A question I received: What is the song we sing after every Yeshivat Haverim (Friends’ Assembly), called “Hineh Ma Tov”? It is very deep and very special. What is it about, and what is its Kabbalistic meaning and history?

My Answer: When Yosef’s brothers, who hated him, sold him to Egypt, he became the Pharaoh’s deputy. When the brothers came there to buy food, they did not recognize Yosef and he sent the Egyptians to pursue them, thus forcing them to repent for what they did to him. When this happened, he revealed himself to them, and together, in joy and love, they had a meal where they sang this song. The words are, “Hineh Ma Tov Ve Ma Naim, Shevet Achim Gam Yahad” – “How wonderful and pleasant it is to sit together as brothers.”

And it’s the same with us: at first we hate each other, but then we grow closer and become brothers!

Related Material:
Laitaman.com: Music to Perceive with the Soul
Article: “The Need for Love of Friends”
Kabbalah Music

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A question I received: In considering the first commandment of fear of the Creator, do you know why the Kabbalists wrote the Niggun (melody) “Gesher Tzar Meod” (A Very Narrow Bridge) which suggests that the main thing is “not to fear”?

My Answer: The lyrics of this song are as follows: “Our entire world is like a narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to be scared of anything!” It means that all the disturbances on one’s path come from the Creator, and one attains Him only by overcoming them.

As for fear, there are different kinds of fear:

1. Fear of this world, when one desires everything for himself, and the more the better, and so he won’t have to pay or be punished for it.”
2. Fear of the world to come, when one thinks, “I don’t want to go to hell, but to heaven, and to the best possible heaven.”
3. Fear of “Will I will be able to reach similarity to the Creator?” – for my own benefit.
4. Fear of “Will I will be able to attain bestowal to the Creator, without any thought of myself?” This is the real fear of the Creator. Everything else is fear for yourself.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: How Can We Overcome Fear?
Laitman.com Post: The Four Kinds of Fear
Shamati #38 “The Fear of God is His Treasure”, Lesson 1
Shamati #38 “The Fear of God is His Treasure”, Lesson 2
Shamati #138 “About Fear that Sometimes Comes Upon A Person”

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A question I received (from the German blog): Lieber Rav Leithman, Das Lied welches zum Todestag des Rabash komponiert wurde habe ich gehört und war sehr gerührt, ja ich fühlte eine sehr große Verbundenheit, so, dass es fast schmerzte. Ewald Heinz Feuerstein.

Dear Rav Laitman, I heard a song that was sung on the day of mourning for Rabash, and I was very moved because I felt a very close connection to it, to the point that it was almost painful. Ewald Heinz Feuerstein.

My Answer: I am glad that you came across it. I will post this ancient Kabbalistic melody for you, which we sang during one of our meals:

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A new song, written and performed by Bnei Baruch Toronto:

Lyrics to the Song

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The Bnei Baruch Band has recorded another song called “The Last Generation.” (The English translation of the lyrics appear below)

So we thought we would succeed if we would think a lot,
So the philosophers sat down and calculated:
If we strain our mind, we might find a solution.
All this may be true – but it led to nowhere.

So we thought we would succeed if we explored a lot,
So the scientists sat down immediately and began to count:
If we find the formula we might prevent disaster.
All this is certainly true – but they also developed the atom bomb.

It may be right under our nose,
Waiting for us to tilt the scale.
It is already here, it is the right time,
For the last generation,
(The last generation, the last generation)

We thought we would succeed if we stopped breathing,
If we fly to the Himalayas to be with the Hindus,
They sit there and meditate all day long,
They are still alive – but have long gone to sleep.

We also thought we would succeed if there were equality,
So the communists said: let’s split up the riches,
Let’s forget about the ego and live the good life,
And what happened to us? It is even worse than Sodom.

It may be right under our nose,
Waiting for us to tilt the scale.
It is already here, it is the right time,
For the last generation,

We also thought we would succeed if there were tranquility,
So the mysticists sat down and thought of a solution:
Let’s close our eyes tight and try to relax,
It was very nice – but nothing happened.
(Nothing happened, nothing happened)

So we said it might be better to just forget everything.
Yes, to take some pill, it will make us feel good.
We can just escape to our imagination.
It may true – but in the end it certainly won’t help.
(Certainly won’t help, certainly won’t help)

It may be right under our nose,
Waiting for us to tilt the scale.
It is already here, it is the right time,
For the last generation,
The last generation,
The last generation.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Solution – Excerpts from the Writings of the Last Generation by Baal HaSulam
Kabbalah Today article: Echoes of the Future

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Here is a song called “We Have a Game” performed by the Bnei Baruch Band (the English translation of the lyrics appears below):

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLkZnjgTyWE]

We have a game where there are no losers,
The Creator is great and we are His children.
In our game we hold each other by the hand,
He is you and you are me,
Together we are one body.

In this game we will grow and mature,
We will feel the Upper World and begin to unite.
Only in one body will we find the answer,
And discover everything out of love.

We have a bond from here to Infinity (Ein Sof),
We move from the darkness, from darkness to Light.
Together we will grow and reach the top,
Big and small, white and black.

We have a game where there are no losers,
The Creator is great and we are His children.
In this game we will grow and mature,
We will feel the Upper World and begin to unite.

We have a bond from here to Ein Sof,
We move from the darkness, from darkness to Light.
Together we will grow and reach the top,
Big and small, white and black.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Accept Reality the Way It Is – a Song About the Purpose of Life
Laitman.com Post: The Recipe for Rejuvenation
Laitman.com Post: Music to Perceive with the Soul
Laitman.com Post: Changing A Kabbalistic Melody
Kabbalah Music

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A song performed by the Bnei Baruch band (with translation into English, Russian, French and Italian):

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE9UMt9o9GE]

The central Bnei Baruch group in Israel has several musical bands – this one is one of them. The band’s leader, songwriter and singer is Moti Mor – a famous Israeli lyricist and songwriter, musician and performer. The band performs many of our songs, and of course, all of the songs are about the purpose of our lives.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Recipe for Rejuvenation
Laitman.com Post: Music to Perceive with the Soul
Laitman.com Post: Changing a Kabbalistic Melody
Kabbalah Music

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A question I received: The first time I ever heard the melody Bnei Heichala, I felt that it was very dear to me. Could I write an adaptation to these melodies? It would require changing the melody a little. Would this decrease their value?

My Answer: The value will definitely be decreased, but there is a chance that the melody in this form will touch several other souls…

Different Versions of “Bnei Heichala” taken from the “Melodies of Baal HaSulam” page on Kabbalah.info:

Sung by Rabash
Instrumental Version
Performed Live by a Small Ensemble
Modern Version (Ambient + Metal)

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Question for ML: It is very difficult for me, as a musician and a composer, to perceive Kabbalistic music, which, because of my musical upbringing, “seems” primitive to me, and I have no choice but to separate myself from the higher harmony, from the higher level onto which the great musicians have elevated this music, and literally force myself to listen to it as if I’ve just started music school.
I don’t know how people, myself included, that are not on the level of Baal HaSulam, can perceive what he has put into it. More likely it raises people with its spiritual force and makes them tune into the spiritual like a tuning fork. I can’t do it yet, but I’ll keep trying!

My Answer: I felt the exact same thing when I first heard these melodies! And what can we say to people who come from completely different cultures, such as Eastern countries or Africa? This is how Baal HaSulam expressed his sensations. We need to abstract ourselves from the sounds themselves. It’s similar to the scenario of a student who desires to understand his Teacher: He may not even know the language that the material is written in, but he will discover the sensations that his Teacher is conveying through his desire alone. By the way, this is exactly what happened between Baal HaSulam and one of his students.

In Kabbalah, one needs to tune oneself into perceiving “Peh el Peh” – from the teacher’s screen into the student’s screen. By nullifying oneself before one’s Teacher (this is what the screen does) the person is able to receive higher sensuous information, comprehend it within, and start working with it. You understand the approach correctly – the sounds aren’t important; instead, through them one should try to listen for “the voice of the soul.”

Here’s a link to Baal HaSulam’s melodies

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