Lazer Beams

Father and Son Jam Session: Thank You, Hashem...

My oldest son, Rabbi BenTzion Brody from Jerusalem, is a remarkable individual. A baal teshuva in his own right, he's a former commando in the Israeli Navy's super-elite Shayetet 13, and he holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He found Hashem on his own, and then went total-immersion Torah mode in Jerusalem. Today he has seven children, and he learns Torah all day long in phenomenal dedication. Ben Tzion is unbelievably gentle tzaddik, all neshama, and a fantastic songwriter. I lured him to Ashdod with a surprise birthday & Chanukah present, the new guitar he's playing in the following clip. We broke out into a spontaneous expression of thanks to the Almighty when a thunderclap split the seam of a cloud to end a nasty dry spell we've been having.

There's nothing in the world like quality one-on-one time with your children, no matter how young or old they are. Enjoy!

A Talk with G-d

Guess who wrote these lyrics:

There are people who have let the problems of today
Lead them to conclude that for them life is not the way
But every problem has an answer and if yours you cannot find
You should talk it over to Him
He'll give you peace of mind
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God

Many of us feel we walk alone without a friend
Never communicating with the One who lives within
Forgetting all about the One who never ever lets you down
And you can talk to him anytime He's always around
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God

Well He's the only free psychiatrist that's known throughout the world
For solving problems of all men, women, little boys and girls
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When your load's too much to bear
Just go talk to God He cares
I know he does

When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
thank you
thank you very much

No, it wasn't a Breslever - it was Stevie Wonder, way back in 1976. Hear for yourself:

A big Beam blessing to Menachem Herman for sending us the above Beam. Have a super Shabbat!

Shlomo Katz becomes a father

A lucky little baby girl was born in Jerusalem yesterday morning at 8 AM, only a few short hours after her father and I appeared together in Ramat Bet Shemesh for an evening of song and inspiration. This angelically beautiful child is the firstborn of my soul-brother and cherished friend, Israel's sweet singer Shlomo Katz and his lovely wife Bina.

Bina had an amazing 4-hour natural birth that was in effect a 4-hour hitbodedut (personal prayer) session. Every time she had an excruciating contraction, she thanked Hashem. Between contractions, she asked for the courage and strength to withstand the next one, all the time asking for Hashem's help. Now you can imagine what type of heavenly people the Katz family are. 

Here's what little Baby Katz can look forward to at lullaby time:

Emuna Outreach and the Beams send a hearty Mazal Tov to Shlomo and Bina - may they raise their daughter to Torah, to chuppa, and to good deeds, here in our beloved holy Land of Israel, amen! 

Native Sounds of Heaven

Emuna Outreach and the Beams extend our congratulations to a very special friend, esteemed elder of the Texas Cherokee Nation, Grandmother Chari White Eagle Bouse on the occasion of the release of her exquisite new album, Native Sounds of Heaven. We highly recommend Grandmother White Eagle's sweet flute strains as a soothing remedy to an aching soul. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the CD - here, at this link. It's really inexpensive and the proceeds go to buying firewood for impoverished Native Americans that are freezing in the nighttime cold of the prairie.

You can here a moving sample from the album - "Here I Am" - which with Grandmother White Eagle's kind permission, we used as background music for an ancient Hebrew meditation. Enjoy it:

Shlomo's Niggun

Let's start the week off joyfully, with a niggun...

G-d willing, Shlomo Katz and I will be doing an evening of song, inspiration, and emuna together next month, Monday night, November 16, 2009 in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Details forthcoming...

Mama Leah, Lenny Solomon and No Limits

My sugar-sweet friend Lenny Solomon is a Jewish Music outreach commando, the best there is. For the last twenty four years, he has played Jewish communities worldwide from all across the USA and Canada to Australia, South Africa, England and of course Israel where he lives. And while playing, he teaches Jewish concepts through his music and brings people closer to their roots,to Hashem and to their own souls. How does he do it? Lenny's happiness, smile, and energy pours through his music right into the listener's neshama.

Lenny gets our congratulations for the release of his #31 album since his band (and motif)Shlock Rock started in 1986. The album is called No Limits and consists of twelve original English songs and 51 minutes of music. Lenny sat at the piano for 4 days from Aug 5-9 and Hashem pumped him 12 new songs. He recorded them in a 5 day marathon session.

Go to his website www.shlockrock.com download his entire album and - get this - Pay What You Want! No kidding - it's for real! If you want to give $1 fine, $18 also fine, something in between - it’s up to you!

No one in Jewish music that we know of has ever marketed this way and we here at the Beams and at Emuna Outreach wish Lenny heaps of blessings in this project!

As a special treat for Beams readers, Lenny has given us one song to debut right here at the Beams. “Leah’s Song - And I Will Pray” talk’s about the power of prayer. Our matriarch Leah changed destiny twice! First when she was supposed to marry Esav (Esau) and second when she changed her seventh child from a boy to a girl so as not to embarrass her sister Rachel who was supposed to have two tribes! Every single one of us has the power of prayer! Here is the song to listen to and the lyrics as well; it takes about 4 seconds to download, so be patient. Enjoy!

Lennie Solomon: Leah's Song

I'm sitting here sadly, what can I do?

I'm supposed to marry Esau, a fate not for me or you

He's rejected Tradition he's left the Jewish Way

I don't want a life with him, there must be another way

I will cry out to Hashem ask him to help me out

I will cry out to Hashem it will leave no doubt

I will cry out to Hashem I know that He can come through

And I will pray to redirect the verdict

And I will pray to change the status quo

The powers within me – I know that He can see

And I will pray

I'm sitting here gladly, but what should I do

I'm about to give birth, this will be my seventh boy

This will mean my sister Rachel, will only have one tribe

Less than all the others, don't want to hurt her pride

I will cry out to Hashem ask him to help me out

I will cry out to Hashem it will leave no doubt

I will cry out to Hashem I know that He can come through

And I will pray to redirect the verdict

And I will pray to change the status quo

The powers within me – I know that He can see

And I will pray

There's trouble for our people everywhere we go

We need to use our power to help correct the flow

Let's learn from mother Leah – we can change it all

Let's open up our hearts and let's pray

And we must pray to redirect the verdict

And we must pray to change the status quo

The powers in all of us – in God we must have trust

And we will pray

The powers in all of us – in God we must have trust

And we will pray...

Keep Your Eye on the Light

Here's something sweet for the end of Chol HaMoed, the intermediate days of Succoth, when our souls are illuminated with the enhanced reflection of the Divine Presence all around us. All you have to do is to keep your eye on the light...

Have a wonderful Shabbat and Simchat Torah!

It's Good to Thank Hashem

Baruch Hashem, we're hours away from the double joy of Shabbat and Yom Tov Succot. I look at my lovely little Succa, my four species, the smell of fresh-baked Challas in the kitchen, the privilege of living in the Land of Israel, the gift of Rebbe Nachman, Breslev, Torah, emuna, teshuva, my beloved wife and family, every moment of personal prayer and the zillion other blessings in my life, and I walk around singing Psalm 92, "Tov Lehodot" - It's good to thank Hashem - all day long. Have a wonderful Shabbat and Succot.

Shomer Yisrael: Guardian of Israel

Imagine that the mightiest ocean or the most prodigious tsunami is no where comparable to a single tear in Hashem's proverbial eye. We can all sleep soundly at nights knowing that Hashem is "Shomer Yisrael," the Guardian of Israel.

Here is a beautifully inspiring film clip with Rav Shlomo Carlebach of blessed memory singing "Shomer Yisrael."  Enjoy!

Real Teshuva

Here's the video replay of our weekly Emuna talk at the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva in Jerusalem. This week's 50-minute lesson is an important preparation for Yom Kippur, for it explains what Real Teshuva is.

Here's something special for my beloved Mama, Chasia Brody Ludwick in Silver Spring, Maryland, may Hashem bless her and keep her. This is the melody of "Avinu Malkenu," a prayer we say twice daily during the ten days of repentance between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Ohad Moscowitz sings it beautifully, just like my father and zaidie of blessed memory used to. This is one of my sweetest childhood memories, which I'm happy to share with you:

A bright Beam Blessing for your signed and sealed inscription in the Book of Emuna and Long Life for many years of happiness, fulfillment, and all your heart's wishes for the best. Don't ever forget how much Hashem loves you, for He has no other son or daughter that can take your place. Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Chatima Tova!