“Shabbat Reset My Life”: A Conversation with Musician-Turned-Chassid Roi Lavie

What does Shabbat mean to you?
“Shabbat is my island of sanity in the endless race of life. Before I began keeping Shabbat, I used to work seven days a week and wondered why I was constantly behind. Today, thank God, Shabbat grounds me and recharges me for the week ahead. The moment it ends, I feel ready to face the coming days with renewed strength. Even as a child, I remember the light of Shabbat looking different, brighter, and more radiant than any ordinary day.”

What’s your typical Shabbat schedule?
“Shabbat begins for me on Friday at 2 p.m. I help my wife prepare the fish and the other dishes for the meals, then head to the mikvah (riual bath) to purify myself in honor of Shabbat. But the most magical moment is when my wife lights the candles. Time stands still. A deep, inexplicable calm sets in, straight to the bones. With that calm, we walk to the synagogue, and with it, we return to a meal like no other during the week.

“In the middle of the meal, my wife and I study insights from the Lubavitcher Rebbe on the weekly parashah. His ideas always shed new light on the Torah portion, so much so that we usually take something practical into our daily lives. After that comes a kind of sleep that’s from another world, sweet in a way only those who keep Shabbat can understand.

“On Shabbat morning, I return to the mikvah before prayers, then learn for a while to prepare myself before standing before the Creator. After davening, we sometimes stay to learn a bit more, and if there’s time, we rest before Minchah and Maariv. At the end of the day, we take leave from Shabbat and from the extra soul we received for those 25 hours.”

Where do you pray on Shabbat?
“Not far from our home in Ramat Gan is a beautiful Chabad house called ‘Modaut.’ It’s where local Chassidim and neighbors gather to learn and pray. The people there are amazing. They’re constantly creating new initiatives for the sake of Am Yisrael. They truly give it their all.”

Do you have a favorite Shabbat song?
“My favorite Shabbat song is ‘Yom Shishi Higi’a U’Mah Tov Chelki’ by Avihu Medina. It brings together the melodies of many traditions into one song, and for me, that symbolizes the incredible unity of the Jewish people.”

If you could host or be hosted by anyone for Shabbat, who would it be?
“I’d want to be a guest of the Lubavitcher Rebbe for Shabbat and hear new Torah ideas about redemption directly from him, and maybe ask him why the redemption has taken so long. But I suppose when redemption comes, we’ll know the answers, and as it says, ‘Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with joy,’ may it be very soon. I would love to host anyone who’s never tasted the joy of Shabbat. I’d love to welcome them into its world of light.”

What makes Shabbat different from the rest of your week?
“Everything is more special on Shabbat: the food tastes better, the sleep is sweeter, and even learning is clearer. It’s no wonder we yearn for the day in the future that will be like one long Shabbat. On Shabbat, we get a real taste of the World to Come, and honestly, it’s not so hard to feel it.”

What’s the first thing you do after Shabbat ends?
“Right after Havdalah (the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat), my wife and I say the blessing of ‘Veyiten Lecha’ together. It’s a Chabad custom where a couple blesses one another with all the goodness that Hashem can give. Interestingly, even someone who isn’t married can say it with a friend, reading together from one siddur.”

Conclusion
Once the guitarist and lead composer for the Israeli band “Hatavlinim,” Roi Lavie has since taken a very different stage. Four years ago, he began exploring his Jewish roots, eventually leaving the band to study in yeshiva. Today, he is a Chabad Chassid, a husband, and a new father, and Shabbat is the centerpiece of his week. His journey is still unfolding, now through a solo music career infused with soul, learning, and light.