"Hashem Introduced Me to Low Places to Lift Me High"

"When I was three years old, my parents went as emissaries to Brazil and Colombia, which greatly affected me," says Aviner, 23, married and a father of two, living in Tirat Yehuda, a music producer, and creator. "I was born into a religious Zionist family, I have an older sister and five brothers after me. We lived in South America for a total of four years, and I remember feeling like a stranger there. Although I lived there from as far back as I can remember, something inside me knew it wasn't my place. When we returned to Israel, I suddenly felt like I started living."

(Photo: Reut Ora Kaufman)

A Fall for the Sake of Rising

Aviner continues: "When we returned to Israel, we lived in Samaria, in the settlement of Zofim, and I quickly connected with music. I sang in school choirs and was usually the lead actor in plays. In addition, my musical side quickly developed into dancing. By the age of 12, I was dancing and greatly influenced by hip-hop and American pop. At 15, I started getting into DJing, downloaded a computer program, and began making music in that way. A year later, I went to a boarding school because I wanted to be more independent. There was a music department there, and of course, I enrolled in it. For three years, I studied music, played piano and guitar, and learned sound and production."

"Three years before that, when I was 13, I left the path of Torah and mitzvot. It was hard for me, and it didn't suit me, so I threw off the yoke. I sought the pleasures of life. I didn't even fast on Yom Kippur. A year later, at 14, I started using drugs and alcohol. At a later stage, I even began consuming very hard substances. My parents were pained by what happened to me, but there wasn't much they could do. Thank God, I relatively finished with this dangerous consumption quickly."

"Despite my distancing, I always felt some connection to Hashem. I never doubted that there is a Creator to the world and that there is general and individual providence. Ultimately, I think this is what brought me back. I never lost the place that wants a connection with the Creator of the world."

(Photo: Nevo Arama)

(Photo: Nevo Arama)

A Piece of Divinity

According to Aviner, the spiritual search continued to burn within him and brought him closer to a life of Torah and mitzvot. "At 17, I started studying Kabbalah, and it was very powerful for me. For the first time, I understood that there is content and value behind the practical mitzvot. Today, I know that Hashem introduced me to low places to lift me high. I understand that I had to go through what I went through to understand what I understand today."

After realizing this, what did you do to strengthen yourself in Torah and mitzvot?

"Immediately after high school, I entered a yeshiva in Tel Aviv. I wanted to immerse myself in Torah while being close to music. I had a great desire to gain stage experience, and I indeed performed and recorded quite a bit that year. I started with a hesder yeshiva, but it didn't work out because after nine months in the yeshiva, I got married and was exempt from army service. I wasn't afraid to marry young. The wedding was simple for me because I didn't feel complete without a wife. My wife is eight years older than me, but it has never bothered us."

I assume there were nonetheless challenges in marrying so young

"The decision to marry was easy for me, and I'm very, very happy with this decision. My family brings great happiness into my life, to levels hard to describe. My family is the most important to me in the world, and I thank Hashem for them every day. However, after the wedding, things weren't always easy. Early marriage brought many challenges into my life. Today, I think maybe it was indeed too early for me. I had many desires, and suddenly there are commitments that come first. I wanted to invest in music, but the family drained my energy. Alongside the blessing that marriage brought, there was, of course, also economic concern, as I had to provide for the household."

"At that time, and until today, I mainly earn a living from street performances. I go to crowded places in major cities, during times when there's a lot of movement, take out my guitar, and start playing. After a few hours, I usually make a few hundred shekels. In these performances, I don't sing, only play. I really put my soul into the playing. The guitar speaks when I play it; sometimes it screams, sometimes it cries, sometimes it smiles. I get a strong impression that people enjoy it, and I also see it in the money they put in. I come with an amplifier that gives me accompaniment and rhythm, and I flow with it."

"Besides that, I also perform in various other venues. In the future, with Hashem's help, I will have larger performances, with my own original materials. It's important to me that my songs reach far because my music focuses on four important things: the connection between a person and themselves, to their spouse, to the world, and to their Creator. In general, I'm someone who seeks meaning in everything. By the way, regarding performances, I can also say thank God I've already had the opportunity to perform abroad, including with famous singers. We performed together during a fundraising tour for the network where I studied. They presented me as someone who studied in their institutions and is an inspiration. I was indeed in difficult places, but I took myself into hand, and thank God, I came out of it."

"In addition to that, music has had many influences on my life. A few years ago, I was involved in the musical management of a band composed of at-risk youth. I was there, and therefore I very much understand their place. Later on, Hashem helped me, and I met excellent producers. At some point, after properly learning how to produce songs, I also set up my studio. Six months ago, I released 'A Bit of the Good', an album with 11 original songs. Some of the songs I produced alone, and some with the help of other producers."

(Photo: Reut Ora Kaufman)

After the change you went through, how do you connect your musical work to serving Hashem?

"Serving Hashem is everything in life. I think every person's work is to be with Hashem 24/7, just like a best friend. Hashem is the closest one can have, closer than any person who could ever know you. With Hashem, you can talk about everything. And in general, I strongly believe in the power of speech and letters. Our sages teach us that the world was created with ten utterances. Beyond that, I work from a spiritual place to truly feel. I don't act, don't do because I must. When I was in yeshiva, I felt thirsty to learn more and more, that there is no end to this holy wisdom, and that feeling continues to accompany me to this day."

"In addition to all this, at some point in my life, I understood how significant I am to the world, and that also brought me closer to Hashem. I realized how much strength I have, strength that can help me change reality. The Torah encourages a person to act, Hashem gives us kingship in this world. People have infinite powers, and our task is to utilize them."

"In all this, I also try to connect to Hashem through specific mitzvot. For example, I am very connected to the mitzvah of charity. Giving is being above nature. When a baby is born, they suckle and take for themselves. That's the nature. In contrast, when a person gives, they connect to the divine within them. Hashem gives, and if you also give, you get closer to Him and become like Him. I hope to continue giving, developing, and bringing blessings to the world through my songs and in general."