Inspiration Through Zemirot
Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l (1913-2011), who was one of the great sages of Bnei-Brak, identified numerous benefits of singing zemirot at the Shabbat table. The first is what he described as רוממות – the uplifting effect that singing zemirot has upon us. He says that if a person pays close attention to the words of these beautiful hymns, he will be uplifted and connected to the upper worlds. When a person sings zemirot and understands the words, Rav Lefkowitz taught, then he will feel himself enveloped by sanctity and purity. Rav Lefkowitz would even instruct Rabbis who taught in yeshivot to tell their students that when they sing zemirot, the angels in the heavens sing with them. The inspirational feeling that one experiences as he sings zemirot stems from this reality – that he is connected to the upper worlds by singing together with the angels.
Additionally, Rav Lefkowitz taught that besides concentrating on the meaning of the individual words of the zemirot, one should also take note of the theme of each song. There are many different kinds of zemirot. Some are prayers for the end of our long, bitter exile. Others express our emunah, our unbridled faith and trust in the Almighty’s providence and concern for us. There are also zemirot that speak of the importance of prayer and Torah learning. We can gain much from the experience of singing zemirot by being cognizant of the general theme of each song. Rav Lefkowtiz noted the example of Yedid Nefesh, the stirring prayer composed by Rav Elazar Azkari. When one considers the beauty and depth of the content of this prayer, he immediately recognizes that the author was, in Rav Lefkowitz’s words, “an angel of G-d.” By contemplating the ideas expressed in the zemirot, one connects to the sanctity of the great Sages who wrote them.
Furthermore, Rav Lefkowitz said, singing zemirot has the effect of influencing everybody at the table. Even if they do not understand the words, they nevertheless receive inspiration from watching how one sings with passion and emotion. Rav Lefkowitz noted that the most effective way of influencing and inspiring people is not through speeches and discourses, but rather by expressing genuine, soulful devotion, such as through the emotional singing of zemirot. As the famous saying goes, דברים היוצאים מן הלב נכנסים ללב – “Words that come from the heart enter the heart.” If we sing from the heart, the words will penetrate the hearts of the others at the table, even if they do not understand or fully appreciate the zemirot.
It is customary for talented singers to visit elderly Torah Sages and sing for them, and so when Rav Lefkowitz was older and a recognized Torah luminary, a certain singer visited him during Hol Ha’mo’ed and sang for him. Rav Lefkowitz said to the singer that he envied him. He explained that although our Sages teach that all Jews have a portion in the next world, many of them will not get there directly, and will have to first endure suffering before obtaining their share in the eternal world. However, those who make other people happy earn the privilege of proceeding directly to Gan Eden. The Gemara in Masechet Ta’anit (22a) tells that Rabbi Beroka Hoza’a once met Eliyahu Ha’navi in the market, and he asked the prophet to show him two people who were guaranteed a share in the next world. Eliyahu showed him two men who would approach people who were distressed and tell them jokes to lift their spirits. Such people are guaranteed a share in the next world. (Tosafot in Masechet Ketubot 23b explain that when the Talmud tells of people who are guaranteed a share in the next world, it means they go there immediately, without having to stand judgment and without suffering.) And so, Rav Lefkowitz envied gifted singers who had the special ability to bring people joy.
This, he remarked, is yet another benefit of zemirot. Soulful singing can bring joy to the people at the table, some of whom might be in distress, enduring hardship and difficulty. The words and melodies of the zemirot can lift people’s spirits and bring them happiness, which is a great source of merit for the singer.
We might add that Shabbat is מעין עולם הבא, a glimpse of life in the next world. And so when we sing the beautiful zemirot at the Shabbat table, uplifting ourselves and everybody around us, we experience the next world right there and then. This spiritual experience is itself an experience of עולם הבא.
There was once a young man from an outstanding family who studied in outstanding yeshivot, but for whatever reason, he was not succeeding in a mainstream yeshiva. He was enrolled in a yeshiva for youngsters with challenges, but there, too, he did not do well, and one Shabbat, he was found smoking a cigarette. The administrators of the yeshiva consulted with Rav Lefkowitz to receive his guidance. To their astonishment, Rav Lefkowitz asked whether the boy still sang zemiros on Shabbos with the other boys in the yeshiva. They said that he did, and Rav Lefkowitz then assured them that this boy retained a degree of spirituality and so he still had great potential. Sure enough, this young man gradually returned to the proper path and grew to become a devoted student and follower of Torah. As singing zemirot connects a person with the upper worlds and to spirituality, Rav Lefkowitz sensed that this boy could still return to a full-fledged Torah life, since he continued to sing zemirot.
We can have a profound effect on our family members and upon everybody else at our Shabbat tables through zemirot. However, as Rav Nissim Yagen once remarked, one cannot inculcate into others what he himself does not possess. It is only if we work to be uplifted through the zemirot, by singing them with concentration and feeling, that we can uplift others. Understanding the great benefits of singing zemirot at the Shabbat table should motivate us to pay greater attention to this crucial aspect of the Shabbat experience, so we can, each and every week, receive the full spiritual impact of Shabbat, uplifting ourselves, our families, and everyone around us, and rising every Shabbat to new heights of kedushah and closeness to our Creator.