Dear brothers,
I am writing to you from the bottom of my heart.
03:00 in the morning. Friday, Parashat Vilach.
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I'm currently flying over Europe, on my way home to New York, after a performance in Lod.
Can't sleep.
I want to dance!
Don't want to sleep!
After what I saw tonight in Lod, I'm not interested in sleep.
But I have a strong desire to write a letter of thanks to you, the sacred audience who came to hear me, "The Star." Tonight in Lod, in the end, you were the stars.
Tonight something happened to me, which, thank God, has never happened in the 35 years that I have been singing and performing.
In the first hour and a half on stage, I felt so good, both in terms of the singing and the sound and in terms of the connection to the audience. I felt that the audience was really enjoying the songs and the stories, a feeling of exaltation in holiness, in preparation for Yom Kippur.
When I started singing the song "And Netana Toqeeq" my voice choked!
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But not just suffocated, I felt as if someone had put a knife or a knife on my strings until I couldn't get a pure high note out.
It was so obvious that all the thousands in the audience immediately realized I was in trouble.
Somehow, I managed to finish "And We Were Strong.".
But there were a few other songs before me like "Tanya" and "Okhila Lekel" and "Rak Tefillah" that I had to sing, and what would I do?
And suddenly the audience applauds to cheer me on!
Ready to help me in any way possible.
So I turned to the audience and asked them to sing "Tanya" and "Okhila Lakel" and in one voice they raised their voices and sang!
I have never heard such a performance.
It was a song from the heart, with one intention: to help a Jew who was standing on stage and needed help. I have no words to describe the feeling I felt. It was pure love for Israel.
It was the fulfillment of the commandments "Leave, leave," "Rise, stand up," and a few other commandments. You gave me the feeling that I definitely don't need the stage to "open its mouth," and I'm... ashamed.
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On the contrary, despite what happened, you saved the situation out of joy and a desire to help, and the joy and excitement that had existed for an hour and a half up until then continued until I finished the performance, two hours after I started it.
I will never forget the kindness and help I received from you in Lod!
Thursday evening between the chair and the decade, 2016, I wish all of you within the Jewish community a happy finale.
May God fulfill all your heart's desires for good and blessing.
Looking forward to being with you again in Lod and saying "thank you" face to face. Until then, I say to you:
How good it is that we met!
heartily,
Avraham Fried
