Back in 1973, a young man named Mordechai Werdyger slipped on to the Jewish music scene with a little-known album called Original Chassidic Melodies. While that early album never took off, listeners sat up when they heard Mordechai Ben David’s next album, Hineni, the following year. The magic of his new-old musical style and the sheer power of his voice soon won a place right at the heart of the frum soundtrack.

For over four decades, we’ve sung and danced, swayed and prayed, to hundreds of iconic MBD songs, the ones he wrote himself and those collaborations he made famous. And now we’ve asked our readers:

Which one of Mordechai Ben David’s songs has touched your life?

Ari B., UK | “Daddy Dear” (Yerushalayim Our Home,1988; The English Collection, 1998)

It’s a tough question, but I would go with “Daddy Dear,” particularly the version recorded on The English Collection. Hearing Mordechai singing with a child soloist, as a dialogue, it’s easy to imagine a father comforting his child, assuring him that there will come a time when Hashem’s cup of tears will be full. It never fails to move me, and was my go-to song during one particularly hard period in my life.

MBD'S TAKE

It is indeed one of my all-time favorites. Based on an eloquent medrash, it truly expresses the love Hashem has for all of us, and how He acutely feels our pain and suffering.”

 (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 738)