell them that you heard it on behind the Bea that's why you're joining daily Gil yeah no joke 100% 100% you have to tell them where you found out about it absolutely daily giving.org um Rabbi MTZ how is your commitment to be warmer friendly fuzzy or nicer to people coming along I actually had a big first of all I mean I guess you'll have to ask other people how that's going but I had a big test this morning I was walking out a sh and I had a very um rigorous schedule in other words I knew that I was on a certain time commitment and I wanted to get a certain number of things done before I came into the office and formally sat down at my desk and as I was going from the SCH to the Bas medish a gentleman stopped me and it was very clear that the gentleman needed to speak and wanted to speak and had a lot to get off his shoulders and you know there was a part of me and I didn't know who this person was he was someone I'd never necessarily met before and there was a part of me that wanted to you know hi nice to meet you have a good day and move on and I caught myself and I said you know what this exact what my aot is this is exactly what it's all about and I I stopped myself and I allowed myself to feel present in the conversation and I couldn't help the person he has uh you know things that need to be uh addressed beyond the scope of what we were able to do in a few minutes but uh I held myself and I really tried to be present in the conversation and to see him and to acknowledge and to empathize and it felt good afterwards you know I didn't I didn't get to everything I wanted to get to but in a weird way I I accomplished more than I ever anticipated so yeah good for you that's good Rabbi Brody check in tell us what's going on with your commitments okay so far so good we just took on a new one it's always hard to get the you know the schedule right so that everything works and I really have to unfortunately leave sh just to get the kids to school so I can not do something else so that's so I missed like the last minute of doing now but I'm trying to figure that piece out but uh I I I joined you I joined you I took the what was it the ice bucket challenge we're bringing the ice plunge challenge or whatever we're calling it and um I gotta tell you it's day two day two today and it was not easy let's just clarify it's not my ice plunge that you're going in you're not coming to my house correct you're finding another solution another place I found a solution and I'm not telling anyone else because I do not want to bump into anyone in this place so uh it's what temperature do you know the temperature on your ice bath it's yeah it's in the 50s I think the low 50s I could find out that's reasonable low 50s that's respectful respectful but it is it is uh I thought yesterday when I did it I thought I was gonna die I really thought because I realized about 10 seconds and I wasn't breathing so I really thought I was gonna die today I got in started breathing right away I said now now you know what I'm doing started flailing my arms my legs trying to keep warm you realize you can't keep warm you're freezing water but tried my best how do you feel after an hour or two later clean and aake alive and a rush you feel it the whole day I felt it till I went to sleep last night it's it's very intense it's and I don't know if it's for everyone everyone can give it a shot but uh it's another what I'm gonna get you guys for your birthdays you know you guys have big birthdays coming up this year I'm not going to say what number but you both have big birthdays coming up I'm gonna buy you each rubber ducky you go into your ice plunge you could you could have your rubby duck I want you know something I would take that our friend our friend laser shiner told us that in the men's Mikvah in shiners in Muny in 184 sh they got rubber duckies in the men's Mikvah just to be playful to be fun I'm going to get you each rubber duckies like to you okay fine I I'll accept it would you go in with your rubber ducky I would go with a rubber ducky let me just tell you I don't I don't know what's going on around me all I know is that I have my music blasting as loud as it can go I'm pretty sure that everyone can hear it even through my my headphones well you wear your headphones in the ice plunge yeah and then I took them out right before to put my head in right at the last you got to do you got to dunk the head in fact my latest research has shown me the latest I was listening to uberman is talking about the impact of cold on the head the face is such an important part of it because if you only go up to your neck there're actually people who complain about getting headaches and other issues because you're separating your body from your head in it so you got to dunk the head at one point in fact I will say here at the risk of being in trouble later with members of my family this morning I had to get to the cola Boker very early and I didn't have time to do my plunge I did it yesterday and I'll try to do it again later so I said you know but I don't have time but I just saw this said you know what I just I went to my plunge I just ducked my head in I held my head under water I just held my head under the water in the ice plunge just a couple seconds just till I felt it now was enough yeah got my Rush no but I tell you the the way I'm sitting down in this thing it's like a bathtub so at the end I wanted to go and slide and put my head under and I realize as I'm sliding under it's very hard to get your head under and also prevent the word from just like going up your nose but for two seconds I got it I W ask both of you how proud are you I feel like Jews around the world yesterday today we're all a foot taller I mean what Israel has pulled off is a miracle probably not less than the sixth day war when you think about how long this must have been worked on to create a factory in Hungary and get terrorists to order from you and then rig all the equipment that they get and somehow have it distributed and build in the technology to make it go off at the same time and have all of them go off and and and and really only take out the people who need to be taken out and through that reveal the networker who are terrorist you know my kids were saying could you imagine like you know I don't know let's say there was a a husband a father who hasn't shared with his family he's a member of Hezbollah but all of a sudden his pager explodes at the dining room table all a sudden they learn what remember like they it revealed the whole network who they are and and then round two at the funerals of round one now the walkie-talkies are blowing up now you basically took entire network of people who want to kill you you just took them into the Ice Age Into the Dark Ages you just took them offline Off the Grid unable to communicate and the pride I I don't know could is there anyone else on Earth who would have had the Ingenuity the creativity the capability the courage to pull this the the holy to pull this off and of course the Divine assistance hasem is we're so grateful to Hashem for doing it I don't know I Jews are walking around I feel like two feet taller these last couple days um it's really really remarkable you we're having a speaker we're having a speaker this year Ronan Bergman burn Bergman I think his name is he's a writer for the New York Times but he also wrote a book about the mosad rise and kill first I think it was called so my son's actually reading it now because he saw the name in the weekly and he's excited about it and so in the context of what happened yesterday and reading the book you know it's amazing as you said like the the things that have been happening behind the scenes that sometimes it takes years sometimes we we don't even find out the full story about what is has been able to accomplish to deter our enemies and to push them away it's uh it really is nothing short of a miracle it's amazing if F would have put out an episode like this everyone would be like oh that wasy cool but you wouldn't believe it right it would have been like oh that's that's too crazy that could never happen yeah people are saying if anyone tried to sell Hollywood a scripts that was on day one now you say that the story continues that there's a and we don't know what day three is gonna be we don't know what the three might have might these guys have to be shivering now we saw videos we saw videos yesterday of yeshivas in Israel that were singing and dancing and and saying Hal um and I know you put out a tweet about that R Goldberg uh wavering whether or not you supported that or not so I'm curious your opinion on whether or not we should be publicly celebrating or is that a bad look for the Jewish people yeah my my tweet actually wasn't about those those yeshivas per se because I actually have no problem here at BRS we said extra to Hill them last night introduced it we spoke about these to are not only I need you God but their thank you God and our thank you has to be a passionate as are I need you um and then later last night at the at a n women's program we did it again the idea that the Jewish Community internally would offer prayers would sing would dance would celebrate frankly would make aim look at this Brazen bolda incredible exper we've eliminated some enemies I have no problem with any of that my whole question and and the tweet and it generated a lot of conversation online and offline is um social media right because we we wouldn't I wouldn't before I don't think you would either go going down to Town Center going to our local mall and handing out candies I don't think we'd go to paletto Park Road stop cars hand out candies enemies do right because that's what our enemies do it's a bad look it's complicated I think internal gratitude and celebration absolutely warranted um but I think that external so how do you view the internet and social media is that more like the mall or the public thoroughfare is that more like so when you see these memes let me ask you Lim test let me ask you limit test CNN or New York Times or Wall Street Journal did an article and that article they showed these videos and said Orthodox Jews celebrating the death and mutilation of thousands ofah Freedom Fighters in in you know in in Lebanon right would you look at that with pride or would you like cringe a little bit well I what I would hope the way that they would say it I mean most of the media I wouldn't trust to get it right but I would hope what they would show those they're not singing and dancing in fireworks that like people died they're thanking God for protecting them by eliminating a threat of enemies it's a very subtle message it's a nuanced message and I think that's what we want to project so if we if there were a video crew last night when we said this extra tum where that heard the words that accompanied it I would hope the story that it would tell is a group of Jews who love Israel got together and thanked God and celebrated this miracle of defeating an enemy that we're trying to eliminate it and I think that's what PM is about and khaka is about and that's what our holidays are about and pesak is about and I think aash is about and guess what we were doing so that I agree with you that's where and this was my question and I want to be very clear I took a lot of heat for it including somebody on Twitter who wrote hilariously hey Gramps we're fighting a war here so I'm I'm a grandfather I'm a very proud grandfather I have no problem being called Gramps hey Gramps I enjoyed that so but um but what I think we should be thinking about and I don't have a conclusion and I'm not judging anyone I'm asking it as a we live in a world where you're not even allowed to think out loud anymore I'm thinking out loud and curious for people's input of in the social media public space those memes that we find hilarious about this which they're funny which I have no problem if you want to share in our internal WhatsApp groups I have no problem if somebody shows me or or shares with me privately when we're posting them when we're celebrating is that more like handing out candies at the mall or is that more like prayer in our local Sho and that's all I'm I'm worried about and I've gotten a lot of feedback but including a lot of people who it resonated with who also feel a little a little discomfort with that and the messaging maybe it's sending out and arming our enemies being able to accuse us well you're just like them you're also celebrating now in the feedback did you get was there a discrepancy between people in America or people in Israel or was the in other words did Israel view it differently than Americans no no on many times that would be a yes but here it was not um here here it was not again I I I clarified I WR a follow post because I I think it needed to be clarified maybe I wasn't clear the first time but I wasn't coming from the angle of you know our enemies are also God's creations and we should be so sad that they had to die even though we did need to kill the I no they're evil Wicked animals the world's a better place without them I have no hesitation that they need to be killed or maimed or emasculated or whatever was done to them blinded I'm I'm good with all that that's not my hesitation I'm coming from a purely strategic point of view a a purely messaging point of view which is we're in the public sphere the world's looking now there were people who said the world hates us they're always going to hate us no one's ever faired to us we're done caring about the world if we want to post memes and laugh and celebrate Spike the football who cares I want you to know hear that too I hear that yeah and the other side says don't give up on the world there's a big world and there are people watching and we can shape opinions and we should be strategic and thoughtful with what we're posting and what impression we're leaving and you know what I hear that too and that's why I'm saying I'm conflicted I'm conflicted I'm not sure which way are you leaning like if you like is it 5050 or just a drop more in the in the One Direction I'm just curious for myself I don't I don't know either I'm leaning more towards send me the memes I'm laughing at them they're hilarious I have no problem private I'm leaning more towards that our messaging online and public facing should be gratitude to God and to the courageous people who made it happen um celebrating that evil enemies have been eliminated but without sort of the glibness or the Glee or the callousness or because I think and we're do a victory and we're do a win and we were do good news and we deserve to laugh and smile and I get all that too you know just and we also don't know how this ends like if Hezbollah if this was amazing and Israel had its calculation why they needed to do it why they need to do it now but as B turns around and unleashes a barrage of ballistic missiles are we still laughing are we laughing a little too soon are we laughing little prematurely I'm just all I'm advocating for is let's be thoughtful let's be intentional let's be thoughtful let's not just do what feels funny or good in the moment what do you think reban mcats you know it's interesting in football they always talk about like don't give the other team Bolton board material don't say something about the other coach don't say something about the other quarterback because they're going to plaster that on their locker room and they're going to use that as F fuel to fire you know to fire fire whatever fuel to fire them and they're going to come back with a vengeance and you're going to regreted that comment so a little bit as you're talking I feel that way of like what do you need to rub it in like we all know there was a victory Israel to its credit never gloats like APAC in other words they do their thing and then they they do it behind the scenes and they let their actions speak for themselves and I happen to agree with you I'm not sure that it's the best public look but I also understand the visceral reaction of many people you know of um KES has a beautiful Insight when he talks about why the Jewish people were able to sing song after C yamu after the splitting of the sea all these Egyptians just died why are we singing so he says to them he goes you know one the the difference between us and the angels is the Angels didn't go through it we went through it right and when you go through something like that there's a natural reaction when you see someone who's been tormenting you and terrorizing you there there's a human reaction to that and that's kind of why I asked you if you saw a difference between Israel and America because I would get it for people in Israel who've been living with that tension now for a year to finally have that Victory and to celebrate it I would understand that I do I'll throw in one other variable that some people commented and I and I learned from this I I heard this this is an interesting one too which is in the Middle East in the Arab world power speaks and humiliation also so the notion that there are these hilarious memes and it's humiliating them that is a that's adding to the victory the victory is not just devices exploding in their pockets the victory is a world that's laughing at them and that maybe who knows maybe in Lebanon people rise up and say we're sick and tired of of Hezbollah doing this to us we're the laughing stock of the world and therefore so I hear that maybe that's a variable too but my my again my only point is like let's say we have some coordinate message that says let's go online and humiliate them because that's part of our strategy in this war then great but let's just do it strategically let's do it because we've calculated that that's makes sense I'm not sure that the people posting the memes are are being thoughtful about what impacts the Middle Eastern um you know Arab way of thinking and that this is adding to our Victory so we should just be thoughtful and nuanced that's all I'm saying but isn't that the problem with social media in general in other words videos go out there but there's no Nuance there's no context and you're riant on the listener or the person watching it to make their own assumptions and here as you said that could be a dangerous thing yeah it most certainly is I agree with you I agree with you I'll tell you somebody who's having an positive impact on the world and that is yak Shi not only the gift of his beautiful voice but in Israel over this last year all the difference he's made there for families and for soldiers there and uh the many projects that he has and really excited and honored to be able to welcome him on and go behind the beima to learn a little bit about SOS versus ashkanazi SOS and Y and differences and much more it's a real pleasure and a privilege to welcome the great Yakov schi what an honor and privilege it is to go behind the beima with the one and only the great Yakov Shi somebody who has inspired and uplifted and brought Simka and brought tears and brought Comfort to so so many people thank you so much for making some time in a really busy busy season of the year to be with us yob it's great to be with you it's an honor to be here really is H to be here I don't know about the Bea part you guys with the Bea gets me a little uh you know we don't think you get we don't think you get nervous being on a be but that's why we're we're behind the Bea so I want to start out I want to start out you know it's a it's a very deep time of the year a very thoughtful time of the year we're in L we're getting ready and it's been a a year for the Jewish people when we all were daving last year a year ago when you were saying for a month and we were saying it for a week and certainly on rash we never could have imagined the year that we were going to have and I know during this year mishak recently had a beautiful article talking about the work that you've done in Israel and giving support soldiers and families and victims families hostages could you talk to us a little bit about what this year has been like for you and how you've taken your talents your skills the opportunity that God has given you to use that to make your contribution for the Jewish people during this very difficult year what's it been like for you how have you been processing connecting with Israel and bringing your unique talents to this okay first of all being there being there for sukus you know before it started and singing the night before for over I don't know what it was almost 50,000 people there in Ashkelon and then having basically I couldn't see the end of the crowd and everybody was singing together and that's a a night before it was two nights before this October 7th we had such an amazing suus leading up to it and then all of a sudden all you know catastrophe broke loose and we were we were at a shock you know with families and with kids trying to get out and everything but at the end of the day the way we left Israel was such a such a sad feeling because we had such an unbelievable time suus and then all of a sudden all these injuries and people dying and this that we didn't know how to make I didn't even know how to explain it to the kids we ran to Greece we were in Greece and they were asking me questions I'll never forget it like why why this that we had such an amazing suus and all of a sudden you know the you know turns into you know really manavis and I was explaining to them the history of the Jewish people trying to explain to my young kids and then and then understanding that you know they have a religion for some reason their religion and their Hashem set up the world in a way that's you know that that the Jewish people have to face challenges we have this these you know uh and explained in the most posture simple way possible but we had such a and I got back and we started the K again and uh my R I had a meeting with my r and he said Yakov I think the way you left Israel now it's time you know to go back in a different in a different facet to sing for people who have lost loved ones and to go to and understand that this is your time to to sing you know from the depths of your heart and also sing to console people and to really go to to the hospital visit I went to visit the hospital Rabbi grman I went to but I and I called him from there and I told him Rabbi Diamond you were so right the the way I mean as soon as I landed in Israel my wife Janine we we actually danced with tala guys in the airport like you wanted to just hug a yid wherever you were you felt I went there during the war just when it you know a few weeks in I went back because I said I can't just leave that way I have to go back and sing for the soldiers sing for you know give them what else can you give someone in a hospital Hospital what you can't give them money you can't give them I mean listen of course they need the support money is great and this that but but emotional support and spiritual support I felt that I told my Ros and I'm telling you know the rabbis here that the meaning of song meant a lot deeper in those times uh to sing shemai to sing raim to sing and to pray through song I'll never fig get the emotions you said the tears I went to a home where they lost three people and one family it was like it it's it's and we just I'll never forget I went to Tel Aviv I'll just say this I went to uh uh I forgot their last name the girl that was on the the motorcycle and she was taken she was like the the the poster you know with the with with with the terrorists taking there and I went to the father I said 'you know what we don't know this family from Adam we're just going to come in it's a time of just like I said the Love is in the air and we are just going to go there and see what's what and David actually David was with us and he said yeah let's just walk in we're a group of you know five six people seven people we went there I'll never forget I went there and there was a lot of news you know people waiting outside and we just went into the apartment building and we saw a man just pacing back and forth and they told me somebody told me from the news that this is the father of the girl and we felt like hey how are we going to just like okay we're here to sing we're here to I said you know what let's just we went upstairs we said we were here to visit and he was like very very very you could tell the Brokenness and the sadness just by looking at him and seeing pacing back and forth he couldn't and he tells me in Hebrew you know she's very sick my wife and I don't know if this is I said the truth is if it's not a good time we'll come back we just came from America and we wanted to just you know be with you and just sing with you and and he looks at me and he says you know what let's let's just do a few minutes my wife is said no problem we had a guitarist and we started to [Music] sing and we just closed our eyes and thought of his daughter and we said you know we want to just pray with you we're here to just you know try to you know break open the gates of heaven with you and he started to cry and we were there not for a few minutes we were there I think it was like two and a half hours and he got up at the end and I'll never forget these words he says I thought you guys were just strangers coming to I feel like I know you my whole life and we are we are really family he brought out his wife she was sick and she unfortunately she passed away a little bit after you know she got out his daughter got out it's a miracle we celebrated when she got out but she he he was like a noi said I know she's coming out and I know she and we would just I tell you the feeling that we had we were Lo really like family and my Ros cried many times through the whatsapps I kept him uh you know I wanted to just keep him you know in touch and what's happening because he was the one who really told me hey it's time to miss learning you can't learn right now you have to go sing Hashem gave you a talent you have a talent to go sing and the truth is the meaning and the depth of song at those moments and in those days were something I'll never forget thank you what does uh simp Tor look like coming up to this year obviously a lot of people are wondering every sh's trying to figure out and communities are trying to figure out uh for you you know bottling up all those emotions and those experiences and referencing the power of song What's simor going to be like for you is it going to be festive and you're going to be envisioning all the suffering of the Jewish people but channeling it through happiness is it going to be a little bit more muted how are you gonna balance that tension of emotions on Sim Tor this year good question that's a good question I'll probably have a lot of emotion there's no question like a lot of people will because I just flashes come to me all the time of the pictures of the people especially we did a concert here for the special children center with had thousands of people here in deal and we brought aav who we're very very close to actually I'm going to Israel tomorrow and she's she's gonna be you know speaking with me in in Rana um in a and well we're making a whole event Saturday night and she's going to be with me she actually spoke a few days you know to a lot of people thousands of people here in deal and two days after her son was shot you know by the terrorist who she really held out tremendous faith that she's gonna see him and she was like already and you know celebrating the fact that he's going to come out because the Army kept telling her that he's alive anyway all these stories and all these yeah Will flash um but at the end of the day the par now tells us you know we have a job as a yid to always it's it's it's of course easier said than done but Hashem wants us to realize that he's a before Malo and yes it's y it's it but just like you have to be and he is the most merciful yeah we don't know the end goal we have no idea we know it's now it's at the end of the day you have to muster up as a yid to really you know yes empathize yes sympathize yes cry with the people yes feel the pain but at the end of the day if you're here in this world and you're above the ground and you're still breathing and you're still singing and you're still a rabbi you know uh inspiring people m co you you have everything you have the wherewithal you have here you have a job to be and yes those feeling you're going to it's going to be basically a dual feeling yeah emotion but yet we have the to we have CL is booming like they never you know before in terms of quantity for sure as far as to is being spread and all the inspiration and how many people how many people I mean even now aav is telling me she's singing that song she I I I thank Hashem I was in a position to have my son you know the many years that I had him and yet I thank Hashem also that I was able to bury my son I mean you're talking about a nation that is so elevated and is so beautiful the other day I was talking to kids in Los Angeles I gave them a I was back and forth with them on on on how proud I am of those kids that decided to filter their phones they're coming from non-religious homes we want to do something for the Jewish people we want to filter our devices so they went and they did and I I I don't know I was just I sometimes you feel like you're part of a Nation that's way above te and Hashem is gonna give us the K to dance again amen you know that's that's that's the that's the feelings I'll have amen you know last night Rabbi Goldberg was giving a class at the Sho and he's talking about tilila it just happens to be up to the part of shon where it talks about shenu and said it doesn't sayat it says listen to our voices and I'm just wondering as a singer do you do you feel a certain pressure right now that people are looking for another way to express their emotions and express their feelings you have a great song out now United We Stand it's it's it's it's the story of what we're all going through in the in the past year and maybe just a side question when you put out a song like United We Stand which is all mostly in in English you have you know an international audience do you feel a pressure to somehow translate it re-release it in Hebrew or if you put out Hebrew songs you feel a pressure it's such a great great message I I got to figure out how to translate this into English or how does that work when you when you don't have one audience you're not Israeli and you're not American you're International how do you how do you do that so I mean I wouldn't use the word pressure but I would use the word responsibility um I I feel that I am responsible you know to try to reach every yid possible and it does it does um you know you have these feelings of now right now I'm putting out an EP of a bunch of different songs so you'll see in the last even few years of all the songs that have coming out there are different types of songs uh catered to different you know sections of the Jewish people um now now it's not a pressure but it is I feel like you can reach so many different types of people with different sounds of music not everybody loves the same music I'll never forget when I started the Israeli Trend you know way back and telling my kic producer at the time that we got to do a spartic album he was looking at me like who's gonna buy a spartic album I said I'm feeling it so if I'm feeling it a sh put it in my heart to feel such a thing I want to do something different and I'll never forget the first people that went to buy the LI album were and they're calling me how much they love it and how much I should so you never know but you have to cater and then started the Israeli Trend and everybody started to do more Israeli and this that and then we now we're in situation where everybody's doing everything but at the same time the song has to be inspirational the key is that the message of the song the message no matter what style you're doing you can cater to a certain right now I'm doing a remake one of the songs that I'm I'm doing I'm doing actually my friend from eth day beny Marcus we did a song called Jewish child um I loved it came to me a feeling I'm just trying to show you that that on a M random M I think it was a year ago and I called beny Mor because I said you know what I I don't know how I got to him I met him somewhere whatever it was say Betsy would you like to arrange the song Jewish child you know for MOSI yes who I loved growing up and he's like yako that's my favorite s of all time that song inspired me to you see random things that are happening which are not random really but Hashem gives you the feeling I think as a singer and as a SCH I see it all the time that just different thoughts right now I'm working on a big shabas project with Arts gr I don't know why now it's five years ago I had the idea but now we're actually doing it I'm writing the book with Sly besser about zirus and we have tremendous inspiration coming out of mitm with with zirus and chabas I'm creating a bunch of medes but why now there are certain and certain things I'm sure as a rabbi that you guys that you rabbis could tell me that you said a certain thing at a certain time in a jussa that related to certain people that were sitting there so yeah it's a responsibility but yet Hashem gives you the thoughts and theay to really at the time that CLA needs like a song United We Stand I sang it last night actually at the uh the Center event we had in the five towns and so many people came over to me afterwards after hey I'm so relating to that song that we need Unity now and this and that and so many different stories just from last night and it's goes to show you that we with the is is that Hashem is really running everything and giving you the right so many stories of hospitals of different people and sha and and not for people coming over to me from you know how much last night the guy tells him my wife became religious from your music so I really goes yeah the song he tell me he's a g I had a whole story last night about his wife becoming a from yid through now we get this all the time but you really start to sit back and say hey that's a just for that it's everything is worth it forget about it's it's on a daily basis getting stories and letters and just from from people that and music has I got to tell you I I I lost both my parents in the last uh I'm still in the year of my father you know back to back and I had to do jobs during during the uh avus process after the seven days you know being the fact that it's parosa and I started to really understand deeper you know that I'm singing the songs to myself now you know when I needed the N myself when I was in a situation where I was very very despond and down and sad about what was happening on we are a miracle and cry no more and was really spinning you know for me to look in the mirror and say hey I didn't just write you know songs for everybody else it's everybody's human and I'm human and I'm going through emotions of sadness and of this and and it's time for me to you know spend and as I'm closing my eyes singing and and and I'll never forget I was right after day after the Shiva fori in Spain and there's a thousand students from all over the world you know that are just becoming religious and listening to we are a miracle and this that and I'm closing my eyes and say hey it's a miracle the fact that I'm here singing or whatever the thoughts I had so that's the I again I don't look at it as a pressure I look at it as a responsibility I look at it as a tremendous H I told the guy last night that his wife became like what is h what is H to tell me that a song changed your life and she's lighting candles and you guys are from and you're you're enjoying the Torah life said what a way to uh you know it's it's a beautiful s thank Hashem for it I I want to follow up on the the unity not only the song but I think it's a big part of who you are and and why we love you and so many do Yakov is that you transcend so many of the differences between the Jewish people right you're you're comfortable in the ashkanazi world and you're true to being aardi and you're part of Community the Shish community and yet your song I must have listened to it a thousand times over the last 11 and a half months and play it and we play it in our lobby and outside our Sho it's on our playlist because it's it's so powerful and and so many of the things that divide other people you transcend a lot of those differences and you're part of all of these communities and everyone considers you one of them and it's it's wonderful it's beautiful it's exactly demonstrating and living that Unity is that complicated is it hard to do that if you put out a mish forah or one of your concerts I think it was in quesaria years ago where you called soldiers on the stage you told them to stand up those are those are precious seminal moments they're they're captured for the Jewish people do you feel pressure from a segment of the community we're going to be or the other direction if you're siding you know in a yeshivish way are you going to say well what happened to the the T part of the your fan base is it hard to be you know do the fire him say yakob what's with the yish songs you're putting out you know you're betraying your sari roots or maybe if you're coming out with the sari how do you navigate all of that um and and the people who are putting pressure because there are always those who are looking to divide there's always those forces that negativity the it's trying to divide you got to stay really focused on being united how do you navigate and overcome that well first of all as you see the picture behind me as I'm looking into the camera you see Shalom who I was very very close to and I'll never forget one of the visits I I went there bar I was able to go many many times and sing for him and be a part of many even private things just with his family and he told me the first time I told because I wasn't used to it I just started singing and I had a lot of you know uh I think it was negative media and a few people that really it was just a handful of people that just wanted to create like you said just create negative and I went over to him I said you know I didn't sign up for this I love music I'm I'm learning I'm doing this also uh I'm enjoying it so much I feel that you know the Sala says that if a Jew has a gift and has an AA towards you know something if you don't you know take that gift and do something with it you know they're gonna ask you you know after 120 I gave you a gift you didn't do anything so I'm trying to do the best I can I also want to make a prosa out of it so I'm juggling everything and I asked him his advice like he says yob he says anytime you do good and you feel in your heart that you are true to who you are you have nothing to worry about and I'm first of all I'm here to protect you if you need anything he said he said if you need anything and anybody says you don't and since that meeting I said I'm gonna do whatever my heart tells me to do I'm not gonna I'm not GNA cater to anything I don't really care about pressure I'm not afraid of he wasn't afraid of anything so I took that Mantra from him um he actually in his younger days for sure I got stories from people who really saw it anytime he got a call to give a Shear for soldiers anywhere in Israel he took a helicopter many times to go out of his way you know to treat the soldiers with love and to give them the appreciation you know and putting politics aside and he just loved the people I'll never forget he told someone who begged him to go to um he says I have to go to he goes no you don't your wife doesn't want you to go to um you don't have to go to um he says if you want to go to somewhere holy go to where the soldiers are buried they gave they sacrificed everything for us go Davin and Har Herzel and go DAV over there he said so anyway I respected a lot his his way of life his and his opinions and you just have to be a a of love and you have to really want it I'll never the concept that you mentioned with the soldiers was just again a thought of mine and a Paris hotel after a concert in Paris years ago where they were sending Rockets against Israel and it was an emotional Night in Paris there thousands of people we were crying together we were singing sh is and I was I couldn't go to sleep it was like 2 three in the morning and I heard somebody sent me a message look at the news because there there rockets and this that so I wanted to know what's going on so I put on the news and I trying to get to CNN or whatever they had over there I don't know what what they didn't have Fox News and I I was trying to find anything in English and they're berading our soldiers on the every channel I see it in French and I see it I said what are our soldiers do wrong we're getting rockets at us and I just decided right then and there in the hotel if we're not going to stand up for our people and not care about anything about we're not going to do something ourselves about it and I the only way I can do it is through music I decided right then to take the mishab I'm gonna get back home Mish I called my manager who was actually there with me in the hotel it's 3 in the morning he was still up also I told him we have to do the greatest concert we've ever done for soldiers I I'll work on the sponsorships with you it's going to cost a lot it doesn't matter we have to do it right we got to get hundreds of musicians on St I had this whole idea he thought I was I was a little crazy and I'll never forget I had an interview with a very very leftist I think it was y one of the the most uh they wanted to interview me and I said no problem and she's asking me hey you're a religious guy why would you be doing something for soldiers and this and and I I answered her I said you know from the fact that you're asking me such a question we're in we're we're basically in a big problem because of that question the lack of unity I said the fact that I learned more Torah and the fact that I have a big black K on my head is really a proof that I should be more loving I should the Torah teaches us to care for one another and to do more and to why you why you she said oh yeah then would you put your own son in the Army I said the truth is I would ask my local Rabbi and my Rabbi who who nurtures me if that's the right thing for my son and then I'll make a decision but I won't make a decision based on you know the fact that you know uh this is a soldier and this is a learner and this I don't why we have why do we have to and here he is Shai Stern uh you know here Shai listen Shai we're here we're here in the middle of a call with with the rabbis with Rabbi Ephraim and and everybody sh you're sh you're on behind the Beamer right now we're in the middle of uh we're in the middle of our conversation with Yakov welcome we'll see you soon so anyway so so funny so I I I think from those questions and from first of all she didn't know how to answer those questions because it's not about it's not about politics and I and I want to tell you something the soldiers came thousands came we cried together we sang so the answer basically is if you feel that it's in your heart coming from a place of Purity it you don't have to be afraid of anything you ever have trouble crossing over you ever singing you're singing an ashkanazi song and you go into sadit or you're singing a Israeli song and you go ashaz is it how how do you do that it's hard so I had a guy uh you know not too long ago he came over to me he said I don't understand you I saw you last week in Williamsburg you was singing with a now I see you at an you know very modern Israeli Affair for soldiers singing in Hebrew and last year I saw you a regular lfish event so who are you so I looked at him I said first of all it depends who hires me the the but I did tell him I did tell him that it comes from an authentic place because my father I Shalom was was sparik he married a woman who total my mother Al Shalom was totally Ash she was born actually in DP camps in Germany you talk about you know total opposit and we were we were raised with every type of music in my house like we listen now actually I'm doing a remake also a diaspora song with alum Rosen Bloom I grew up to Diaspora I grew up with you know all Joe Amar I grew up with every type of music hiic music I grew up at the philonic you know so many we had a very musical household and we were anything that was music related and talent we basically sang in my and by by the way I'm relating that to the chabas project as well with Theus that we we sang everything so Moroccan Syrian ashas total kic so I grew up with that and that's a part of me and I really feel that music is listen music is the pen or said it's the pen of the Nish so is a Hashem by the way Hashem wants it this way doesn't he want it isn't the world a beautiful world where you have different sections of Jews we have to appreciate that instead of sometimes we look a lot of them come to my sh here on deal on Park Avenue a lot of come here for vacation and they said wow we're so so many people come over to me we're so much like you the smart I'm like yeah we are we got Sim we're happy with this we have a lot in common with each other and Hashem wants different different ways of serving that's that's the um that's the beauty of it we love when you break out the French also in songs that's that's always a hit in our family um obviously we're coming up to the Yum no yeah and you know as a rabbi the Yar means something different than it does for everyone else in the kahal because we're preparing D and we're trying to understand the mindset for you who music is obviously so Central to who you are what is the preparation the what does it mean when you're sitting there anding you're a professional Jew you're a professional singer but you're also a personal how do you balance those two during the am well I gotta tell you the the the uh in me is not so much uh you know the beima I'm I'm more I I really love to stay to myself during during doing um I do go up there when necessary but I don't like to I don't I don't know why just for some reason a singer and a khazan is a totally different you know World a singer is used to having a band behind him used to having a microphone and used to be able to perform with a band when you're doing it's such a personal between you and the Creator and I feel that if I have to you know think about the speed if I have to think about you know anything outside of you know trying to feel just even the postur of the words it it throws me off in a way so so I I don't like to always D for the I don't most of the time I don't when I have to say Kadesh just that far them actually hold that you you don't have to D for you just say kades so I do that but as far as um listen I I I had this of who is still alive from is in Rochester New York he composed actually he composed that song and he was the most beautiful beautiful that that I've heard and my brother also my older brother is also tremendous I was around a few really that I really really loved but as far as as far as the Y listen the SP by the way have a much you know it's a happier song It's a happy yeah yeah it's not it's not in this generation we have to know that that works right the happiness Y is yeah it's it's a Nora noira is awesome awesome means that it's awesome doesn't have to be it's not sad it's the greatest we have to explain to the youth that it's it's the greatest gift in the world it's the most raim that you can ever imagine when we start yeah okay people get emotional it's good to cry sometimes the tears should come tears of emotion tears of inspiration okay but to take those tears and to to to sulk you know and to to be sad about it it's the greatest gift in the world rashash it's a great and we if we if we as rabbis are able to calm down the people in a way that this is generation of we're very very close to mashia we know that we're very far away from the trepidation and the way they but at the end of the day like I said before in the par is is it true for everything you have to be and if that we we not able to they were able the trepidation that they had was able to get them to sim it wasn't we we say trepidation and fainting and this and that and then you know we're out no right the the the the whole point was so we we don't do that but we were if we able to transmit the ra and the and the gift the greatest gift in the world is hey a person gets into an accident God forbid and can you imagine he can go back and reverse the car and go backwards reverse that car and all of a sudden all the dents and all the they become whole again and all the can you imagine that that could be done in in the spiritual worlds that hey we did this we did that and has says no I want you to reboot I want you to back up the car get that video you know how sometimes you can reverse the video and go and go back and that car becomes shiny hole again it's it's it's a beautiful gift and and it's something that we have to transmit to the people I saw in a sa for that you know russes night we say sim Milsa we have the apple and the honey and the pomegranate and the gourd and the head of the sheep so the sa brought down Sim Milsa the biggest Simon for rashish table that will bring a good year is a smile don't forget your face is also a Simmon the smile on your face is Simon Milsa I know we're short on time and we really appreciate um being able to go behind the beam up could we do a quick lightning round one word answers a few quick questions yes you're working on this amazing collaboration with Arts girls MOS besser I know you feel with all the amazing songs we have and M you know Ari Pearl has a bencher with almost 500 we can spend the whole shabas we sing those songs but we shouldn't abandon the ziros themselves what's your favorite zmer out of all the ziros favorite one one of my favorite ones is but I can't say I have one favorite there's many the RO favorite song what's your favorite song favorite schy song I mean who's your favorite child I mean I I can answer that but I'll be sleeping on the couch of course you have a favorite song This time of how about this what's your favorite schacky song today today today today if you could listen to one song from one of your albums today which song I would if I would if I were to go in the car and and put on a song right now it would probably be um which we took the worst in the words of Y we have a poem saying we're you know I don't know if you guys say it but it's a beautiful poem of telling Hashem that I'm everything that I have is really you um is is is there a song since October 7th written composed sung by someone else that's really touched you that's really touched me I mean not in a way that's I would say there was a song that I had to sing in the concert that I had to learn that I thought was very nice um I don't know the name of the song but it's I thought it was a unique amazing song that's become one of the anthems of this of this year is there is there a Jewish music performer that you have not yet sung with or collaborated with that you want to yeah I actually was on the phone with my manager yesterday and he asked me that same question and I said the truth is um there was this guy Amir dadon who I happened to love his voice um what do you say about maybe obviously has to be the right song the right you know so I'm actually when I go to Israel now I'm supposed to be meeting him and sitting with him seeing what's what so yeah you you hit right on the nose there yeah news looking for I get one more hold on when we had we had a concert here earlier this year and Goldberg and I were in the his office with the musician and right before he went on stage it was the most beautiful site the musician paused and started doing to Hashem that was the last thing he did do you have AA that you say before you go out to sing is there something yeah conversation you have with Hashem I do I say I want I I wish that my performance is not just a performance just for myself it's a it's really I wish that people can come out I always say this please Hashem don't let first of all any takala come out of it um because music could be you know Towing the line you know when we do certain songs and this that but at the end of the day I want people to walk out wherever I perform and be closer to you I'm talking to Hashem I said I hope that when people get up it's not just a performance and we don't look at our industry as entertainment I don't look at it that way it's not entertainment this is you know we're we're we're we're together in song and in prayer and I hope that when people get up for my performance can say that they have a better relationship and more emotional relationship with the Creator than than we've done something we can't thank you enough for your time there's so much we didn't get to your wife's amazing work the special children center in Lakewood and the new another location and the work that she's doing for a population who needs so much love and support and your support of her in that it's incredible we'll have to we'll have to speak again the fact that you learn in a cola every morning I know when we were trying to schedule this conversation this interview it's one of the things that Blow Me Away about you a lot of people picture Jewish celebrities Jewish singers you know they're successful you know all day they're playing golf they're by the beach they SI pina coladas they're putting on concerts play you're learning every day the centrality of Torah learning for you the Simplicity the humility being part of a cola learning every day it's amazingly inspiring so much more to talk about we're going to have to do this again but for now thank you thank you thank you and we're looking forward you come back for tour Academy concert here in our community hopefully we're doing a shabas together this year and we're really excited and looking forward so thank you for all that you do I'm here thank you very much and everybody should have a sh we should hear amen amen thank you very much everyone catch us next time for another Peak behind the Bea