Readers share the backstory of a song that has empowered them to fight against the odds and win their personal war

Compiled by Riki Goldstein

We might not be donning military uniforms, but all of us, at some point in our lives, have faced our inner battlefields, strewn with challenge, heartache, temptation, or disappointment. Yet as you align yourself with Hashem’s Will, Mi la’Hashem Eilai: Is there a niggun that’s your battle cry?

Readers share the backstory of a song that has empowered them to fight against the odds and win their personal war

“It was so heartwarming to hear the words of Hashem’s love, no matter the situation”

AHAVAS OLAM, AN EVERLASTING LOVE

COMPOSED BY MICHOEL SHAPIRO

BENNY FRIEDMAN (WHISPERS OF THE HEART 3) 

It had been a rough year. Failed shidduchim with one child. Constant calls from my son’s rebbi about his truancy. Appointments with therapists and shadchanim that drained me of my funds and resources. During Sefirah, I bought some a capella CDs to tide me over in my despondent state. What really brought me to tears was Benny Friedman singing “An Everlasting Love.” It was so heartwarming to hear the words expressing Hashem’s love for us, no matter the situation: “The mountains may crumble, and the hillsides will fade away, but My love for you never ends…” The song became my mantra.

In the summer, we rented a home near a bungalow colony, where my children were enrolled in day camp. Walking back and forth each morning and evening, the song played on my phone. Some nights, as we wended our way down the winding road, my children were scared. I turned my phone on, the powerful voice of Benny Friedman resounding in the quiet Catskills night. My children relaxed. They felt the depth of the words. Hashem promised He would never, ever forsake us.

—Sori Schonfeld

“Even gentle schmoozing with people whose outlook is intensely foreign to mine can desensitize my neshamah”

MAH E’ESEH L’YISRAEL

COMPOSED BY RABBI HILLEL PALEY

In my workplace, I’m the only Jewish person in my department. Often enough I’m the only frum person in the building. My hours are long and stressful (and rewarding and allow me to support my family). In our office there is often gentle schmoozing among members of our team. I have learned, though, that even gentle schmoozing with people whose outlook is intensely foreign to mine can desensitize my neshamah. I have started to listen to music during these times, pointing politely to my earbud to excuse myself. Rabbi Hillel Paley has a song that I listen to on repeat during these times. The lab equipment hums, the printers churn out results, and I remember that Yisrael is the bas zug [partner] of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. What would we not do for HaKadosh Baruch Hu, who loves us so much?

—Chaya Friedman, Spring Valley

“It gives me the koach I need to keep fighting my yetzer hara and get back up”

SHEVA YIPOL

COMPOSED BY EITAN KATZ (OORAH SHMORG)

“Sheva Yipol” by Eitan Katz is a song that’s not flashy or fancy. I don’t even know if it made it to the mainstream outside of the Oorah Shmorg CD that I got many years ago. I don’t even listen to it that often. But when I’m feeling down about myself and my avodas Hashem, that song pops into my head and gives me the koach I need to keep fighting my yetzer hara and get back up. I am forever grateful to Oorah Shmorg and Eitan Katz for giving me the koach to keep going and not despair when I’m down.

—T.N., Minneapolis

“It made me realize that these people who are so dear to me won’t be here forever”

TICK TOCK (AL TOMAR)

COMPOSED BY COUNTRY YOSSI (COUNTRY YOSSI AND THE SHTEEBLE-HOPPERS VOL. 3)

“Tick tock, tick tock, time is passing by / Yesterday we said hello and soon we’ll say goodbye / Tick tock, life soon fades away / and all that’s left are memories, and then the judgment day / Hug your mama, tell her that you care/ Tell her that you love her for always being there / Hug your papa, look him in the eye / Tell him that you love him it just might make him cry / Don’t say when I have the time / Cuz maybe just maybe you’ll never have the time….” This powerful song still resonates deeply. Thirty years ago, as a young mother with a houseful of kids, I was touched by its reminder to cherish loved ones. My parents and bubbe lived in Canada, and though visits were challenging, this song moved me to action. I would hear this song and it would make me cry — it made me realize that these people who are so near and dear to me won’t be here forever. It took a lot of planning and wasn’t easy, but I don’t regret any of those trips at all. Country Yossi’s music touches hearts, and this song will forever be etched in mine.

—Miriam Berkowitz, Brooklyn

“I’d all but given up hope of making something of myself”

GO ON

COMPOSED AND WRITTEN BY SHIMI ENGEL (KLAL)

Yeshivah wasn’t for me. Or at least that’s what I’d convinced myself. I’d all but given up hope of making something of myself. Tenth grade was coming to an end, when Shimi Engel’s album Klal was released. In it was the song “Go On.” The song lit a fire in me, as if the composer was talking directly to me. It ignited in me a determination to make something of myself. In the next couple of weeks, I jumped into my learning and never looked back. My peers didn’t recognize me. My rebbeim were astonished. But I was on my own personal mission to reach what the song calls the “shpitz barg (peak of the mountain).” Recently, the new sensation Meilich Braunstein released a version of the song with his own unique touch, giving new life to the forgotten melody. I hope someone else going through similar struggles hears the song and makes it his battle cry.

—Moshe W., Lakewood.

“I know that although this path comes with its own challenges, it is the path toward my redemption”

AKIVA NICHAMTANU

COMPOSED BY BARUCH LEVINE

LYRICS BY RUCHIE TORGOW (PEDUSCHA)

During the Three Weeks, on the flight back from yet another unsuccessful date, the song “Akiva Nichamtanu” by Baruch Levine became more than just another niggun — for me, it became the battle cry empowering me to persevere and use my single status to thrive. The words, “And though we waited so many years, our faith remains the same that soon the time will come when we will know of no more pain….” echo my own struggle as I navigate the challenges of single life. I find comfort and strength in the parallel between my journey and Klal Yisrael’s enduring hope for geulah. Through Baruch Levine’s words, I’m reminded to keep my faith, smile through the pain, and know that although this path comes with its own challenges, it is the path toward my redemption. Along with Klal Yisrael, I too wait for my redemption and know that the plan is unfolding according to His will. “Akiva Nichamtanu” is my battle cry, empowering me to recognize the gratitude for what I have and transform the pain into laughter alongside the rest of Klal Yisrael.

—N. Jacob, Los Angeles

“Deep down, everyone thirsts for closeness with Hashem”

LO RA’AV LALECHEM

COMPOSED BY REUVEN HOROWITZ AND PINI EINHORN

PINI EINHORN (PINI) 

One song that empowers me often is “Lo ra’av lalechem, velo tzamah lamayim ki im lishmoa es divrei Hashem.” I’ve had many different temptations in my life. One of them was being associated with a crowd of people that I enjoyed being with, but who were not on a very high spiritual level. At one point, I enjoyed their company immensely, but then one of these friends began using very bad and shocking language during many of our conversations. Whenever I tried to stop her, she became belligerent. I was very distraught by her behavior, but I thought there was no way to change her. I was also disappointed that she began to compromise her Shabbos observance. I’d known her for many years, and I felt sad about the idea of breaking up our friendship.

But then I had a certain positive spin on this situation. There are times when I sing this beautiful song to myself, and then I realize that deep down, everyone thirsts for closeness with Hashem. This song echoes the words of the Navi, that one day there will be no hunger for food nor thirst for drinks, only the thirst of hearing the holy words of Hashem. This gives me inner strength not only to fight my spiritual battles, but to also help a friend fight hers.

—L. R.

“It reminded me that I could get through this and come out better on the other side”

CHALLENGE

COMPOSED BY CHAYALA NEUHAUS

SUNG BY GAVRIEL PELCOVITZ (MIRACLES III)

My last summer as a single was a particularly difficult one. Right before the summer began, a promising parshah ended abruptly, leaving me feeling lost and very hurt. Also, due to numerous misunderstandings, I was left without a job in the camp which I’d attended for the previous several summers, and was continuously rebuffed when I asked for permission to come just for a visit. I attempted to comfort myself by saying it must’ve been bashert so I could date during the summer — but then didn’t get a single suggestion all summer long. I was stuck in the city with nothing to do, no friends around, and no opportunities on the horizon. It was awful.

The one thing that carried me through the summer was Chayala Neuhaus’s song “Challenge” from the then newly released Miracles 3. Whenever I felt particularly down in the dumps about my situation, listening to it reminded me that I could get through this challenge and come out better on the other side. Baruch Hashem, I did, and to this day, singing this song helps me get through any challenges that life brings my way.

—Yossi Keilson, Baltimore

“As I looked at her in bed, a shell of the person she used to be, my heart ached for her suffering”

SHAKA CHAMA

REMADE WITH ADDITIONAL LYRICS BY SHLOMO YEHUDA RECHNITZ (SHIR 2)

I’ve always had a place in my heart for the original version, written in 1907 by Rosh Yeshivah Rav Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan, but when my youngest sister was so ill five years ago, the new version of this somewhat depressing song took on a special meaning. As I looked at her in bed, a shell of the person she used to be, my heart ached for her suffering. I could only console myself by knowing Hashem is all good and He has a plan. Reb Shlomo Yehuda’s new lyrics helped tune me into remembering that although life looks bleak, Hashem had given us the most precious of gifts — connection to Him.

—S.B.

“I love you enough for you to hate me for this”

STAND FOR YOU

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY ELI SCHWEBEL

As a teacher, when I have an internal battle about what to do regarding a student, the line “And I love you enough for you to hate me for this” from Eli Schwebel’s “Stand for You” gives me the koach to do what’s best for the students’ real benefit.

—Esti Weiss

“He played it for Hurricane Sandy, but the words really spoke to my own struggles”

BY MY SIDE

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY SHMULI MARCUS, 8TH DAY (ALL YOU GOT)

It was 2012, and I was struggling at work, doing cold call sales and not getting any leads. Hurricane Sandy hit and I was listening to Nachum Segal on the way to work. I remember exactly which intersection I was at when he played “By My Side” from the 8th Day All You Got album, with the refrain of “Rivers have come to surround me....” He played it for the Hurricane Sandy implications, but the words really spoke to my struggles at that time. I bought and downloaded just that one song, and I must have listened to it hundreds of times to keep up my spirits and give me “the strength to keep up the fight.” I definitely felt like “Rivers had come to surround me to bring me down.” Thank you, 8th Day, for another song that really hit the spot, bringing home the message that we can’t live life “without You by my side.” I still get chizuk when I hear that song.

—Dov Elefant, Staten Island

“This song was written for the mother of a child with special needs, but I felt like it was written for me, too”

A MOTHER’S PROMISE

COMPOSED BY YITZY WALDNER AND YAAKOV SHWEKEY; LYRICS BY SHEVI NAHUM AND DASSI KURLAND

YAAKOV SHWEKEY (MUSICA)  “A miracle of life so beautifully designed / As I hear your first cries, my heart fills with love / You’re placed in my arms, a gift from Above…”.

That’s how it went. Being a mother was the dream I had always had. Baruch Hashem I was blessed over and over with that incredible fulfillment. The rambunctious toddlers running around making truckloads of noise, making a colossal mess, and playing were my dreams coming true. Even during sleepless nights and wild games I loved it. I was cut out for this!

Then came the challenges that sometimes overwhelmed me with paralyzing fear. Things that I was not prepared for came my way. My children are the biggest blessing, but they’ve also come with great challenges, like so many people face.

My dream of motherhood came with perfect children looking exactly how I planned them to be. I know in hindsight that that’s not how life is, but as a naive young mother I expected nothing less. I was always a rule follower, a bit of a goody-goody, and I actually didn’t even grasp why people would want to break any rules. I didn’t have the need to be rebellious.

But my children took their own path — they aren’t all rule followers and they don’t fit into a neat box. That being said, they’re still incredible awesome gifts. And during the harder times, the moments when I didn’t know if they were going to stay on the path or not, I prayed and I cried and I sang.

“We will be all right/ I tell you with a soft kiss.../ I promise I’ll be your eyes when you cannot see, I promise I’ll be your voice when you cannot speak...I promise I’ll be your heart when the pain gets too great….”

This song by Yaakov Shwekey was written for the mother of a child with special needs, but I felt like it was written for me just as well. The song took me through so many hard times. Through nights that I couldn’t sleep, through days when I felt I was walking through a fog. It promised that I would hold the hands of the children who were going through things that I didn’t understand. It helped me understand that these were those very same children that I had been praying for. I was given the toolbox that I needed as a gift from HaKadosh Baruch Hu to help me through those confusing times, the strength to hold their hands and to take them through — and love them unconditionally.

Thank you, Yaakov Shwekey, for a Mother’s Promise, a song written to all mothers raising children.

—Shani Greenfield, Yerushalayim

“Throughout her journey to Yiddishkeit and the many subsequent challenges until the moment she had to say goodbye, she never let go of her quiet strength”

FIGHTER

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY YEHUDA NEUMAN, IRVING KAIREY, AND YITZY WALDNER (YAAKOV SHWEKEY)

“I’ve been through everything and after all I’ve been through / Nothing can push me down away from the life I choose….”

These words were released around the time my childhood best friend told me that her son had an incurable brain tumor. When I heard the song, I knew that in some way, those words were about her. Throughout her journey to Yiddishkeit and the many subsequent challenges that she experienced, all the way to the moment she had to say goodbye to her son and the grief-filled time that followed, she never let go of her quiet strength. She carried what she was given with deep feeling and remarkable steadiness, and still found room for moments of joy.

When difficulties come my way, I think of my friend and how she faced her lot with faith and equanimity. The song “Fighter” reminds me of her, and her story reminds me that no matter how hard the challenge, we have it within us to prevail.

—A.K., Montreal

“Hashem did not and will not ever forget me. That gave me the strength to keep getting out of bed”

VATOMER TZION

COMPOSED BY SHLOMO YEHUDA RECHNITZ (SHIR 2)

Three months after my wedding, I found myself with a get, back in my parents’ house. I didn’t know how I would go on. While I was still recovering from that, I lost my morning job. Tzarah after tzarah. I wondered if maybe Hashem forgot me. He didn’t seem to be answering any of my tefillos. Should I even continue davening? Then I listened to the song “Vatomer Tzion,” sung by Moishe Mendlowitz, on Shir 2. The Navi (Yeshayahu 49) says, “Vatomer Tzion azavani Hashem, vaHashem shecheichani — Tzion says Hashem abandoned me and Hashem forgot me.” That is what I felt. But then the song continues, “Hasishkach ishah ulah — does a mother forget her child?” And even if she would, “Va’ani lo eshkacheich — I will not forget you.” Hashem did not and will not ever forget me. That gave me the strength to keep getting out of bed, davening, going to my afternoon job, and being a functional person. Hashem will never forget me.

—B.A., Far Rockaway

“In that moment, I knew I wanted to become that kind of Ima”

MY DEAR IMA

LYRICS BY ALLISON COHEN AND SHANI FEDER (TO THE TUNE OF “ONE TIN SOLDIER”)

The song “My Dear Ima” has stayed with me for nearly 27 years. Every time I hear it, it brings me to tears and reminds me both of where I come from and how far I hope to go. As a traditional teenager growing up in Brooklyn, I had the zechus to be a mother’s helper for a warm, frum family for three summers. Those summers showed me what a Torah home looks like, even though taking my own first step toward that life wasn’t simple.

One night, while lying in bed, I overheard the sisters in the living room reminiscing about their childhood. Suddenly they began singing “My Dear Ima.” I remember crying as I listened to the lyrics: “You made our home a house of Torah, encouraged Abba to learn each night,” and “You taught us all about the mitzvos, showed us the right way from the start.” In that moment, I knew I wanted to become that kind of Ima. Many years have passed, and baruch Hashem I married a ben Torah and built a frum home. Even though my family looks different than what I imagined, that song still fills me with hope to become the Ima I dreamed of long ago.

—Michal F., Modiin

“I’ve had the privilege of sharing our story at events and in publications — always in awe of Hashem’s perfect orchestration”

AHALLELAH

COMPOSED BY RABBI YAAKOV YOSEF BUCHSBAUM

AHRELE SAMET (MOLEI SIMCHAH)

At 26, after years of dating, I left my hometown and profession to spend time in Eretz Yisrael — hoping my zivug would find me there. That Chanukah, I flew home for two weeks. On the fifth night, only my siblings and I were home to light. As the flames flickered and we sang, one song pierced my heart. It felt like a private declaration to myself and to Hashem: I will be found. I will marry. And when that happens, I will somehow praise Hashem among His people — though I didn’t quite know how.

Six weeks later, I met my husband. On the day of our engagement, the Ohel Sarala couple I had davened for welcomed their first child. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of sharing our story at events and in publications — always in awe of Hashem’s perfect orchestration. Not only did He get me married, but He did it in a way that allowed me to share his kindness publicly with others. As I face new challenges, I hold that proclamation close, trusting that when Hashem brings the next salvation, I will again praise Him among His people, in whichever way He orchestrates.

—G.T., Afula

“For others, I may be something else, but for my children, I am their tatte”

OMAR RABI YOCHONON

COMPOSED BY HERSHY WEINBERGER

SHULEM LEMMER (KIDDUSH HASHEM)

A few years back, I was at the wedding of the son of a choshuve rav, when the young chassan took the mic in his hand. He closed his eyes and began to sing Shulem Lemmer’s “Omar Rabi Yochonon, bechol mokom….” The guests hummed along, watching the chassan sing on the happiest day of his life. Then came the high part: “Far de velt, far de gantze velt, bist Di ah meilech [For the world, for the entire world, you are the King]… ober far mir, bist Di a tatteh [but for me, You are a father].”

I watched the chassan open his eyes as his eyes locked with his father’s, for just a fleeting moment. The meaning behind these words was so clear. For others, for the world, you are the king, the rav, the posek… but for me, you are my father, my Daddy….

That moment touched me deeply. To others, we can be so many things. A boss, a worker, an accountant, a neighbor. But to our children, we are just Tatteh. And only we can fill that role.

I listened to this song over and over again for months afterward. When I felt tired coming home after a long day of work, this song helped me push aside exhaustion, frustration, and impatience. For others, I may be something else, but for my children, I am Tatteh, Daddy, their one and only.

—S.N. , London

“I realized that this might be the test Hashem gave me to help me grow and become a better person”

MI YODEA

COMPOSED BY MEILECH KOHN (YEDER EINER)

The song “Mi Yodea” by Meilech Kohn is very powerful for me. He sings Mordechai’s words to Esther Hamalkah when she had to go to Achashveirosh unannounced. He tells her, “Who knows if this is the very reason you became queen — to save the Yidden.” The song reminds us that this message applies to every person, that any challenge or difficult situation might be the exact reason we were put into this world.

A few years ago, when my wife went through a difficult and wrenching loss and I wasn’t sure how I would go on, I turned on this song. Listening to the words and the message, I cried and realized that this might be the nisayon Hashem gave me to help me grow and become a better person. The lyrics, sung in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish, are so meaningful, and they gave me the koach to keep going and push through my tzaar. The song helped me see the bigger picture in life.

—V.Y., Lakewood

“I bawled through the whole thing, knowing that it was completely true — the only one I could turn to was Hashem”

RAK HU

COMPOSED BY ARI GOLDWAG, LYRICS BY SHACHAR PELLED

ARI GOLDWAG (AM ECHAD)

The song that helps me win my battles came up as I shuffled my iPod one dark night. Years ago, when I couldn’t decide about something, I used to put my iPod on shuffle and hope I get an answer in the first song that played. On that particularly dark night, I asked Hashem for help get through the tremendous pain that was my life. Then I put my iPod on shuffle… and the song that played was Ari Goldwag’s “Rak Hu.” I bawled through the whole thing, knowing that it was completely true — the only one I could turn to was Hashem, for only He can light up the darkness. Since then, that song is my battle cry, and that phrase is my mantra — Rak Hu, only He can get us through this. Through a difficult zeman, a frustrating shidduch parshah, Covid, a child in the NICU, struggles with the yetzer hara, whatever life throws my way, I know that Hashem is guiding me through. All I need to do is believe that “Rak Hu.”

—Dovid Perlowitz, Highland Park

“It gives me courage when I must force my way up an incline or hurl myself off a cliff, not knowing if I’ll be caught”

LEMAAN SHEMO

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY CHAIM DAVID SARACIK (GRATEFUL AND ALIVE)

About 25 years ago, my husband eagerly rushed into the house straight from a neighbor’s siyum, waving a cassette tape. “Shuli! They were playing such great music! You’re going to love this!” And so the incredible melodies of Chaim David entered my world. Chaim David Saracik has composed many wonderful songs, including several that are mamash gadlus. But the song that has been at the core of so many intense moments in my life is “Lemaan Shemo.” The music and the lyrics give me courage when I must force my way up an incline or hurl myself off a cliff into a scary space, not knowing if I’ll be caught. The song centers me and reminds me that no matter what I’m doing, no matter what happens, I’m doing everything lemaan Shemo — just for Hashem — and that’s all that matters. I am a musician and it is the rare kumzitz where we don’t play “Lemaan Shemo,” sharing the inspiration. A year ago, I was zocheh to donate a kidney. As the surgery was beginning, my kids called up Kol Chai Music with Yaron Bar and dedicated “Lemaan Shemo” for my recipient and me.

—Shuli P., Eretz Yisrael

“These words help me reset and remember that with the right perspective, I really can be stronger than the nisayon”

YAKEL MELAMED

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY MOTTY ILOWITZ (HASUGES)

As someone who can listen to Motty Ilowitz’s songs on repeat, I’ve found that many of his lyrics have become powerful sources of chizuk for me. One line in particular — “nisayon, nisayon, nisayon, ich bin starker vi dir” [nisayon, nisayon, nisayon, I’m stronger than you]” — from the song “Yakel Melamed,” often rings in my ears during times of challenge. The song recounts the well-known story of a melamed who remained calm after discovering he had lost a large sum of money, all because of a lesson he learned from his mashgiach, Reb God’l, who instilled in him the mindset that every person is placed in this world to face, confront, and ultimately rise above their nisyonos. This simple sentence has become a kind of personal battle cry for me, a reminder that inner strength can outshine even the toughest moments. When things feel overwhelming and the yetzer hara whispers, these words help me reset, breathe, and remember that with the right perspective, I really can be “stronger than the nisayon.”

—Chana Yitty Moskovits, Brooklyn

“Unemployment was extremely difficult. I thrive on being busy, so the boredom was mental torture”

I ACCEPT

LYRICS BY FRADY HALPERN AND MIRIAM AMSEL

TO THE TUNE OF BENNY FRIEDMAN’S “CHAROSHO,” COMPOSED BY YITZY WALDNER

I started my job search while still in graduate school. Although I began working right after finishing, it soon became clear that the job wasn’t for me. I confidently resigned, thinking I would find a better job. Two months later, I was no longer confident. Hours of searching didn’t yield a single job. No one wanted to hire or supervise a fresh graduate. Unemployment was extremely difficult. I thrive on being busy, so the boredom was mental torture. Each night I wondered what I had done that day. My investments in schooling felt pointless — the long commute, the hours of schoolwork, and large student loans, combined with housework, pregnancy, nursing, and finding time to be a mother and wife.

I struggled to stay upbeat. When I remembered a song that a friend had sent me called “I Accept,” I began playing it on repeat. As I sang the words, crying or smiling or something in between — “I accept… it’s how Hashem wants it to be, and I trust that it must be designed with love for me” — I slowly accepted my nisayon. It was a beautiful journey of shaping my ratzon to match Hashem’s and humbly letting go of my own plan for His.

—Devorah Frieman, Lakewood

“In the hardest moments of my life, as I was giving birth to my silent stillborn baby, I needed something to give me strength”

EIN DAVAR RA

COMPOSED BY YISRAEL GUTTFARB AND SHIMON LEVI

YAAKOV SHWEKEY AND SIMON LEVI (SINGLE)

As soon as I heard it, I loved the song “Ein Davar Ra” by Shimon Levi and Yaakov Shwekey, especially the incredible story behind it. (Shimon Levi was a baby when he miraculously survived the Motzaei Shabbos Beis Yisrael terror attack in 2002. Meanwhile, his father, a kiruv rabbi who was saying goodbye to his guests after an organized Shabbos, had convinced a fellow named Shimon Ilan to stay for Shabbos — and two of the Ilan children were killed in the blast. The relationship that ensued inspired Shimon Levi to write this stirring song, to the words of the Pele Yo’etz.) In the hardest moments of my life, as I was giving birth to my silent stillborn baby, I needed something to give me strength. I asked my mother to play “Ein Davar Ra” really loud, and the hospital room was transformed for me into a place of emunah and strength I didn’t know I had. The powerful music became my battle cry and overpowered the painfully silent birth — “Ein davar ra yored min haShamayim.” Now, of course, I can’t bear to listen to the beautiful song as it’s too painful for me. I’m sure, though, that one day I will.

—T.L., Lakewood

“Although we have not yet merited to fulfill this particular dream, the words continue to give us strength, comfort, and hope”

BIRCHAS HABANIM

COMPOSED BY ELI KLEIN

OHAD MOSKOWITZ (ECHAD YACHID UMEYUCHAD)

The first time I heard this song was when Ohad Moskowitz performed it together with Yonatan Shainfeld at HASC 24. Their voices blended so beautifully as they sang “veyiten lecha banim…” and something about that moment stayed with me. It was only a year after we had gotten married, a time filled with dreams, questions, and the quiet uncertainty of not knowing what direction our lives would take or what Hashem had planned for our future. Ever since seeing that performance, this song has become the one I sing every single week after lighting the Shabbos candles. It feels like a personal tefillah, one that rises from a place of longing yet also from a place of trust. Although my husband and I have not yet merited to fulfill this particular dream, the song continues to give us strength, comfort, and hope. Its words remind us that when the time is right, Hashem will bless us with the brachah expressed in this Yehi Ratzon, and that He’s the one who guides every step of our journey.

 —L., Spring Valley

“My Uber driver was compiling a playlist, asking each passenger to contribute a song that represents their life. What was mine?”

TATTY MY KING

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY DOVID EDELL

BENNY FRIEDMAN (WHISPERS OF THE HEART VOL. 2)

“Can I ask you a question?” asked my Uber driver. With half an hour until our destination, I considered before accepting. I was on the way to a London hospital for a minor procedure, and feeling slightly nervous. But my friendly questioner didn’t wait for agreement. He was compiling a Spotify playlist: He asked each passenger to contribute a song that represents their life. What was mine?

It didn’t take me long to suggest “Tatty my King,” by Benny Friedman. The melody is expressive and uplifting, yet easy to sing. The words are an outpouring of one’s heart to Hashem, a plea for Him to “hold my hand” and “never let go of me.” It’s a song I sometimes hum to myself or play on the piano when feeling thoughtful, lost or emotional. Before I knew it, “Tatty my King” had made it as the first Jewish song on the driver’s playlist! He played it at full volume as we drove down the motorway. I walked into the hospital feeling peaceful after this beautiful “smile” from Hashem.

—A.L., London

“Hashem, these are my growing pains. Help me be a better mother and make my home a happy place”

VEITUG

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY MOTTY ILOWITZ (RAYONOS)

I’m standing over my fleishig dishes and crying. Life with two little ones, 15 months apart, is just too overwhelming. They might as well have already been twins — that would have been easier. Of their own accord, my soapy fingers press play on Motty Ilowitz’s “Veitug” from his Rayonos album, and his words encourage me: “One day, you’ll see that only through this hardship, did you grow.” And as my tears fall, from overwhelm, from exhaustion, from the realization that raising these children is hard work, I say, “Hashem, these are my growing pains. Help me be a better, stronger mother, help me find fulfillment in childrearing, and make my home a happy place.” Four years later, now with three beautiful children, I can say those times have made me stronger.

—S.R., Brooklyn

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1091)