The Blessing Hidden in a Shabbat Song

It was one of those quiet, tense days when Rabbi Dan Segal brought a young man into the home of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach, one of the great Torah leaders of the generation. This man had been waiting years to be blessed with children. He came with a heavy heart, hoping for a few words of encouragement from the respected Torah scholar, and of course, he also hoped for a heartfelt blessing.

But to their surprise, Rabbi Shach didn’t mention the painful request at all. Instead, he gently asked someone in the house to bring him a siddur (a Jewish prayer book). Once it was placed in his hands, the elderly rabbi slowly flipped through the pages until he reached the section with the Shabbat zmirot (songs traditionally sung during the Shabbat meals).

There, he began to read aloud with deep emotion the ancient Shabbat hymn: "Ka Ribbon Olam V’almaya, Ant Hu Malka Melech Malchaya"—“You are the Master of the world and all worlds, You are the King of kings.”

His voice trembled with feeling. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He recited the holy words with such deep sincerity, pouring his soul into every line. It was not just reading, it was davening (praying) with his entire heart. The atmosphere was filled with holiness.

At a certain point, the emotion became so overwhelming that Rabbi Dan gently took the siddur from Rabbi Shach’s hands, worried that such intense feeling might harm the frail rabbi’s health.

And then, what a wonder. One year later, that same young man held his newborn son in his arms.

It wasn’t a typical “miracle,” and it wasn’t even a direct blessing. But what Rabbi Shach gave him was something deeper: a powerful display of emunah, true faith in Hashem. It was a wordless, heartfelt tefillah (prayer), filled with awe for the Creator of the world. Through that moment, Rabbi Shach taught a lesson stronger than words, a lesson about the strength of emunah, the power of connecting with Hashem, and the powerful outcomes that can come from sincere, spiritual faith.

The song that Rabbi Shach recited, "Ka Ribbon Olam", was composed by Rabbi Yisrael Najara, a great Jewish poet and rabbi from centuries ago. It’s one of the best-known Shabbat zmirot, sung during Friday night meals in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities. Over the years, many melodies have been composed for it, some ancient, others quite recent.

The hymn is written in Aramaic, the ancient language used in parts of the Talmud, and here is its full text with Hebrew translation:

קה רִבּון עָלַם וְעָלְמַיָּא – Hashem, Master of the world and all worlds
אַנְתְּ הוּא מַלְכָּא מֶלֶךְ מַלְכַיָּא – You are the King, King of kings
עוּבַד גְּבוּרְתָּךְ וְתִמְהַיָּא – The deeds of Your might and wonders
שְׁפַר קֳדָמָךְ לְהַחֲוָיָּא – Are beautiful to present before You
שְׁבָחִין אֲסַדֵּר צַפְרָא וְרַמְשָׁא – I arrange praises morning and evening
לָךְ אֱלָקָא קַדִּישָׁא דִּי בְרָא כָּל נַפְשָׁא – For You, holy Hashem who created every soul
עִירִין קַדִּישִׁין וּבְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא – Holy angels and people
חֵיוַת בָּרָא וְעוֹפֵי שְׁמַיָּא – Wild animals and birds of the sky
רַבְרְבִין עוֹבְדָךְ וְתַקִּיפִין – Great and mighty are Your deeds
מָכֵךְ רָמַיָּא וְזָקֵף כְּפִיפִין – You bring down the arrogant and lift up the lowly
לוּ יִחֵי גְּבַר שְׁנִין אַלְפִין – Even if a man lived a thousand years
לָא יֵעֹל גְּבוּרְתָּךְ בְּחֻשְׁבְּנַיָּא – He could never grasp Your greatness
אֱלָקָא דִי לֵהּ יְקַר וּרְבוּתָא – Hashem, to whom belongs all glory and greatness
פְּרֻק יַת עָנָךְ מִפֻּם אַרְיָוָתָא – Save Your people from the lions’ mouths
וְאַפֵּק יַת עַמָּךְ מִגּוֹ גָּלוּתָא – Bring Your people out of exile
עַמָּא דִי בְחַרְתְּ מִכָּל אֻמַּיָּא – The nation You chose from all others
לְמַקְדְּשָׁךְ תּוּב וּלְקֹדֶשׁ קֻדְשִׁין – Return us to Your sanctuary and Holy of Holies
אֲתַר דִּי בֵהּ יֶחֱדוּן רוּחִין וְנַפְשִׁין – A place where souls and spirits rejoice
וִיזַמְּרוּן לָךְ שִׁירִין וְרַחֲשִׁין – Where they will sing You songs and praises
בִּירוּשְׁלֵם קַרְתָּא דְשׁוּפְרַיָּא – In Jerusalem, the beautiful city

This was more than a visit to a rabbi. It was a sacred moment, a living example of  the kind of deep faith that has carried the Jewish people through centuries. Rabbi Shach’s tears, that timeless Shabbat song, and one man’s longing all came together to create something unforgettable: a glimpse into the power of heartfelt Jewish prayer and trust in Hashem.