A Song and a Thought with Ari Goldwag

This song was composed by Elli Kranzler and sung by Mordechai Ben David on his album Hineni. The words are כי לא יטוש ה' עמו ונחלתו לא יעזוב. ה' הושיעה המלך יעננו ביום קראנו - Hashem will not push away His nation, and He will not leave His inheritance. Hashem the Savior and King will answer us on the day we call. The power of these words is the promise God gave His people, the Jewish people, to forever protect them in the face of all danger.

This song was composed by Rav Shmuel Brazil, and the words are attributed to Sefer Charedim. The words are בלבבי משכן אבנה להדר כבודו ולמשכן מזבח אשים לקרני הודו ולנר תמיד אקח לי את אש העקידה ולקרבן אקריב לו את נפשי היחידה - In my heart, I will build a sanctuary to praise His glory, and in the santuary I will place an altar for the shine of His honor. And for an eternal lamp I will take the fire of the binding of Isaac, and for a sacrifice I will bring my unique animal soul. Herein we find the key to true spirituality - creating a place within ourselves for God to reside in this world, as it were.

This Chassidic song testifies to the great joy that unity brings. The words are הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחד - how good and how nice is it when brothers sit together. When we look for the good in our friends and neighbors by judging others favorably we can find great joy in unity.

This song was composed by Rabbi Baruch Chait, and is probably one of the most well known Chassidic songs in Jewish and Israeli culture today. The words are from Rabbi Nachman - כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאד והעיקר לא לפחד - the whole world is a narrow bride and the main thing is not to fear at all. We can remain fearless in the face of the greatest danger with our trust in God.

The words to this song were said by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and they are so foundational. מצוה גדולה להיות בשמחה תמיד - it is imperative to always be joyous! When we appreciate what we do and the spiritual gains that come with mitzvah observance, we can truly sing in joy.

This song, composed by Shlomo Carlebach, contains the secret to living a meaningful life. It is the recognition that in order to be masters of ourselves, we must make ourselves subservient to Hashem's Will. This in turn frees us from our desires and subservience to the culture that surrounds us and prevents us from fulfilling our true potential.