There are many great heartfelt songs. I usually enjoy songs more when they have nice, inspiring words to go along with a nice tune. As Abie Rotenberg says in “We’ve Got the Music” (Journeys 3), “One thing we must keep in mind/A Jewish song of any kind/Is only precious if and when/it brings us closer to Hashem.”
So in no particular order I am going to list a bunch of inspirational songs that I enjoy.
I’ll start with “Acheinu” from Abie Rotenberg’s album, Lev Vanefesh. This song is a t’filla to Hashem to have mercy on our brothers who are in tzar. I think that he wrote it during one of the Israeli wars. There are a few other beautiful songs in that album including A Jewel and Ki Hinei. I also like Mi Ban Siach and Adon Olam from Lev Vanefesh II.
Continuing with Abie Rotenberg, although the Marvelous Middos Machine is a kids tape, the Sinas Chinam song is a very nice song which I listen to all the time. The Shalom and T’shuva songs are nice too. The rest of the songs (as well as the stories) are nice, but this is about heartfelt songs so I listed these.
Then there are the Dveykus albums which are also full of great, heartfelt songs. To list a few from each album:
Dveykus 1 – Lev Tahor, Tzoma Nafshi, K’ayol, Achas Shoalti, Hinei Yomim…
Dveykus 2 – Gam Ki Eilech, Kol B’rama, Kol Dodi… In A’vinkeleh is also a very nice song although I don’t really understand Yiddish, but I like Shwekeys new English version.
Dveykus 3 – Na’ar Hayisi, Hinei Anochi, B’sheim Hashem, Habain Yakir Li…
Dveykus 4 – Shema Koleinu, Hamalach, Ani Maamin, Shalom Rav, B’Rosh Hashana…
All of the Abie Rotenberg compositions sung by Shwekey are great. One of my favorite is Eternity from Oorah’s 2006 CD. When I hear this song, I often think of a friend of mine who was sick with cancer at the time that this song came out. I can picture his mother’s pain as she davened for him. I know that they have the same emunah as is described in the song that his neshama is now “soaring high unchained and free”. The concept of eternity is described as “not for a day, a month, a year”. It puts into perspective, how fleeting the tzaros of this world are. Whether they last a day, a month, a year, or even a lifetime, it is still nothing compared to the reward in the next world which is forever. Sometimes we might feel “chained” by our tzaros, but we have to realize that it is only temporary and in the next world our neshamos will be “unchained and free” for all of eternity. (Video link), (Lyrics link)
Another great song is Carlebach’s Eilecha. It was sung by Pirchei at HASC 2. It is also sung by Shloimy Daskal in his new album Project Relax 2. Although I haven’t heard the whole album yet it sounds like it is very good. I like a lot of the songs there and I like Shloimy Daskal. Back to Eilecha, when the Rosh Yeshiva of my yeshiva, R’ Henach Leibowitz ZT”L was alive, we would often to go to his apartment on Friday nights and sing with him. This was one of the songs we used to sing. It was very inspirational to be sitting with a group of guys singing this song with the Rosh Yeshiva. As we would sing the high part with the words, “shema Hashem v’chaneini” I felt Hashem right there with us listening to our singing and ready to be “ozer li”.
One of my favorite kumtzitz songs is Tov L’hodos. I think it was originally from Shalheves Boys Choir. I always liked this song. One time we were singing it at a kumtzitz and it was the end of a long, hard day and I was exhausted, barely able to move, but I had that song in my head as I got up afterward and it inspired me to be able to get through the rest of the day, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. It inspired me to think of how we should always be thanking Hashem, morning and evening just for being able to get through the day.
Back to the great Abie Rotenberg, he has 2 Aish albums with Shlomo Simcha with some great songs including Ilan Ilan, Mi Adir, M’heira (composed by Baruch Levine), Habeit, and Yedid Nefesh. My favorite songs are Ritzei and Birchas Habayis from Aish 2. The latter was composed by Baruch Levine and is one of my favorite songs. I also really like the original words to the tune from Lost in Lazer Land. (Lyrics link)
I’m sure I could list many more great, heartfelt songs from Miami Boys Choir, Shalsheles, Shlomo Carlebach, etc. But, I will end with Shalsheles’s Esa Einei and Nochi Krohn’s Vinikaisi and Mah Rabu.
By the way, if you purchase music from MostlyMusic through any of the links above (or use this link to purchase anything from the site) my yeshiva will get a percentage of the sale.