Discovering Strength: The Inspiring Journey of Daniel Mizrahi

How much faith and inner strength does it take to say this: "There are moments when I'm in trouble and there's no one around to help, and then I open my mouth to Hashem: 'Father in heaven, you created me this way, and right now there's no way out, please save me.' Immediately after, He sends me an answer...".

Daniel Mizrahi was born with cerebral palsy - a disruption in the voluntary motor system of the brain. However, he doesn't take any shortcuts for himself and functions wonderfully and inspiringly. He moves around independently, uses a cellphone, works with a computer, and if that's not enough - he's a talented poet who doesn't miss evening study sessions at the kollel. "It's written in Pirkei Avot, 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me?' If I just dream and say I have no strength for anything, I won't achieve any satisfaction in life. Hashem has given different gifts to each of us, and we need to use them," he shares his outlook.

This interview was mostly conducted via email, and some parts through text messages. Daniel types with a special wand attached to his forehead, which allows him to reveal to the world the depths of his soul, his opinions, and his burning faith.

You also engage in music and have released three albums so far. How did it all begin?

"It all started when I was 15. My music project began with a performance in Hebron during Passover. The singer Haim Israel took the stage, and I wanted to join him. I didn't know where this sudden desire came from, but I told my assistant to approach the event's producer and ask to let me up there. They did. When I was near Haim, he was thrilled by me, and after the performance, he took down my details from my assistant. After Passover, I got the idea to create a presentation for Haim Israel and try to write a song for him, which I did. About a month later, Haim coordinated with my assistant to host a surprise evening for me. Look how Hashem arranges things: just as I had finished making the presentation, they told me about the event. At that special evening, I showed the presentation and the song lyrics:

"I'm moving forward on the right path / There's no point in crying over every problem but to overcome / Strengthen and encourage, yes, all thanks to you / Oh wow, my life, you simply give me life / When I'm sad, I turn on your songs / And I am encouraged, strengthened, and overcome, yes, all thanks to you".

"Haim started to shed tears, and since then, we've remained in touch. That same year, I had the idea to start working on an album with songs I composed. One night, I opened my mouth to Hashem and shared my idea, asking deeply for this project to succeed, to sanctify His name in the world. Immediately after the prayer, I felt Hashem gave me the strength to begin the task. The next day, I told my music teacher at Matan - an organization in Petach Tikva where they hold Torah and music activities three times a week about the idea. She asked: 'Is it complicated?!'. I answered, 'I have a golden rule in life: with the willpower, you can move mountains!'.

"We started arranging recording studios and musicians. We approached musician Ken Burgess, who has a studio. We shared our interest and asked if he could let me record the album voluntarily. He approved happily. For the first recording, we took a volunteer from Matan who plays the keyboard. For the first song, we used the melody from the song 'Im Titnu Li Kos Shel Yayin'. For the second song, 'At Li Sderot', we used the melody from 'At Li Eretz' by the singer Roi Yedid, and included the organist Aharale Lipsker, who volunteered happily (what a holy people we are!). I performed all the recordings, thanks to the wonderful gift that Hashem blessed me with, called willpower.

After the recordings, Daniel began working on the album cover using a stick. "They attached a paintbrush and gouache paint to the stick, and that's how I painted," he says. "I drew Mount Sinai with lots of light above it, symbolizing faith in Hashem". Daniel named the album "The Faith in the Heart", and its first distribution was during Passover 2007 in Hebron. Daniel views the project as a mission. "This project was a great sanctification of Hashem's name in my eyes," he says. A year later, he decided to release an album with 12 songs he composed, some of which he even set to music himself using a computer program. "The first song, called 'There is a Creator for the World', I gave to the artist Mendy Jerufi to compose and perform," he recalls. "Mendy spread the song on the internet, and it moved mountains. Many people found strength and were moved by the song. A Jew who was not observant even decided to return to faith," Daniel shares excitedly.

In the second song, 'Shema Kolenu', Daniel used the melody from the song 'Tatte' performed by singer Yaakov Shwekey. "In that recording, I shed tears out of emotion and spiritual elevation to Hashem," he remembers. "I made a music video for this song that's available today on YouTube. These days, I'm starting to work on a new album from the songs I've written, with various artists performing the songs. We'll call the album 'Daniel and Friends'".

Daily Schedule: No Idle Moments

Daniel's day doesn't include a single dull moment: he gets up at 7 AM, travels independently with his motorized chair to the synagogue, prays the morning prayer, and studies until the afternoon prayer. After Mincha, he returns home and works on his computer. In the evenings, he goes back to the synagogue for joint learning with his study partner, and from 8 PM to 10 PM, he studies at the evening kollel and then returns home.

Additional details you should know about him: he built his official website himself (after learning web development on his own), was strengthened particularly by the Tanya book of the Alter Rebbe and "In the Garden of Emuna" by Rabbi Shalom Arush, and his main goal is to strengthen people through the site and publish his works. Every week, he sends his "weekly column" to his phone contacts, trying to give everyone around him the right perspectives in life.

So, how does someone with cerebral palsy manage to communicate and function like Daniel describes? "I might speak slowly, but people understand," he explains. "I use a wand attached to my forehead to perform various activities like reading books and typing on the computer and cellphone, this is how I write. I'm not composing music, just writing songs".

Among other things, you are also involved in bringing people closer to Judaism. Share some reactions you received following your creations and activities.

"There are so many stories, and I'll share two: A year ago, I gave a lecture at a school for youths about the power of will. After the lecture, a boy came up to me and said, 'You don't know what you've done for me.' I asked him about the story, what happened. He told me a few days ago, he faced a problem he didn't know how to solve, and now I gave him a thought process and a thread of hope. Additionally, about two years ago, I gave a lecture, and among the audience was a girl in a wheelchair. A few days later, I received a call from her mother: 'You wouldn't believe what you've done for my daughter. Suddenly, she started smiling and doing things she hadn't done before,' she shared with excitement."

How do you manage to lecture, and what topics do you cover in your talks?

"I come with someone who helps me speak so people understand my words. At the beginning of the lecture, there's a presentation about my life story, and after that, I talk about the power of joy in life and willpower. In the end, I let the audience ask questions. The lecture lasts about an hour."

Currently, Daniel is working on special programs aimed at helping those aged 16 and above with similar challenges. "These days, I'm working on forming a group comprised of teens with disabilities of a normal cognitive level," he explains and details: "The group's objectives are: A. To reach a state where we become as independent as possible in our lives. In meetings, we'll consult together, and everyone will contribute their knowledge and solutions. B. To hold support meetings where everyone shares different issues, and together we'll reach collective solutions. C. To carry out different projects to strengthen families who have special children. D. Fun activities to unite and bond the group and enjoy some 'life's fun'. In events, we will organize musical activities with my materials and guest artists, and many other strengthening and learning evenings conducted through presentations and materials from me and external lecturers, who will come to instruct and deliver Torah lessons and words of encouragement to all group members."

Have you always had such strong faith, or has it grown over time?

"I always believed, but it has grown and matured since I began engaging in music and song writing. When I compose a song for Hashem and when I talk to the Creator, thanking Him for all my life, even the tough challenges, it connects me strongly to Hashem and also fills me with the strength to keep going. That is essentially my secret."

To book Daniel Mizrahi for lectures: 054-2152890