Kobi Peretz on the Scars from Prison: "I Believe Hashem Gave Me a Test I Can Handle"

In an especially intense first interview, singer Kobi Peretz recalls the most difficult experience of his life - the nine months he had to spend in prison after being convicted of evading income tax amounting to 5.8 million shekels.

In the interview, the singer details his daily routine in prison and reveals the things he learned to appreciate anew behind bars. "I woke up at an unknown hour - six in the morning. We established a minyan for Shacharit prayer," he recalls in an interview with Avi Shoshan of Yediot Aharonot. After the prayer, there was a roll call, and then the prisoners went to work from which they returned only in the afternoon. "After that, I sat on a chair in the wing or yard for solitude, as if I was in Uman. Hours reading Psalms and 'In the Garden of Faith'."

In the emotional interview, Peretz cannot help but let his feelings out, breaking into unrestrained tears. Nothing prepared him for the difficulties he would face in prison, the greatest of which was the thought of his former manager who turned state's witness against him. But as time passed and Peretz focused on self-reflection with Hashem, things became clear. Today he bears no grudge against him or others who testified against him.

When asked if he could ever forgive his manager, Peretz replies: "I'll surprise you: I've already forgiven him. And if he greets me on the street, I might even greet him back."

"I believe Hashem gave me a test I can handle"

Does he still harbor resentment and anger toward those who hurt him? "After all I've been through, what will it give me to keep being angry?" he says. "Today I see him as a messenger of Hashem, because who knows what might have been if not. I hope that if I hurt someone, they will also forgive me. I was full of anger, and now I am not."

When asked how he summarizes this period in prison, Peretz closes with one word: "Redemption. In hindsight, I'm glad it ended 'only' like this. As a singer, I have ministered to children with cancer and injured soldiers from Operation Protective Edge - so it gave me perspective. All the questions I had for Hashem, and I had many, I took back. Prison gave me perspective on many things in life. Even eating a fruit, showering without flip-flops. It was truly hell, and I've been left with a psychological scar that will, unfortunately, accompany me all my life - but I believe Hashem gave me a test I can handle."

While Peretz was waiting for an answer on the pardon, he happened to hear a live broadcast on the radio of the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the eve of Lag BaOmer. "I sang, intending and praying, and the next day I received the news. That's why I held the thanksgiving meal after my release at his burial site in Meron," he says and adds: "In all my 25-year career, I haven't received as much love as I do today. Since my release, it's all hugs and kisses. I feel reborn. I understood who is a friend and who is an opportunist, and I received many insights into life. And you know what, money for me today is not the main thing. Freedom and family are what matter. I went out with my child to ride bicycles, and I felt richer than Bill Gates."

Peretz concludes the interview with a heartfelt plea, calling on the public to give him a second chance. "I appeal to everyone from here, we are in the month of mercy and forgiveness, so give me a second chance. I take responsibility, I paid my dues both in money and imprisonment. And believe me, I've learned my lesson in this life."