Teens share experiences of personal growth and sacrifices made, and the benefits they’ve seen 

A Musical Journey

Last year my parents decided to give up listening to all secular music as a zechus for something. (My parents are baalei teshuvah, so they grew up listening to that music.) My parents didn’t force me to join them. But since both my parents didn’t listen to the music anymore, we couldn’t play it in the house. I also became more conscious of the music I played, and I made my own decision to give up secular music too.

I then began exploring the topic of music. There was one particular interview I heard, with Yaakov Shwekey, that resonated with me. He explained how music really penetrates and can have a strong impact on the neshamah. I began to reflect on some of the music I had been listening to and realized there was so much garbage in it. A lot of the content — the messages in the songs — were totally not relevant to me or my life, and for that matter, were completely against our values. Once I recognized this, I gained an appreciation for our Jewish music with its depth and relevant messages.

Making the decision was hard, but I don’t regret it because I know it was the right thing to do. It’s been a while since I revamped my playlists and deleted all secular artists. And to be honest, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. I’ve slipped up since then, but I’m on the right track. Telling myself “I don’t listen to non-Jewish music” kind of helps.

My parents took this upon themselves as a zechus to be able to buy a house, and Baruch Hashem we were able to buy a house that we’ve since been enjoying immensely. So that was huge!

As for my personal life? I’ll be honest: I haven’t seen any direct benefits or earthshattering rewards or recognition…. But I realize that this isn’t like a one plus one equals two equation. That’s not how the world works. That’s not how Hashem works. However, I have become a more refined person, and I know how to better define my values, so in that way I’ve gained so much.

This year, I decided to take my kabbalah a step further, and gave up music during Sefirah even when exercising. I usually exercise to fast-paced Jewish music or music without lyrics, and giving that up was really hard for me. I’ve heard that there may be a heter for listening to music while exercising, specifically if it’s a song I don’t like, but I’ve tried to stay strong. It might be a maybe-okay thing to do, but for me it’s really not. I feel good that I’m doing the right thing, especially because any emotional value that would come from listening to music would be with a guilty conscience.

I know I’m doing the right thing, and nothing feels better than that. That feeling has been my greatest reward.

Esther R.