In honor of his birthday, the ‘great-grandson’ is reviving his great-grandfather’s ancient tune.
After many days of intensive work, Chabad singer, Shmulik Sofer, is excited to release his first music video with a new and special performance of the tune that his great-grandfather, Rabbi Zalman Levin, A’H. This tune was brought from his childhood town of ‘Ne’vel’ in Russia, and is being released on his great-grandfather’s birthday – 3 Shevat.

“The music video combines Avodas HaShem with the world of creativity and music. Three areas in which I find something in common, and my dream was to combine them in a unified performance,” says Shmulik.

Rabbi Zalman heard the tune ”Kol Atzmoti” from his grandmother, Mrs. Chana Elka,A’H. While the KGB were chasing his father, who was teaching underground and was forced to flee and hide many times, the grandmother would watch over the children and tearfully sing the melody “Kol Atzmotai” with them. They understood that the Jews are the “poor and destitute” and the communists are the “stronger than them and the thieves”, and daven to HaShem to save them from their hands. (From what Rabbi Zalman wrote about the melody)

In a clip filmed in a Kfar Chabad, Sofer can be seen encountering a Chassidic man wearing a tallit who is devoutly playing the melody “Kol Atzmotai” to himself. He finds himself painting this special moment, inspired by the prayer and the melody. When he finishes painting, an elderly Chassidic man approaches him in admiration and wishes him success. When the camera focuses back on the painting, you can see that the bench on which the Chassidic man was sitting is empty, and this was all in the artist’s imagination…

Credits:
Melody: Hasidic ”Ne’vel”
Lyrics: Shacharit prayer for Shabbat and Yo’t, Chabad version
Musical arrangement and production: Chaimka Hadad
Mixing and mastering: Yaniv Blass
Video production, direction and editing: Yoel Roitman Photography: Mandy Solish Poetry and painting: Shmulik Sofer
Cover design: S&H
PR: Mandy Kurant