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Music Video: The Thirst of a Soul

In honor of the upcoming annual Kinus Hashluchim, Israeli singing sensation Gad Elbaz has joined forces with noted filmmaker Danny Finkelman in a moving clip that depicts the Jewish soul’s longing for its Creator.

Elbaz’s haunting rendition of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Tzama Lecha Nafishi serves as the catalyst for a young Jewish man to seek out his roots as he listens to the timeless song while riding the New York City subway. Inspired by the music that so clearly pierces his soul, the young man pays a visit to both the Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, and the Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens, where he pours out his heart in prayer to the One Above.

The film is sponsored by Cafe Rimon, a gourmet eatery in Crown Heights.

Tzama Lecha Nafshi is a Sparks Next Production by Court Square Studios, produced by Danny Finkelman with cinematography by Mauricio Arenas.

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36 Comments

  • very good

    who gave a Heter for that guy not wearing a Yarmulkeh? he is obviously Jewish,

    who gave this guy the right to sing what is the most precious song to us, and turn it into a self promotion.

    i hope and pray you remove this video.

    • Anonymous

      Gad Elbaz, who is singing and playing the piano is most certainly wearing a yarmulka…
      I pray you get to the eye doctor and get your vision checked. .

    • sheesh

      He’s referring to the young man the video storyline follows.
      But sheesh, it’s amazing how fast people find the need to be negative about anything. I pity the people in the lives of all the negative commentators.

    • Ash

      I hope and pray you will look in the mirror and criticize yourself before judging what and who you have no clue about.

  • So glad

    It is so heartning that someone with this type of talent finally fixed this song. The way it was sung until now, which is the way the Rebbe taught it, was lacking some tweaking. Good job, Gad!

  • Proofreader

    To #2– The guy (Gad Elbaz) IS wearing a yarmulkeh.
    Look closely (or maybe get glasses)!

  • That was......GREAT....but

    Firstly, I must say that he sings with such hartz….not chassidic style but really nice job. the end is beautiful.

    but if i may comment NOT CH”V to criticize but 1. Guy without yarmulka can bring a chalishus to kids who see this video. 2. It really bothers me that the Rebbe is blury??????? Could they not find a clearer video of the Rebbe.

  • To #2 the critic

    If you have even a shred of understanding you would realize that the guy on the subway is heading towards a spiritual quest so he puts a kippa on. The Rebbe wanted all kinds of people to connect to Judaism and for you to be so negative and dissing of a fellow Jew makes you the total opposite of the Rebbe’s love!!!!!This is Chabad but when I see comments like yours I realize you have such a negative outlook that I wonder
    who you are and who the other one is that said take it out. Not one of you is chabad if you cannot accept a person who is not your clone and striving for more.SHAME ON ALL OF THE NEGATIVITY HERE.

  • WHOOPS

    My heart breaks for the Rebbe that these are the kind of chassidim he is stuck with. This guy took the Rebbe’s most precious song and made it into a joke! I could have sung it with A LOT more heart and neshama, the way this song is meant to be sung. for the person that felt this elbaz singer improved on the Rebbe I can only say he is either a full fledged TIPPISH or a person so far gone that he can not sense the depth and heartrending yearning of the Rebbe’s when he sang his song. The Rebbe also NEVER pronounced the word ‘chazisicho’ with a tuf. Elbaz sang the song off tune. Anyone who has a chush in neginah would be disturbed at hearing a nigun sung with twists that don’t belong there. And the guy on the subway who is supposed to be Jewish in this film and is probably frum in real life was actually NOT wearing a yarmulka until he got out of the subway and decided to enter 770. What a sad sad state we’ve come to that the kinus for the so called shluchim is using this distorted version of the Rebbe’s most cherished song.!!!

    • Oh for... pete's sake!

      Can’t you focus on the positive at all? So sick of so much negativity in our community. You feel you can do better, please do. We’ll enjoy yours too. The message was beautiful and Gad has a beautiful voice.

    • Ash

      All of your very disheartening negativity aside,Gad Elbaz is of Sefardic descent and the sefardim to not have a suf in their aleph-bet. Please show a little love for your fellow jew.

  • To # 8 painful

    You and your comment are far more painful because you lack sensitivity for the Rebbe and his message.Get lost!

  • too sad

    such a nice song is turned into a song, which by anyone who doesn’t understand the words, sounds like a song of mourning. way too dramatic

  • negative!!!!!

    All of you experts on the song- you have zero connection to your fellow Jew. Who do you think the Rebbe was engaging if not EVERY Jew regardless of the kippa on or off???So the song is ONLY for certain chassidim?The song is ONLY for the ffb guy?The song is ONLY for the ones who know how the song should go and no one else can connect to the Rebbe and his message????Really????

    • Like!

      Some are being so careful about a niggun / Yarmulka. Don’t you think at all about trashing someone? negativity? what should we be more careful about?

  • To number 15

    Not saying this video is bad but your prospective is off.
    I guess the Rebbe should have employed a couple people at his farbrengens without yarmulkas and a couple people on the side singing at the farbrengens in pop style so that everyone should feel they fit in. People don’t get turned on to yiddishkeit from this. they get turned on by authentic chassidic niggunim, darkei hachasidus and limud hachasidus. Hayom yom, tanya etc are the only way the Rebbe taught us to bring yidden closer.

    • Ash

      Do you have data on what turns people on to yiddishkeit? Proof? Anything? Please look in the mirror and think about how YOU can bring people closer to yiddishkeit instead of criticizing others.

  • to #24

    Do you realize there are many out there who don’t know from the tanya bec they weren’t exposed to it and never went to a yeshiva???so you are saying all this belongs only to your exclusive club of chassidim who are already frum from birth?Do you realize that the baal teshivah already feels you look down on them and your comment further confirms this?Here is a singer who is reaching out to the guy who is first putting on a yarmulke and you don’t like it?amazing at some of the hypocrisy I see here and how you REALLY feel about others.

  • Overall

    The Video is beautiful period!

    Yes, it bothers me to see the guy in the beginning with out a Yarmulkah (especially when connected to such a Holy Nigun).

    The story is a nice story. It’s a moving video.

    so in short, very nice video. Song sung nice, Strong message, place for a few corrections.

  • mendel

    to me it just feels like self promotion and he sells out the ohel and other holy sites and images to make a buck, maybe get a few chabadskers on the gad elbaz band wagon. please. grow a beard, put on a black hat, wear a kapata and gartel and then sing this song.

    the people writing “dont be so negative” are probably the people who made the video defending this.

    just because you put the Rebbe in it doesn’t make it Kosher. a little self reflection maybe next time

  • OPEN MINDED:

    If you are intellectually honest then you have to be able to hear and consider the so-called “negative” view too.

    There is no ultimate evidence proving one way or the other.

    I think that despite the talent this is not correct. I also think that if you asked several elderly chasidim they would agree with me.

  • so touched

    this song and the way it was sung and the video it self is simply AMAZING…it brought me to tears!!

    So the guy is not wearing a kipph in the beginning and the video is a bit blurry but you know what…..it does not take away from the song, it’s meaning and the way this video touches peoples heart.

    Gad, you are an amazing artist and this song proves it!! keep up the touching work you do!!

  • educate yourself

    First educate yourselves as to who Gad is.His father became observant and the family dedicated themselves to connecting with non-observant Israelis through their music.They are sephardim so they don’t need to take on European customs and since when did the Rebbe say those of Moroccan descent need to wear kapotes???Where?Obviously the Rebbe has touched this singer in a way that moved his heart through song. Why must he be put down and be criticized for this?And he is touching way more than just himself.Why say it’s all self promotion?He is very popular in Israel and didn’t need to do this. He FELT something!

  • debora ohayoun

    ce nigun chante interprete par GAD est magnifique s il avait pu le rabbi l aurait chante aussi de cette maniere et nous aussi mais ce n est pas donne a tous d avoir une belle voix un tel talent belle et emouvante interpretation si on chantait comme cela avec profondeur amour emouna dans nos synagogues elles seraient trop petites……bravo bravo bravo