After his third successful musical album, Rabbi David Schlusselberg sought spiritual inspiration, knowing he could not continue recording without it. Tisha B’Av 2017 provided that inspiration and helped him create his latest project: a song and video intended to encourage Jewish unity and ahavat chinam (unconditional love).
“I was struck by the fact that over the course of the three weeks of intense mourning over the Beit Hamikdash we talk a lot about improving our ahavat chinam. After all, the Gemara in Yoma (Daf 9) says that the sole reason for the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash was sinat chinam (baseless hatred). That being the case, I was struck that I don’t know of any songs that directly address that moral. Sure, there are songs about achdut, and loving all Jews, but I could think of nothing that emphasized how the Beit Hamikdash will be rebuilt through ahavat chinam,” commented Rabbi Schlusselberg.
Once he found his focus, “I couldn’t imagine not making a song and video about it,” he said.
When writing previous songs, the musician in him took over and he had the music written long before the lyrics entered his mind. Not so this time. “Out of the 34 songs I have recorded, this was the first and only song in which I ever had to put music to the words.” In this video, Schlusselberg’a musicianship is highly visible by playing beautifully on four instruments; guitar, piano, violin and cello.
Once the song was written, Rabbi Schlusselberg debated how best to portray his intended theme in a video. “I decided the video should not focus on ahavat chinam between all Jews, although I strongly feel that loving all Jews no matter one’s level of observance or religious affiliation is very important. Instead I chose to focus on two groups of Jews who both feel they are serving Hashem in the ideal way, and have very different outlooks regarding the way we interact with the world: the Modern Orthodox/Tzioni Jews and the Yeshivish/Charedi Jews. Since both sides essentially want to do the will of Hashem, I wanted this video to focus on the overwhelming similarities these groups share, rather than the issues where we differ,” remarked Rabbi Schluss, as he is affectionately known in his position as rebbe at the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston.
The video, which can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZUsiqCV8w, debuted last week to coincide with Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. The theme is simple: we, the Modern Orthodox and Charedi communities, are more similar than we think. By focusing on the areas in which we are similar—like our commitment to Torah and mitzvot—we will help rebuild the Beit Hamikdash.
“My hope is that this video can help alter our perceptions, can spark conversations and can eventually lead to a unification of these two groups of Jews, far closer than ever before. With the help of Hashem, ultimately every Jew should have unconditional love toward one another, and when that day comes we should be worthy of the arrival of Moshiach,” Rabbi Schlusselberg, an alumnus of The Frisch School in Paramus (‘05), passionately stated.
The video features two families, one Charedi and the other Modern Orthodox, who clearly look different on the outside, and focuses on what they have in common: both wake, learn, daven and play with their children in the morning; both fathers daven and learn during the day; and both sets of families eat meals together, read to their children and tuck them in at night. Interspersed throughout are scenes of Rabbi Schlusselberg playing various instruments, with his voice clearly heard above the music, singing for ahavat chinam and the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash.
Currently, this project is being supported by the following organizations and institutions: Orthodox Union, World Bnei Akiva, the Jewish Learning Experience, One Family Fund, Torah MiTzion, The Religious Zionists of America, the Jewish Learning Experience, Yachad, Torah Letzion, Tzama Nafshi, Keren HaTzadik USA, Moshava Ba’ir, Camp HASC, Camp Nesher, Camp Moshava, Camp Morasha, Camp Mesorah, Camp Kaylie, Camp Shalom, Mach Hach Ba’aretz, Camp Shoshanim, Frisch, Sinai Schools, JKHA/RKYHS, Ma’ayanot, MTA, TABC, Heichal HaTorah, Farber Hebrew Day School, Yeshivat Bat Ayin, KHDS of Boca, HALB, YULA Boys High School, Rambam, BAYT, Bnai Yeshurun, Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center, Cong. Etz Chaim, Beth Aaron, Mount Sinai and Beth Jacob in Atlanta. All have agreed to share the video and spread its message.
By Jill Kirsch
