Today's piece requires the sense of hearing. It’s the only way to experience the full intensity and beauty of what moved me greatly.
To be honest, I don’t know all that much about Yehuda Becher obm. I know he was 23 when he was murdered at the Nova music festival. I know there’s a clip of him singing to cheer up his friend a week before the fateful day and I now know of the last conversation he had with his father.
“G-d, the soul that you gave me, is pure. You created it, you fashioned it you breathed it into me and you safeguard it within me and eventually you will take it from me — to restore it to me in the time to come. As long as the soul is within me I gratefully thank You. My G-d and the G-d of my forefathers Master of all works L-rd of all souls “.
The above is a prayer from the morning prayers. I say it every day — yet rarely with the heart and passion with which he’s singing it.
The last time his father spoke with him was on the Festival of Sukkoth. He was telling his son a story from the great mystic, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev who describes the journey of the soul as it descends from the celestial heights to this physical world. An angel accompanies the soul and primes the soul of what to expect from life including some of the challenges it will encounter.
The physical world with all its challenges is quite a shock for the soul so the angel teaches the soul its own unique melody to accompany it and which serves —at difficult times—to remind it of its purpose, instill faith and hope—to weather the challenges.
Did Yehuda have an intuition of his impending passing? Most likely he was just living life to its fullest and expressing his gratitude for all the blessings of life as it’s gifted to us by the L-rd of all souls!
What a powerful demonstration for each of us to appreciate what we have, express gratitude to the gifter of life, listen closely to our distinct melody — and to refocus our attention to the soul and transcendence — our true purpose in this world!
May the soul of Yehuda ascend on high, replete with its own melody, sung together with the angles at the footstool of the Master of All!!