"My Father Lifted Me and Cried Out to Hashem: 'I Am Not Abraham... I Cannot Withstand the Binding of Isaac'"

Pleased to Meet You

"Gad Gaston Elbaz, 40, married and father of three, resides in Miami, artist, creator, and entrepreneur of projects for Jewish connection."

A Distant Memory I Will Never Forget

"I started performing at the age of four. My father, singer Benny Elbaz, got me involved at a very young age. The first songs I sang were 'Gadi' and 'Father, I Love You,' which were huge hits in 1986. In the song 'Father, I Love You,' there's a line that says: 'Gadi, you'll grow up and understand that being a star isn't easy,' and I feel my father not only introduced me to the industry at a very young age, but also prepared me for it. As Jews, we know that stars are only in the sky and that each of us has a unique soul that came to the world to change, learn, experience, and leave a legacy. Everyone has their own unique story and journey."

A Miracle I Experienced and Will Never Forget

"When I was nine, I experienced a near-death experience. A few months before it happened, my father returned from abroad with a beard and kippah. Before he left, he was clean-shaven and had long hair. I didn't understand why he looked like that, and after a few seconds, he told my mother: 'Dalia, I've returned to faith.' My mother started crying and said, 'What? Why? You understand I'm not going to start keeping Shabbat now, right?' In response, my father hugged us and said it would be okay.

"After my father returned, he and I went to a synagogue close to our home for several months, while my mother stayed in front of the TV. She refused to start keeping Shabbat. Every Shabbat, my father would ask her not to turn on the TV, at least during *Kiddush*, but she wouldn't listen. One Shabbat, their usual argument escalated, and my father told her that if she didn't make an effort—they'd get divorced. That same Shabbat, he asked her not to turn on the TV because he felt something terrible was going to happen, but my mother chose to turn it on.

"That Shabbat, around the time of *Mincha*, I was having a racing competition with my friends, and while running downhill, one of my friends pushed me. I fell hard on my temple and lost consciousness. We lived on the second floor at that time. My father heard what happened, jumped from the balcony, ran to me, and saw I didn't have a pulse. An ambulance was called immediately, and despite the CPR efforts, I didn't wake up. At a certain point, the ambulance crew told my father they were sorry, but there wasn't much more they could do.

"My father picked me up and cried out to Hashem: 'I am not Abraham… I cannot withstand the Binding of Isaac… Give me back my child, and I will dedicate my life and his to You.' Half a second after he shouted this, like a jolt of electricity, I suddenly came back to life. We went to the hospital, and after a short examination, we were told everything was fine. When we got home, I told my father how I saw myself lying on the ground, saw the ambulance, and saw him holding me. We realized I actually saw everything from above.

"Meanwhile, I told my parents that at some point I felt like I was going up, into a blindingly bright light, and continued towards a very bright room, where a figure of an old rabbi slowly approached me. He came up to me, bent down, smiled, and said: 'Ya Ibni, it's not your time to die, but you must promise me that in your singing, you will choose to sing to Hashem, and illuminate souls through your music.' I nodded and agreed, and then I descended back to the world. When I returned, I heard my father say the words: 'I am not Abraham,' and then I woke up.

"My father was in shock and immediately asked me who the rabbi I saw was, and I said I didn't know. He asked if I could recognize him. I said I thought I could, so he took out pictures of rabbis we had at home and started going through them with me one by one. When he got to a picture of the Baba Sali we have in the living room, I ran scared to my room, telling him I didn't want to see him, that I was afraid he'd take me again.

"Later on, we found out that the Elbaz family is actually the Abuhatzeira family. After this happened, my father took the guitar and composed the song that brought multitudes back to faith: 'Thank God.' We performed this song and others all over Israel, and many times I sang on the knees of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Kaduri, of blessed memory."

A Jewish Figure I Will Never Forget

"Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, with whom I have many stories, but one of the most powerful is that my ex-wife and I didn't want to marry without his blessing. Rabbi Ovadia was supposed to marry us, but since he wasn't feeling well, we were informed last minute that he wouldn't be at the wedding, so we went to him just an hour before the ceremony. We waited outside his room, and before he arrived, as he walked down the corridor, we suddenly saw a strong light emanating from where he came out. The photographer with us asked if we also saw it. Suddenly, a crazy light appeared. As the rabbi approached us, we saw it came from his face. The photographer and I turned away; we couldn’t look at him. The rabbi blessed me and told me to continue sanctifying Hashem's name, that this is what I came into the world for, and not to despair even when it gets tough. And many times, it did get tough. I don't know what he saw when he said that, but those words stay with me to this day."

(Photo: Shahar Arbiv)

An Important Principle in My Life That I Never Forget

"Gratitude, seeking the good in others, and seeing the glass half full."

A Prayer I Will Never Forget

"In front of the sea, in Mexico during one of the world's most beautiful sunsets, as I tore the heavens with prayer for salvation, to find a good match again."

A Sight I Will Never Forget

"My 30th birthday, when I lost my cousin Elinor, of blessed memory, who went to sleep and never woke up, at the age of only 32."

A Painful Lesson I Will Never Forget

"Service to Hashem begins at home. Only then should you go out to conquer the world."

A Meeting I Will Never Forget

"I've met many rabbis in my life, and as a result, unfortunately, the excitement in this area has faded. This is what we pray for when we say: 'To behold the pleasantness of Hashem and to visit His Temple' – that we should be as visitors who are excited by sacred matters. But at the same time, when I saw Rabbi Zamir Cohen, I saw how every Jew should behave and strive to be. One can truly sense his simple and humble mastery over character traits.

"During one of our tours together, I saw a Jew approach him and tell him he's been in a relationship with a non-Jewish woman for several years, can't leave her, and asks the rabbi for advice. The rabbi spoke to him kindly, told him how precious he is and how he has a high soul. Instead of continuing with the regular round of blessings and receiving those waiting in line, the rabbi asked him to step aside and talked to him privately for a few more minutes. I saw there the power of strengthening Jews, and it reminded me of the path of the Lubavitcher Rebbe."