"From That Moment We Began a Race Against Time to Try to Achieve the Impossible"

Nice to Meet You

"Sagiv Cohen, 48, father of five, musician, lives in Pardes Hanna."

An Unforgettable Longing

"I miss my grandfather, Mori Meshulam Mudar zt"l, who was the hero of my childhood. Grandfather had a serious and noble personality, part of the founding generation of Zikhron Yaakov, a man entirely composed of Torah and good deeds. In my early childhood, grandfather was a butcher with his own shop and served as a deputy head of the council, and I greatly admired that. Even during my rebellious adolescence, his presence was enough to ground me and remind me where I came from. To me, grandfather was the symbol of Judaism. As much as the Torah was dear to him, his moral conduct surpassed it, and he never shamed anyone.

"Grandfather was the teacher of the Yemeni children of Zikhron Yaakov, and everyone wanted to study with him because he didn’t know how to be angry and always taught with pleasantness and a smile. As a child, I greatly enjoyed accompanying him on visits to the sick and other mitzvahs, and I absorbed all my knowledge of Biblical cantillation from him. To this day, it moves me when people come to me after a performance and tell me they fondly remember my grandfather. It always brings back my longing for him and the inspiration I received from him. Since his passing, my dear mother, who learned from him about mutual responsibility, care, and giving to others, is undoubtedly continuing his path."

A Difficult Event I Won't Forget

"The sudden separation from my father, Nachman Cohen z"l. My father was a teacher, a man of books, a scholar, a Hebrew language researcher, and someone with an amazing command of the Bible and other parts of the Torah. Dad taught for over 30 years at the Noam Midrasha in Pardes Hanna and the Ulpana in Kfar Pines, teaching was the project of his life and his students were the loves of his life. After Dad retired, it visibly dimmed him, and regrettably, about two and a half years ago, we learned that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, just before my younger sister’s wedding. Because of this, my sister decided to move up her wedding, and from that moment, we began a race against time to try to do the impossible, to save him and to ease his pain as much as possible.

"For us, those were four months during which our lives were on hold, and during this time we suddenly received an important lesson about how fragile life is and how important it is to appreciate and make the most of every moment with our parents. Dad passed away on Friday, the 6th of Nissan 5781. Two years have passed since then, and I am still unable to fully grasp the loss. I inherited my love for Hebrew, poetry, and liturgical songs from Dad, and many other things. As a child, I would hold the diwan like a stand for him while he played and sang with his clear, strong voice, and would get everyone dancing. For my bar mitzvah, Dad bought me a guitar and a keyboard, even though I wanted drums very much, and thanks to him, I delved into the world of words and melodies. Dad was a great scholar, and he answered everyone’s questions and mine with great patience and love. All of this I miss greatly now, but thank God, I am left with memories and recordings of his singing, which with Hashem's help, I will incorporate into my future songs."

A Painful Lesson I Won't Forget

"Six years ago, during Chanukah, at 5 AM, while I was recording in the studio, my car was stolen from the courtyard of my house. A group of thieves duplicated my key while it was being serviced. During those Chanukah performance days, my car was filled with my most personal and dear belongings, including clothes, shoes, and my beloved guitar.

"I felt great distress from the situation, and it was painful that it happened right under my nose and I couldn’t stop it. I tried getting help from the police and friends who searched nearby villages with me; I was even ready to buy back my guitar from the thieves, but couldn’t reach any lead. After a relatively short time, I realized that the thieves had probably crossed the green line within twenty minutes of the theft, and that the police had more important issues to handle than my personal belongings and an uninsured car.

"The theft caused me heavy financial damage, but what shook me most was the way I saw myself through the material possessions that were stolen, and without them, I felt as if I had lost my identity. I walked around for a few days feeling meaningless, refusing to accept the indignity and loss, until I heard from a dear friend about the story of King Solomon and the farmer who insisted on learning the language of the birds. The farmer heard from the birds several times that he was going to lose wealth and property, and managed to prevent it, but ultimately had to pay with his life. From that moment, I simply understood that these material things, which I foolishly thought were so significant, were just a shell that saved lives, and I was filled with gratitude to the Creator for my modest life, for my health and the health of my children, and surprisingly, even for the theft."

A Song I Won't Forget

"I am very connected to the song 'Ode to You, Living God,' a Yemeni song from the diwan that I loved singing as a child in school. The melody was composed by Sar Shalom Keshet, with lyrics by Rabbi Yehosef Ben Israel. In fourth grade, after trying out my voice quite a bit during prayers in the synagogue, I participated in a talent competition at school, and unlike the other students who performed popular songs that were played on the radio at the time, it was natural for me to sing a piyut, and I won first place with it. After the competition, I performed the song every time I was asked to sing it, and I also sang it at my bar mitzvah. To this day, I sometimes sing it during performances, and I talk about our long-standing connection."

A Funny Moment I Won't Forget

"When my son was seven, he asked me: 'Dad, why isn't it written in the Torah 'Honor your children'? After all, we should honor every person as they are. I enjoyed the question and told him that if our instinct was to honor our parents as we honor our children, perhaps we wouldn’t have been commanded to honor our parents. The Torah always emphasizes and precedes the commandments that are less natural for us to fulfill, as it precedes, for example, fear with the mother - 'A man should fear his mother and father,' and in honoring the father - 'Honor your father and your mother.'"

An Important Principle I Won't Forget

"Always give more than you receive, and bless the privilege you have to give. In deals, relationships, and even in negotiations, we often tend to focus too much on ourselves out of fear that we'll lose or be suckers. However, if we give just a bit more than we receive, the feeling of giving, with love as its purpose, will strengthen us and attract abundance. The truth is, it's just like the importance of gratitude and thankfulness for 'Your miracles and wonders that are with us every day' - the more we remember to be thankful for what we’ve received, the more abundance will flow towards us, providing us many reasons to be thankful, and the more we complain - the more reasons we’ll have to complain, God forbid."

A Miracle I Won't Forget

"The moment my eldest daughter was born was a miracle to me. When it happened, I realized that I was privileged to have a part in creation, and I felt the magnitude of a responsibility that cannot be evaded anymore, a responsibility that was born with her. Afterward, I had the privilege to feel this miracle four more times, during the births of my other children. I think there's nothing more sublime than the moment you feel a partner in this miracle of bringing life into the world, and witnessing this miracle continuing as the child grows and becomes an adult. And within all of this, you gradually understand how careful we must be in our responsibility for our children’s bodies, their souls, and the shaping of their personalities, and in this matter, I highly recommend Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s book 'The Complete Guide to Educating Children,' from which I've learned a lot."

A Prayer I Won't Forget

"There is a verse that has accompanied me throughout my life: 'Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.' Each time I feel challenged by trials, I intentionally recite this verse and remember that there are things beyond my control, and that beyond the efforts I made, it’s not in my hands anymore. Consequently, I understand that instead of falling into constant vigilance and anxiety, I release control to the Creator, and with full faith, I know that he will steer circumstances for my personal good, as one who sees me from above, and always, always does only kindness with me."