When Shlomo Artzi Visited the Tzfat Yeshiva

On the morning of last Friday, during his visit to the city, Shlomo Artzi wandered through the ancient alleys of Tzfat. He was drawn by the Vatikin prayer resonating from the Tzfat Hesder Yeshiva, near the Ari Synagogue. The veteran singer did not hesitate and entered the yeshiva. Inside, he found the city's rabbi, Shmuel Eliyahu, the yeshiva head Rabbi Ayal Yakovowitz, and about 40 students, engaged not in a regular prayer but a special Rosh Chodesh Adar prayer, accompanied by a bar mitzvah for a boy from Avnei Hefetz.

 

"At six-thirty in the morning, while we were reciting the Hallel, the door to the Beit Midrash opened, and a man sat at the back," the head of the yeshiva recounted in an article published on Ynet. "Initially, no one noticed. But towards the end of the prayer, one of the boys asked me if it could really be Shlomo Artzi. It seemed odd to me, but I told him to go and ask. Shlomo was respectfully invited to stay for the gathering and the lesson, and he willingly agreed. He told us he was staying at a hotel in Tzfat, woke up early, wandered the city - and his feet carried him to this place, as if a voice told him to enter. He intended to stay for a minute, but couldn't leave, remaining with us until nine-thirty - for a full three hours."

 

During the Torah lesson given by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu on music in the Holy Temple (related to that week's Parshat Terumah), he strummed a bit on a guitar, and Artzi, wearing a kippah of course, joined in the songs even though he initially did not know them. Later in the gathering, Artzi shared an experience with his grandfather, who was a religious man, and in his story, he even burst into tears. According to Artzi, he had never before seen such light and joy in his own world, and he asked the students and rabbis if they could give him "a little of this."

 

Later in the lesson, Artzi and the yeshiva students discussed current affairs. Artzi was curious about how yeshiva students manage to face life outside the walls of the Beit Midrash, yet maintain their Torah enlightenment. The rabbis and students explained that after years in yeshiva, a student becomes so immersed in Torah and holiness, that even after leaving, he primarily sees the inner essence and strengthens the good in everything.

 

The students also asked questions of the veteran singer, for instance about the meaning of the words in his song "More Than This We Don't Need" - "Grant us rain in its time and in spring scatter flowers, more than this we don't need." "Is that all, more than this we don't need?" the students wondered. Artzi replied that it was indeed like that once, but now things are different. He went on to express concern about the situation of the youth today.

 

Throughout the Shabbat, Artzi continued his journey of spiritual strengthening, praying at the Avuab Synagogue in Tzfat. Journalist Nachman Weiss, present at the offbeat encounter, reported in another article published on the Bechadrei Charedim site that "those who know Shlomo Artzi, recognize a high soul with substantial depth, and there is no doubt that once he discovers the truth, he will be drawn in. The soul demands it, even subconsciously."