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?

Shmuly Lowenthal, Brooklyn | “Torah Hakedoshah” (Maaminim Bnei Maaminim, 2001)

My pick is “Torah Hakedoshah,” and here’s why: Some of my family and I were very close to Rav Yisroel Belsky ztz”l. After he was niftar, we went to daven at his kever on Har Hamenuchos, and then we sang “Torah Hakedoshah,” a song that captured our deep emotions and our connection to him. We just all broke down and cried as we thought about our beloved rebbi. Rebbi was all about the Torah, and he made it a beautiful song — “hashirah hazos” — for all of us. Then there’s the beautiful tune, and MBD’s voice. Overpowering.

MBD'S TAKE

“Harav Belsky ztz"l was a Torah giant with a brilliant mind in all aspects of life. I had the honor and priviledge to spend an entire unforgettable Succos with him in LA one year. May he be a meilitz yosher for all his talmidim and for all of Klal Yisrael.”

 (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 738)