Late Father’s Song Brought to Life

By Toby Brikman

It is with a great sense of pleasure that we share with you “Maher”, a song composed by my late husband Mendel Brikman A”H, the release of which has been timed to coincide with Mendel’s birthday today, Ches Teves.

Chazal tell us that on a person’s birthday “mazalo goiver,” meaning that their spiritual constellation is dominant.

As Mendel’s neshoma shines extra brightly today, we know that it will be energized by the words of his song being shared and sung, in the hope that they will be heard on high and that Hashem will respond to Mendel’s tefillah and tefillos of Klal Yisroel by sending us Moshiach now.

I am including the speech I shared at Mendel’s yartzeit gathering in which I explained the significance of the words of the song. I invite you to take a moment to read the speech and hope you will find it adds meaning to the song:

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When I first thought about speaking this evening, I didn’t think it was something I could do. But then it occurred to me that over the last year since Mendel’s petirah, I have, with Hashem’s help, found the strength to do lots of things that I never thought I would be able to do and so in that spirit and in Mendel’s honor, I want to introduce to you a very special part of our program.

About a year before Mendel passed away, he was hospitalized yet again. He spent his days and nights trying to regulate his breathing and relax in order to help himself get better. Over the course of his hospital stay, during those wee hours of the morning, he was deep in thought and composed a song using very powerful words. Upon returning home from the hospital, he told our family that he had composed a song. My nephew Zalmen Levin, regularly came over to our house and would spend time with Mendel singing and playing for him on the piano. During this particular visit, Zalmen sat at the piano while Mendel tried to sing the song.

It was a bit difficult by this stage to really hear the tune that Mendel had in mind, because at this point in time Mendel was not able to breathe and talk clearly, let alone sing – yet he was so determined to have Zalmen hear the song the way he had it in mind to be sung that with every last breath he sang. Zalmen played the keys on the piano till he got the first part of the song down perfectly to Mendel’s liking. Zalmen went on to continue figuring out and playing with the keys to create the melody that matched Mendel’s tune. Mendel nodded, winked his eyebrows, smiled, or even tried to sing along as the song started to materialize the way he imagined.

Months after the song was completed Mendel was visited by friends and some chazzanim and the song was sung. You were able to see Mendel’s face light up, as if to say, “this is just what I had in mind when I composed it. Everyone loved it. And again, just a few short months later, in my in law’s apartment- only days before he went into the hospital for the last time – some close friends and chazzanim came to sing and farbreng with Mendel. I remember clearly – the hour was late and Mendel insisted on calling Zalmen to come over and help him with the song- he wanted it to be sung. He came over and sang the song with him and they all loved it.

My son Isser, who is a gifted pianist -if I may say so myself- quickly learned the tune and the song became a favorite in our house. Fast forward to the last two days of Mendel’s life; this song was sung the most. Speaking to my nephew Zalmen recently, he actually told me that while singing the song at Mendel’s bedside in the hospital he watched how when singing certain words that Mendel was particular about singing, he raised his eyebrow as if to indicate that he approved of the way it was being sung.

After Mendel passed away, my hope and dream were to publicize this beautiful and meaningful song.

It was hard for Isser to play the melody on the piano as it ripped our hearts to play it without Mendel sitting there to smile.

We live our days with winks from Mendel. We call it “a wink from Tatty”. It’s when we feel a personal connection to him when something in particular happens.

Isser called Avraham Fried – a very close friend of our family and Mendel in particular, and explained that we would want to have this song publicized and sung for the first Yartzeit. Avraham responded that it would be his honor and that he would do it. So Isser sat at the piano in our home and played and sang at the same time. I was in the kitchen crying while listening to him sing and play the beautiful song.

Production was underway- Isser and Chaim Marcus spearheaded this project from beginning to end, making sure everything progressed with utmost perfection. I remember asking Chaim in one of our conversations in the middle of the summer if Mendel ever told him any background to the song. He said it was over a year ago that he sent the song and he would look back on his phone to see. He called back to say that he looked up the date that Mendel sent him the song and it was JULY 26 -chof Tammuz- the exact day that this year he had looked up the song! So this right here was a wink from Mendel giving us his approval of going ahead with the production of the song.

I recall when Isser sent me the first recording of the musicians playing the song. I told him the song sounds nice but I really need to hear it with the lyrics. Less than 12 hours later I got the new recording with Eli Marcus singing the song, the lyrics were powerful and the song was beautiful. I remember saying to myself this is only happening because Mendel is winking.

You see in those lyrics Mendel discovered a new kind of self-expression which allowed him to convey his deepest hopes and aspirations using words of Tefillah which resonated with him. And in putting these words to a melody, he infused them with a passion and an energy which invested them with a whole new meaning.

As he contemplates an unknown future he reflects not just on his own struggle but on that of Yidden throughout the world- because Mendel always thought beyond himself- and he calls to the Aibershter from a place deep down -מהר- please Hashem hurry up, והבא עלינו ברכה ושלום – and bring upon us an abundance of blessing and peace. But please Hashem do so מהרה- swiftly- because we need your yeshuah now.

והביאנו לשלום מארבע כנפות הארץ- and reunite us peacefully from the four corners of the earth-ושבור על הגוים מעל צוארנו- and break the yoke that is foisted upon us by the nations of the world, ותוליכנו מהרה קוממיות לארצנו- and finally lead us out of this bitter Golus and into Eretz Yisroel allowing us to once again walk upright rather than having to stoop.

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In composing Maher, Mendel breathed new life into words that many of us have recited hundreds if not thousands of times changing them forever and imbuing them with his trademark Emunah and positivity. Yes, Mendel would just not give up. So he kept begging Hashem to please have Rachmonis on all his children.

In sharing Mendel’s song this evening, I want to give special thanks to everyone who played an important role in bringing its production to fruition in a way that is faithful to the nuances of Mendel’s original composition

First and foremost, to my son Isser Brikman and Chaim Marcus in taking the lead roles in producing this song – encouraging and pushing each other along to make sure every step of production was underway.

My nephew Zalmen Lewin – you sat so patiently with Mendel using your amazing talent and helping him in composing his dream song- and for that, I will forever be grateful to you.

Avraham Fried – singing the song exactly the way Mendel had intended it to be. Although you never heard him sing it- after I heard the recording I felt Mendel smiling and winking in approval. A real masterpiece.

Avrumi Burko– for putting your heart and soul into arranging the song.

Eli Marcus and Mendy Friedman – for your invaluable input.

I would like to give a special thanks to a very close friend of mine, Rochie Pinson, who spent hours designing the magnificent cd case and cover.

This has been a hugely trying year for us as a family and I just want to say to each of you and to the family and friends who aren’t here with us this evening what an incredible pillar of support you have been for all of us this year.

I want to thank my parents, my in-laws- at this time I want to take a minute to wish a complete refuah sheleima to my father in law- Kalmen Ben Doba- for your love and devotion and help with our family. I am truly blessed to have you as parents and my kids to have you as grandparents.

My siblings and families, Mendel’s siblings and families for all your unwavering support for our family this year. We love you all and thank you for being here for us always.

But above all, I want to thank each one of my children- Yossi, Isser, Ari, Doba, Chaim, and Zalmen, for sticking together as a team- Team Brikman as we call ourselves- and as we wake up every morning and work hard to put our feet together and staying strong and positive and moving forward. We are not forgetting, instead we are moving forward and living the dream Tatty instilled in all of us to live. The gift of Life that he lived so beautifully and positively we are living as a team every day.

We feel Mendel’s presence in our lives ever mindful of how blessed we were to have him. His legacy of Bracha and Shalom lives on in our lives inspiring each one of us throughout each and every day. But please Hashem we ask of you Maher…….Vesolichenu Meheira…. Together with Moshiach Tzidkeinu Bekarov Mamash.

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