"This Moment is Definitely One of the Defining Moments in My Ongoing Journey of Faith in Hashem"

A Distant Memory I Won't Forget

"I'm a four-year-old child, we're living in New York. On Shabbat mornings, we're all dressed up on our way to synagogue, and I recall my mother in a bottle green dress insisting on cleaning my face with a handkerchief she had from breakfast stains. My mother also taught the Jewish children who lived in our area Hebrew on Sundays, in that same synagogue we went to pray, and I remember it vividly from a very young age."

A Fear I Won't Forget

"I remember suffering a great deal from abandonment anxiety, probably developed in childhood. I would wake up as a child to a silent house and was sure I was alone until I heard my parents' voices. This anxiety followed me into my twenties, and as my faith strengthened, the anxiety disappeared."

An Important Principle I Won't Forget

"The greatest enemy of man is the obvious. One must not fall into this trap, not even for a moment. This, in my opinion, is the real work in matters of faith. I believe everything that happens, every word spoken, every smile, every tear, every blooming flower and basically everything – happens so we pay attention and give thanks for them."

A Mitzvah I Fulfilled and Won't Forget

"Helping others on the road is a mitzvah I had the privilege to do more than once. For instance, helping someone stuck without fuel on a hot summer day and driving to bring her from a nearby gas station, or an elderly man trying to lift a truck tire with his elderly wife, and I cannot help but stop and assist. I thank Hashem for such opportunities."

A Jewish Value I Won't Forget

" 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Such an important and wise value. It's a value I reflect upon continuously, a value a person should examine repeatedly – how does their giving look. The intention is not merely towards yourself or your close family, but beyond. To your neighbor. 'Love your neighbor as yourself' indeed sanctifies giving to yourself, but so you can give to others. A person who cancels themselves to give to others does not fulfill this value. A person who thinks only of themselves and neglects giving to others does not fulfill this value either. It's another one of the beautiful balances our true teachers guide us on. And mainly, don't be afraid at all."

A Moment of Happiness I Won't Forget

"The greatest and most divine moments of happiness are the births of my children. That second of a baby's arrival into the world is a moment that cannot be described in words because it is simply a moment of divine creation. Exodus from Egypt, exit from the Garden of Eden. The first encounter of spirit with materiality. Unforgettable, and uplifting to tears."

Torah Study I Won't Forget

"When I was a high school student, we studied the Book of Job in a Bible class. I was 15, and the teacher who taught us wasn't even a teacher I particularly liked. During the lesson, she wrote the following on the board, and to this day I don't forget this moment: 'the human level', and alongside it, she wrote: 'the divine level'. This very complex book talks about the trials Job experiences in faith even as slowly all the good things he had are taken from him, and he undergoes many tragedies and a terminal illness threatening to end his life.

"I remember myself as a child trying to understand this whole matter of 'wicked prosper, righteous suffer', and just like a flash of lightning, the two phrases the teacher wrote on the board struck me deeply. The teacher explained that there are things a person can explain to themselves on the human level, and there are things they cannot, because they belong to the divine level. This moment, this lesson, and this combination of words written by a secular teacher, touched me deeply. This moment planted a very deep understanding in me that I never forget, and it is definitely one of the defining moments in my ongoing journey of faith in Hashem."

A Yearning I Won't Forget

"Generally, I'm not someone who yearns much, as I'm a person of the here and now, of action and study. The past brought me here with all the good and all the challenges, and I hope I'm undergoing enough corrections and experiences in my daily life so that I won't one day feel that I missed out, that I didn't do enough, that I didn't fulfill myself and that I'm yearning."

A Painful Lesson I Won't Forget

"One of my biggest problems as an artist was my perfectionism. The first albums I released were titled 'Rami the Perfectionist's Albums.' Everything had to be perfect, and nothing didn't pass under my critical and uncompromising ear. I was very harsh, and mostly unbearable towards myself, and went through a significant emotional and physical crisis during that time. I couldn't allow myself to relax and listen to others' ideas because I was so arrogant and convinced that all the best ideas were mine alone.

"Alongside those albums that have indeed proven themselves over the years, I felt great suffering and asked myself a significant question then – is an artist's perfectionism worth the price paid. The lesson was very meaningful, and I went through many ups and downs in this journey. Today, I can say, like everything in life – balance is the right place to be. The balance between listening to others’ ideas and listening to your own, musical collaborations, and the expressive capability of musicians on stage. All these have made me not just a better person but also a better artist."

A Sight I Won't Forget

"A few years ago, I performed at the Klezmer Festival in Safed. I've been performing for many years for all kinds of audiences in the country – secular and religious, central and peripheral, including in settlements. I believe music and culture are commodities that should be accessible to everyone, regardless of politics or geography, but the experience that evening at the Klezmer Festival in Safed was unforgettable.

"The sight before me of all kinds of our people, about four thousand spectators tightly gathered together as one unit, deeply moved me. This connection was truly magical, and when I saw it – tears of happiness flowed from my eyes. The connection between all our tribes in the people of Israel is possible, and we must invest for it to happen. It was a powerful moment for me, and an emotional sight I'll never forget."