"Abraham has Passed. Now It’s You. He Chose You to Spread His Great Light in the World"

Many times in our lives we encounter the familiar bitter feeling about excellent things that, for some inexplicable reason, do not receive the success and recognition they deserve. It could be a restaurant we love that almost always stays empty, a stunning but abandoned spring, or an excellent book that instead of soaring to the heavens, sinks into obscurity.

To a large extent, this is, in fact, the sad story of the songs of Abraham Abutbul. Abraham, the older brother of Alon Abutbul, was a musician and actor who became a baal teshuva. He barely received recognition during his life and passed away from a serious illness at just 52. Abutbul was a deep and prolific creator whose songs are still known today only to a select few, eagerly awaiting a big breakthrough that, when it arrives, will leave no eye dry.

"The first time I met Abraham Abutbul, on a special night I will never forget," says creator Chagai Rosnek, 44, a salesperson and artist, married to Roni and father of three, living in Karkur, "I was very excited and happy because his creation significantly influenced my life.

"However, in those days, and unfortunately even today to a large extent, Abraham's songs are known to a relatively small audience. His songs are very beautiful and powerful, and they have improved the lives of many people, leading many to return to *teshuva* and touch their most sensitive and personal places. It's a great shame the wider public doesn't know them, and my dream is for his songs to reach the masses."

Indeed, blessed is he who says and does. These days Rosnek is working on the release of a new album that will include 12 of Abutbul's songs, which he carefully selected. "While now I am very connected to Abraham and his songs, the first time we met was very spontaneous," Rosnek shares.

"When we lived in Rosh Pina, I used to go on Thursday nights to the place of Moshe Ganesh, a known figure in the Galilee. People would gather there from midnight until dawn, primarily to study Torah. It was a relaxed atmosphere, and during the study, people would fall asleep on the mattresses laid out. I lay on one of the mattresses and suddenly, in the middle of the night, I saw the man lying next to me suddenly wake up and sit up. It was Abraham Abutbul.

"I am a musician, and as I said, even then, I loved his songs very much, so I suggested we play together. Indeed, we did his 'Ashrei Yoshvei Veitecha' in a spontaneous performance. That's how our friendship began. Later the friendship strengthened, Abraham sent me songs, I sent him back, and one day he sent me a song that really moved me. It was called 'The Strengthening Song.' I connected deeply with the song and invited Abraham to play it at a show I had shortly after. By the way, Alon told me later that Abraham was really happy when I invited him to perform with us. He yearned for such opportunities and was very excited.

"I wanted to play the song together with him, so I went to his house in Jerusalem to rehearse. We started working on it, and I will never forget what he said to me right after we started working on the song: 'First of all, you need to find your scale, and only then will you sing with me.' He literally stopped everything. Yes, that was Abraham among other things. Anyway, I understood from that that I hadn't found my true place in singing, so I really began to search for my scale.

To the Depths of Heaven

"As is known, Abraham passed away comparatively suddenly, after battling a severe illness. After he passed, I felt a tremendous desire and need that masses of people would know his songs. I know their potential power and good influence, and that is why I made this vision my focus.

"One of the main things I do to achieve this is recording and releasing an album that contains Abraham's songs. When I started working on the album, I searched for the right producer and went through various options until I found Shmuelik Daniel, who among other things produced songs for Shuli Rand and Amir Benyon.

"When I told Shmuelik about it, he said, 'Before *teshuva*, Abraham Abutbul was called Gadi Keidar. We performed together about 50 times. I loved him very much. But listen, you are not singing in your own scale at all. You play in C and that's not your scale.' Shmuelik directed me to the correct scale for me, and I saw that as a sign from the heavens.

"Now, five years after Abraham passed, taking such a talented creator's material and performing it is not easy at all, and even quite daunting. But there is a good connection between the elements and a good purpose, and that is what gives me strength. I gathered a group of musicians who didn't know Abraham, and they immediately fell for the music.

"By the way, I am in a very good connection with his brother Alon, and he repeatedly told me he would help in any way necessary. He really connected me with people who helped with the clips, for instance. Beyond that, he pointed out a very true and important point in my eyes. He said to me: 'Abraham has passed. Now it's you. He chose you to spread his great light in the world.' I have lived with these songs for five years, we have done amazing arrangements for them, and now we want to launch them up to the depths of heaven."