¶ Comedy and Jewish Life
Welcome to Andy's Modi In the studio . Welcome everybody . Wow , I'm so happy to be back here and with a guest , wow , l11 . How are ?
you doing Modi .
How are you ? It's Sadiq , oh my God , so good to see you . I am coming . We I think we missed a week or two because we've been traveling . We were in sydney , we were in sydney and melbourne , australia , and then we went to that neck of the woods .
Yeah , it's insanity , but there's a lot of traveling .
Yeah , it's a crazy travel and we didn't do it . Well , we didn't do the one , that's the best way to do it . We went through Hong Kong and Schmongkong and it was just horrible . We arrived there in Melbourne Schmattes right before Shabbos , and so I didn't go to shul , so I missed Dovi Farkas' shul . There's two cantors out there , a father and a son .
But the next Shabbos we were in Sydney and Shimon Farkas was the chazen in this beautiful shul , out of the gorgeous shul , and it's such Mashiach energy . The rabbi is a Chabad guy wolf , even though it's not a Chabad shul , and Shimon Farkas is this old school chazen . He's like in . I found out he was in his 70s . I was in shock . His , his voice .
He treats it like an instrument . He'll be singing till his last day . Such a perfect , beautiful voice . And he wore the robe . The acoustics are amazing . Yeah , um , he's . He's in the robe with the little thing in the front , a little uh , with the tie and the little white bib thing . He's got a full gown .
He didn't wear the hat , though , but he had a choir . He had a choir of people from the synagogue , like 15 deep , wow , and they rehearsed and they knew the pieces to do with him and it was , and I was in heaven . Heaven , of course . I'm sitting there and from the back somebody . When did you get here ? When did you ? How long are you staying , did you ?
Don't forget to go to Victoria's Balls . It's a park next to the kosher area , but otherwise , and it was .
Are there a lot of like outsiders coming in there ? It's like a common , a common . I don't know .
No , it's as much as it is Golis , because it is the end of the earth . It is Goso Gula , because all the Jews are together . There's no Orthodox and not Orthodox . It's the .
Chabad , you always have a bit .
I like that it's always , it's like so tight , everybody's just jews , it's not any labels . And to hear him sing , and it's also so , he did it with the , with the , with the , with the , with the motif of the holidays and I was in , I was in absolute heaven , heaven and um to see an old school hazen like that in sydney , australia , and it was amazing .
It was was a two week trip , it was just under two weeks and we came back . Then we went to Israel . We had shows in Israel Echal HaTorbut , 2,600 seats .
I saw that with the new museum that you got honored .
Yeah , I got honored in a new museum . I'm being honored tonight too , with the friends of that of Anu Museum . I was honored . It was this beautiful museum on the Tel Aviv University campus and they have it's called the Museum of Jewish Life and a part of the museum is comedy . It's just how comedy is a part of the Jewish life .
And why do you think that is ? Why do you think Jews have comedy ?
You know . So we've been thinking about that a lot . It's , I think one of the things is escapism . It gives you a minute to escape . It gives you a minute to just to not be in , whatever tragedy you're in .
When I'm sitting there at Echal At-Tabut , the Brafman Performance Center in the heart of Tel Aviv , and it's the middle of a war and there was action going on everywhere , and for like an hour and a half everybody's just not in a war , they're in a comedy show and they're laughing together . It's escapism , is a part of it .
Obviously there's much more things . I think it's also like I'm just riffing , but like when you're in tight spots , constantly , like you have to defend yourself or you have like your mind is racing You're trying to think of how to ease the situation , like , say something funny to get the heat off of you A hundred percent .
But it's also everybody's just in their war in their own ways . Everyone's in their own way . Until all of a sudden just laugh for an hour and a half . And the fact that that museum understands that that is a part of jewish life is so important .
And um so the honor museum on the tell of jerry seinfeld what , right up there with jerry seinfeld , it's it's literally jerry seinfeld , me . And then then this , this amazing , uh comedy group from israel called , which was like this comedy skit crew that we grew up on . That were unbelievable the understanding they had of the culture and the times .
Meanwhile Jerry Seinfeld's summer singer . I was there right next to Modi in the Snoopy's , I'm sure I'm sure he's saying that too .
I'm sure he's saying that Make sure you're close enough to this ,
¶ Monaco, Israel, and Jewish Life
Wait . Then we went to Monaco . We had a private event in monaco . That's like its own little country , like a tiny little uh to go from israel to monaco you're going from this war-torn place where everything is like it's the end of the summer , so the whole country's covered in like a layer of dust oh god you know the whole .
Every car has like that little film . The buildings are all just before they were pre-washed and all of a sudden you land in monaco . You can eat off the streets . The same comes from there . It's so clean . Every car is a bentley . We had this event and a part of the event .
It was a part of a wedding and um , and they , I , I surprised the groom by doing the last blessing in the chuppah and I wore a kaputah and it was such a . And then I walked to the hotel .
I don't want to get a kaputah after that , but I saw that .
It's a pretty good look . A kaputah is the best .
You got to be tall . I think you got to be a little tight .
You got to give it a little height , and it gives it .
And then we , we monaco israel and just jews how long were you in monaco three days . Three days , yeah , we literally saw the whole country . I mean , how big is it ?
it's very small barely three days two , two , two and a half days . It's very small but it's so beautiful , yeah , and uh got him elected . The comedian set us up with a place to you know where to go , what to do , and just all of a sudden I see this little Jewish community in the middle of this place . It's insane , anyway .
And then I had you on the calendar to come here and I mean I heard your new album , thank you , and it's called the Chaim Shali .
Yeah , and it's like a nod to like my Chaim . You know I'm like I just turned 40 . Is that what it was Meaning ? The song Chaim Shali is from Ibn Ban Zakhan . She's incredible , okay , and it's about . You know , she's talking to her new husband that she got when she got married . That's her . That's nuts . That's the message of the song .
But marry , that's her , that's nuts . That's the message of the song .
but I just like the idea of calling the album chayim shaleh on my 40th birthday , feeling like I don't know . I do feel like I stepped into a whole new milestone in my life . Well , obviously you know 40 , yeah , it's 40 in the jewish world , is is known to be um you go into your wisdom it's like understanding I don't know I don't know if I got there .
I don't know .
If I don't know I , I tell you one thing I do . I do know . At the age of 40 you begin to realize listen to people who are 20 years older than you . Take advice from them . They've lived like a full generation . So 60 year olds , 90 year year olds , all of that , listen to them , they . That's one thing I learned at 40 .
Um wait , so this album , chaim Shelly , which means life , mine , my life , chaim Shelly , it's what I call Leo , so it's it's . I go , chaim Shelly , come here now . Chaim Chaim Shelly , come , mom , he's already picking up Hebrew . No , he speaks Yiddish fluently , and so when I saw that I didn't know . That's the name of that album .
But I listened to the album a few times and I'll tell you the vibe I got from your new album . It's literally a reminder to breathe , just breathe .
All of the songs there I I've heard in different ways , yeah , and where they're sung like in a much more intense way , and then you sing them in your way yeah , especially during this time of with that we're in a war , you , it really just reminds everybody . Just breathe , yeah , I wanted us .
I wanted it to be on a very like sort of raw level , like very calm and soothing level . I don't I I wanted to sort of try to give the vibe that I try to do at live events . So it's done with a very like , you know , like similar , like the instruments that I play with and , uh , that , like the musicians that I play along with .
And , um , we actually did , we shot video one day . We went and on a rooftop in the city and we shot video for all these songs really and they're .
They're still working on editing them and putting them out one by one along with it , but it was really meant to just give you like this is what it feels like to be at an L11 event , like , if you know , sort of uh vibe .
¶ Jewish Music and Spiritual Connection
I I can't say I've been to an L11 event , but I L11 to me is okay . I'm going for Shabbos , for Shabbat in , uh , in Great Neck . I'm going for Shabbat in Great Neck . I'm going to go have Friday night dinner at my friend's in Great Neck and it's going to be traffic . But you know what I'm going to do .
I'm going to hit artist L11 , and let Spotify journey me through L11 .
I like that . You said Great Neck , why I have a fixation with the Farsi's , the who , the Persians , the Persians , the Persians . I have like a whole routine of like Persian jokes that I picked up over the years .
Yeah , I'm not going to do that for the community . I actually heard some of them , but don't . It's not even so . That's so . I guess a live event is another event with you , but I'm just this album . My favorite song in the entire album was Habit .
Mishamayim . Yeah , that's originally by AB Rattenberg Right .
But you sing it much slower .
Yeah , it's literally . Golis Habit is like look what we went through . But no matter what we went through all through this , no matter what Uvachol Zayis , Shem Chalei , Shechachno , Throughout all of this , we will not forget your name .
So the song in broad strokes . So this song to me is obviously . I've heard it . I don't remember the Raby Rottenberg version of it , but Hazen Helfgat sings it in his album called Look From Heaven , which is what Habet Mishamayim means In broad strokes . The song is Habet Mishamayim look at us .
We were taken to be slaughtered like lambs and to be embarrassed and to be murdered and to be tortured , and throughout all of this we remembered your name . So then , obviously , however you say it , you can . Kazem Helfgott does this and it is better than any opera in the world . He's screaming , which is a Kosovitzky piece .
That Kosovitzky , we just found out , did not write it , but he made it famous . And the health guide just goes higher and higher and higher . And then I heard you sing it and it's like wow , we were taken like Should we do this ?
song a little bit .
Do it , do it do it .
I happen to love it .
Anything but me talking would be great .
Shalom . We have cut off the branches for the good nature , for the Lord , for the Father , for the Maker and for the King and for all and for all the earth and for all the earth , shalom . I know I'll tease go .
I know I'll tease go unbelievable so I'm saying to you , like when I hear hasn't helped God saying this , he's screaming it and then at the end it's like he gets . It's like and it's the focus you put us and throughout all of it , we didn't forget you . We don't forget your name .
The soldiers going out to battle you see them singing with ishai rebo on the border . We've been going out into this to the , into the war , and your name is on our lips . They're singing Shema Yisrael , they're singing Hashem Melech , hashem Malach , hashem Imloch . It's like this , literally , is such a reminder to breathe .
Am I making sense when I'm saying this or no ? You understand a song like this . You can also scream at God . We were taken to to be slaughtered like lambs humiliated and destroyed humiliated and I'm gonna Iated and I'm going to . I don't know if it ever works out , but I'm going to just play a little bit from Health God , just to you to understand .
I'm waiting to hear your cover , my cover .
No , I just , I just you understand when I bring Jewish singers on . It's just so I can talk about Jewish music .
I love you . It's just so I can talk about Jewish music . I love you . We're going to push your album , I know you're obsessed here .
Nowhere near where he's going . He goes berserk To be killed , to be embarrassed . So you understand . You can tackle this issue in so many ways . The fact that we're being he's a powerhouse . He's a powerhouse , nothing to say , but so are you , so you're a powerhouse too . Just the direction . I guess you really are a powerhouse , I'm telling you .
I just saw on Instagram how music is also like comedy , releases endorphins and exercise . And I can't tell me you , I can't tell you how many times on flights I've listened to your albums in full , in full , because it's you're in a flight like I'm gonna my head's so good , so okay .
The next song in the albums , the next song that's in the album that's unbelievable , is um . Tell me what one of the next songs we had .
We had was the original song , but right , oh my wait , wait wait , wait , wait , wait , wait , wait wait .
Oh my god , this is the niggin that .
This is another . It's about Galas , galas .
It's our journey through time of being exiled wherever we are , but we're dreaming about the Bais HaMegdash to come back and worship God in all His glory , in the most beautiful , holiest way and who wrote that song ?
I don't know , but I know it's ancient . It's ancient . I don't know who . We always give credit . If I could , I would give credit to whoever wrote that song , but it's a song that's . It's a nigun that I sing when I do konidre for Yale , right after you know when do you dominate At Sixth Street Synagogue .
So I was like eight years I did connedre services there . Now we hired a guy I'm too . I can't , but that's the niggin we use for that and it's such an amazing tune , it's such a , it's great for harmony and it's such an amazing tune it's such a it's great for harmony .
It's great , it's great for the kahala the congregation benny friedman has a recording of that , an acapella album , which is , yeah , absolutely unbelievable benny hits every single song , just perfect .
Yeah , I'm a Benny lover .
You're a Benny lover , yeah , so what else ?
He's like a rich . You know his uncle , ivan Fried , you know .
His uncle Ivan Fried , his father Manus Friedman . He's like , come on , you got to be kidding me , but still he's Benny Friedman , he's his own thing and he's a powerhouse and he's a wedding singer and he's amazing energy . You're , you're um , you're more heartsick , yeah , and you record a lot in your house . I see your videos . People should .
You should definitely be following . What's your instagram ?
11 music , l11 music and I do a lot of like my Instagram material . I do it in my own house , but it sounds so professional . Thank you , I try my best .
And you hear your soul in it . I mean it's amazing , and you just come up with stuff that also is current , like you did . Hatikvah , yeah , so beautiful your Hatikvah .
Yeah , let's do a little of that .
Let's do it . And to the east . To the east Is the eye of Zion . Our hope is not yet gone , Our hope in the years to come . Shalom Yerushalayim . L'yotachashim Ve'aretzeinu Eretz Zion Yerushalayim .
You know , I actually recorded .
When you recorded that you actually in Yerushalayim , you went up at the end . It was so beautiful .
Yeah , Yerushalayim .
Which I copied in a few places when I performed . When I sing Hatikvah at the end . After October 7th I've been singing Hatikvah at every show . Now it's after an hour and 15 minutes of talking , so sometimes I don't have . Do you feel hoarse at the end of your ? No , I very much keep my core engaged and make sure I'm not screaming .
I'm a screamer on stage . I keep an eye on my voice , especially now that I know I'm singing a tic . But at the end you gotta leave something .
You gotta leave a little something there to hit those . It's such a great way to end because everybody's right there with you , like that way , you know , and doing it in .
Israel is one level , because everybody also knows it . So they're singing back .
Do you know Chabad doesn't like Hatikvah . I know they don't I did a gig on Hanukkah in Crown Heights .
Yeah .
And I'm halfway through Hatikvah and the power went out . And I'm halfway through Hatikvah and the power went out . Somebody pulled up like a full stage with lights and smoke and everything . Oh wow , that's not cute , it's intense , I think first of all , I've been doing it .
We did it at the Kennedy Center , we did it all over the world , all over Europe , all over Germany , all over , just singing Hatikvah at the end of every song . It lets people like we just laughed for an hour and a half During a war . It brings them back into don't forget where our hearts , our souls are .
But Chabad , I think , has a problem with Hatikvah because it's liyotam chovshi to be free .
Yeah , somebody explained it to me afterwards . Most people in Crown Heights wouldn't do that now there are some people who are like you know . But somebody explained to me that , like it was written literally by somebody who was anti-religion and that's Liot . Amchavshi meant no religion , liot .
Amchavshi could be Originally .
I don't think that's what anybody's thinking now when they're singing . I don't think so either . You could be Originally . I don't think that's what anybody's thinking now when they're singing . I don't think so either .
I sometimes , when I do sing it , you go back and add In my words I like to sing , Okay , I like that . That's what we need .
You've been on that pilgrimage . You've been on that crusade . It's not a pilgrimage , it's what we need . You've been on that pilgrimage . You've been on that crusade .
It's what it is . You create Moshiach energy . The albums you put out are creating Moshiach energy . People are listening to it . You're giving them a moment to breathe .
How did that start with you ? How did you get into that , do you remember ?
You're the easiest person to explain it to If you're performing in front of an audience and they're all with you and you have a room full of everybody laughing together as a community of that moment . Jewish , not Jewish , that's Mashiach energy . That's Mashiach isn't here , but that's the unity in that moment . Everybody's together , everybody's in harmony , everybody is .
It's unbelievable , everybody is , is . It's unbelievable and it's and you see it everywhere and you see it and it's , it's , it's everywhere . You have to look for it and see it and it's . It's there . And create it by buying tickets to a comedy show . Buy four tickets instead of two and you bring two people . You created , created Mashiach energy .
You're causing someone to laugh . If you have a concert , somebody sees you L11's doing a concert . Get an extra two tickets . Bring somebody . They're going to Give somebody a good time . It's always somebody that needs it . It's always somebody that I know I needed that . Thanks for the ticket . I needed that . Are you doing live ? Are you doing show shows ?
Are you doing private ?
events . They're mostly . Mostly . It's like some cousin parties and stuff like that . It's not really my go-to . Like it's not , I'm not so driven to do that . Why not , I don't know , it's not like my dream . I love being in people's , you know , happy times specifically , like you know , know , I love you don't have to sell me on that .
When people text me I'm coming to your show , it's my mother's 60th birthday , we're all bringing her to your show . I literally tears come down my eyes . The mother's 60th birthday is at my show , so you can still do that . It still brings them in . I'm just saying I see you as .
I'm still floored by like Madison Square Garden with Isha , like I wasn't there actually , but the idea of so many people coming together like that and just such . That's Mashiach energy A hundred percent .
Yeah , echal HaTarbut I'm doing the Beacon Theater . First of all , it's easier to perform for a bigger audience than this . Is it so much easier ? So why is that that energy they give back to you ? When you get that first laugh back from them , it's a wave , it's like a wave when you're doing .
is there any aspect of like a fright ? Do you have that at all ?
No .
No , you don't strike me as somebody who has stage fright .
No , the fright is when it's . The fright is what you do . When you're doing events that are not in a theater , you're in a backyard . Is the sound going to be okay ? Are they going to be focused ? You don't need them to be focused because you're a singer . They can still eat their hamburger and you could be in .
Whoever's jamming with you is jamming with you , right ? Whoever's kumzitzing with you is kumzitzing with you comedy . You can't have people walking around the back and people coming and going . They have to be focused . So my fear is , when it's ever , it's in a place that's not made for comedy . Yeah , anyway , back to you .
Before we go off atekvah , I wanted to talk about Misha B'er Chetahal , yeah that's a recording you did that was one of the best done . I did it back in 2021 .
Really .
What happened was somebody reached out to me who's involved with lone soldiers in Israel , like , basically , his son is a soldier in Israel and he's living in America . They call it lone soldiers .
Hayal Buded . It's a soldier whose family is not in Israel , so he's a soldier . His parents live in Milwaukee or New Jersey , but he went to go serve in the army , so he doesn't have family in Israel
¶ Jewish Music and Song Collaboration
, right ?
So this guy , the Hasidic Haimish guy . He's very involved . He created chats and he sends them gifts all the time . He sends stuff for Shabbos and whatever . So he reached out to me , asked me if I could sing a song for them .
Oh , out to me , asked me if I could sing a song for them . Oh wow . So I thought like Misha Be'er , chantal , you know it's , but the way you see it on the video , it's like you did it just after the war .
Yeah and it's just Min HaShemayim , and it really jumped up like crazy after the war . Everybody was playing it everywhere , everywhere . So I'm just going to give a little . I just find I want to move out a little bit because it's hard for me to sing sitting back .
How are we doing sound-wise ?
We're good , Maybe I should . What do you want ? I'm going to pull it . Can I turn it Actually ? I don't know it's good right there . Yeah , you sound good , yeah , yeah , okay , because I moved a little bit , okay , so this is Mishaber for the soldiers it Blessing for the soldiers of Tzal .
We want to just bless them .
That they should come home safe , that they should complete their mission successfully in the best way possible , that they should be able to come home to their families who are waiting for them desperately .
Amen , shalom T'vaganah , l'yisrael . Hu yivarech et chayaleh T'vaganah , l'yisrael Amazing .
I always love to go from there to there , and then I'm Yisrael Chai . It's just a medley of , like all the war songs that people have been like leaning on so heavily , since it's literally a medley of like all the war songs that people have been like leaning on so heavily , since so heavily . It's literally almost a year now .
I sing a tikvah and then when they're clapping we play from the 42nd , so without the whole Dvar Torah , he gives for the first 42 seconds . So it just goes like people clapping after a tikvah and they go first 42 seconds . So it just goes like people clapping for after a tick and they go . I'm Israel , hi and they get in .
People are like wow .
Yeah .
It's the war songs that came out of this war are on another level , the other you know , for I've been having and all that it's from all of those songs , but these songs are getting people through it .
Yeah , it's unbelievable . Yeah , I love this part about you , moed .
What .
It's like not what you would think , like you know you're the comedian , but like your heart is really in the music . Oh the music is .
It's . All I listen to is Jewish music . Yeah , there's so much great Jewish music out now . So many people are , and they're all their own thing .
I feel there's so much Israeli music that's really becoming super popular now . Like you know , the whole Yishai , Yom Ha'adam and Akiva and all those .
Yishai Rebo . I mean too the other , a lot of his other Israeli songs . So I'm kind of into like when it's a little bit Jewish-y .
You like the Hasidic ?
Yeah , otherwise it sounds like you know . I came to you , you left me , but you didn't bring me . I don't know you now . You do know me now . I can't , I can't , I can't . And just take a Psalm and sing it out and give it . You know , that's what it is . That's what it's about .
Yeah .
Okay , and then we have to discuss your Animamin . Oh yeah , I don't know if we talked about that when you were on last . No .
No , no , we didn't . It's almost a year since we released it . I released it right before Sukkot .
So let me just explain and please let the audience know what this is . It's a youtube video . Yeah , I , I , to be honest , I don't watch youtube videos of that's not true . I'm nice but I can't sleep and I go on to video . But I watch khazanim , I watch old canters doing live performances I it's fading away .
You're one of the last uh it's , it's unbelievable .
I watched them . I just it's so , it's so amazing . Um , but I don't listen to . I wouldn't like lipa schmelzer and his music I listen to . I wouldn't watch a video , yeah , but I have it in my ears . Um , so this song , the , the video is unbelievable . Who made the video ? We know dann .
Danny Finkelman and Aaron Orian .
Danny Finkelman .
I know Part of the Victorians are Kiev you know , yeah , yeah , yeah , let me tell you how it started .
Please .
There's a woman , cecilia Margolis . Do you know her ? She's a woman who lives in Manhattan Beach . She's unbelievable . She's an older woman . She's obsessed with music . She's an older woman , she's obsessed with music and she's done a lot of stuff with Gad Elbas and a lot of singers .
And I had done an event for her on Hanukkah and afterwards she told me Ali , I want to do a song with you . So she started showing me some of her music and she tells me oh , I have this song that I wrote with Kalbach . I'm like you wrote a song with Kalbach . No way , she's like I , I wrote a couple of songs with him .
I have his piano , she , I was , she brought me to her basement . She has kalbach's piano in her basement . That she did it and made it really like you know , beautiful , um , and she , she played this track for me and I'm like let's do it . I'm like you don't , that's it , like you don't have to sell me on this .
This is like amazing , beautiful song , but with . She had kalbach's original voices on a reel , like you know , the original reel . So we basically created a track around it and I did a duet with shlomo kalbach . Who gets to do it ? An actual duet with shlomo kalbach wow .
Then , once the track was done by Donnie Gross he's an incredible producer and arranger we went to Israel . I actually did a 12-day trip back in . I think it was in June of last year . So nice , I was in heaven . The actual shoot was one day , but I got to really take advantage of my time in Israel and stay there for like 12 days .
I saw you had um . You had a uh drone footage drone footage was very , very nice . Yeah , you were very , very beautiful .
I remember that you know it's funny . I actually I was in at one point . I took off with my drone and suddenly soldiers are all around me . Oh really , they come . They asked me like before it even landed the whole drone flight . When I look at the video of it , it was only three minutes Right , so I took off .
Turns out I was right next to the US Embassy .
Right , not a good place to be flying your drone .
I didn't know and whatever . And luckily they like realized I wasn't a threat , I was just an American American . But they gave me back my drone . But yeah , that was a drone story there .
But the point is that we they had a whole crew of people dressed up like hippies , like a Shlomo guys , and and this guy , daron Henya his name was was looked pretty close to Kalbach and they made him up even better from the in the video . People who knew Karl Bach messaged me saying how did you find this footage ? I'm like we didn't find it .
We made this footage . This is new footage , but it was like such an incredible production , like really , really perfect , Can I ?
tell you a recent Karl Bach incident with me . So my mom's basement . I've been going through my mom's basement through stuff . We have stuff there for over 40 years . My we bought a house in Connecticut so I'm bringing stuff that I had there .
It's really like , and every box I open it's like I'm in my 20s , I'm in my 30s , I'm in my 40s and I opened this box of back in the day , before there were phones , you had your own personal phone book . You had your own like where you kept the numbers of people .
And I remember one night I remember the night so so clearly I was living on the upper west side and I was with my friend dina back then . Gross now , oh have shalom , and she is the enoch of the of rapshaela . Oh yeah , she's in a club we just had . as you're Anaklech , we just had Azjordzai Right and we I mean you just had Azjordzai .
It's in Ripsha'ilah . No , it's in May . It's in May . What was just now ? People kept on sending Ripsha'ilah . Now Everybody's in Ripsha'ilah , maybe just because of El .
Maybe West side . Me and Dina were going to go to H&H Bagels and we see Shlomo Karbach and she goes that's Shlomo Karbach , and we started talking to him and of course she tells him who she is and he tells her a Reb Shiloh story and we just talk and he was holding a bag of bagels .
Went to H&H Bagels it was over there and he gave me his card , a bag of bagels . He went to H&H Bagels it was over there , and he gave me his card , rabbi Shlomo Karabach , and the address of the shul .
And .
I had it in my little pocket for years . It's been in the pocket of my address book and I opened it up and I pulled out . It says Rabbi Shlomo Karabach . He gave me his card and I have it on my desk Next to the Lubavitcher Rebbe , next to Rav Shaila and Rabbi Shlomo Skok . It's so . It's so , just to remind you . It's iconic .
And the moment I had with him and you didn't realize back then this was in 92 , 3 , he wasn't , he didn't . He really just his success is after his death One of those things , but it was just so great . So , anyway , this song Animamin is , I mean wow , this is a beautiful . You have to people . You have to .
Leo will make sure that you have ways to get to all of this stuff .
Yeah , we got to add links .
Yeah , leo will do that , but this song , shalom , and I will be happy when I am with you With all this . I will wait for you . I will wait for you Every day , every day that comes
¶ Creating Moshiach Energy and Musical Inspiration
.
It's nice to have an animam that's more upbeat .
Absolutely , again , just like Habayt Mishamayim , it's the way it's . Here I am . Animamin b'mush . Again , just like Habet Mishamayim , it's the way it's here I am . I believe in full belief in the coming of the Messiah , of a messianic era . Yeah , you can , the way you can deliver that line .
Yeah , most animamins are mournful , but Afal Pishias , we're waiting , we're waiting , right , no matter what we're still . But there's also , you know , like MBD , right .
So , again , it's how you deliver it . And , speaking of HaBeit Mishamayim , you have Mordecha Ben David version of the song .
I know it , you don't know it . No , I have to check it out . Leo , we got to add a link to that .
We'll add the links to all of the songs . Wait , who was I with ? Was it you that we discussed all the songs ? Wait , who was I with ? Was it you that we discussed all the songs and then I had to make a full Instagram playlist ? Yeah , so I guess we have to do another one for this , but so , wow , 45 minutes .
Creating Moshiach energy is so important and you need help and money . Is that help ? And I want help and money . Is that help ? And I want to thank A&H Provisions kosherdogsnet best hot dogs in the world . You guys are great and such fans and they came to shows in Israel Just great partner .
And Weizen Luxemburg , the law firm that does not only do they do well , they do good , very philanthropic . Our friend , arthur Luxembourg and his wife Randy , who listens to the podcast and reports to him . They help create this Mashiach energy . I just want to thank them out too . I want to talk about just having you as a part of people's lives .
If you're having an event in your house instead of just sitting around and people yapping and gossiping , bring L11 .
I like that .
Isn't that just like ? No one needs to talk , people can sit around and do a kumzitz with you , and you do not only just . You also do songs that aren't Jewish songs , and you can really read the room . You can really see what this room needs .
I can see that .
You know your audience .
Thank you .
You have that and anything new you're working on .
I'm working on a couple of new stuff I'm not ready to share it no , no . I just wanted to take advantage of this platform to to send people to a few of my stuff that I'm really really proud of . Um , check out my album , hear my prayer , that's . We talked about that a little bit last time .
Also , I have a song for my daughter that I wrote , lonnie's song . I wrote it when she turned 13 . She's 14 now and she's really becoming like a mature young lady , but I'd like to try to get people to check that out . Lonnie's song it's just about how proud I am as a father . And one more song that I want to talk about .
That's already a few years old yeah is afikoman right um , about six , six years ago , my brother yisrael , who was 21 at the time , was had just gotten engaged and it was on chalamet pesach , and he went to visit some of my siblings in muncie and on his way back , when he was coming into faraak away , a drunk driver was racing and crashed into his car and
killed him and his kala . And the next day my father got up and spoke and it was Pesach and he's saying you know I feel like comparing it to an Afikoyman that , like you know , hashem gave me this neshama 21 years ago , gave him holy and pure , and I raised him in his way , holy and pure , and I returned him shalim .
So , just like afikoyman , the children steal it and they give it back to the father . They get a present he's like I want , I want a present in return . What did my father want as a present in return ? He asked for shadokham and kalal Yisrael .
He asked for I want 10,000 shadochim for kalal Yisrael that's uh matches of soul , of marriages , souls and marriages , shadochim yeah and um , you know it was super inspiring to everybody there .
You could actually see the video of him talking by the labaya , by the funeral and the year right before Pesach . I decided I need to make a song about this and I wrote basically this idea and it's in Yiddish , but on YouTube you can find the video with subtitles .
And basically people got involved right after the Leviah these girls who are my sister's friends and they created a website called 10K Bata Yisrael which is focused on 10,000 of Jewish homes . Jewish homes , yeah and , and they focused on creating a platform for people , to individuals like me and you , to suggest Shaddach and matches to uh for people that they know .
And uh , yeah , my father calculates that it's been about a Shaddach a week . Uh , that I got engaged .
¶ Finding Peace and Creating Unity
People ask me about advice as a comedian . They ask me about advice on Shidduch dates . What's something funny . I could say what's the ? And they know I'm gay and they know I'm married to a man . Why are you gay ?
Why am I gay ? You never heard that clip ? No , I'm going to send it to you , anyway . Why are you gay ? Why am I gay ? You never heard that clip ? No , oh , no , I'm going to send it to you , okay . There's a clip .
Anyway . So it's like I think I came up with this . I think I spoke about this before in the podcast , but when you guys are on your shidduch dates and it's hard to explain to people who are not religious what a shidduch date is , it's a match made . The parents figured out this .
It's a blind date .
It's a blind date . And now they're sitting there . There's awkward two kids who haven't really dealt with the other sex that much so . Now , all of a sudden , they're forced into a conversation . And so they go into the conversation of like so are you going to do negel wasser in the morning ? Like , are you going to wash your hands right by the bed ?
Are you going to cover your arms ? You're going to cover your hair , he's in the house are you ? what kind of a phone are you going to have ? It's so , not the vibe . So the labava cherubi said when two jews meet , the first thing they should discuss is how to help somebody else . That's why he gave you a dollar .
So as soon as you met him , he gives you a dollar to go help somebody else . The shidduch date is two Jews meeting . You're sitting there . The conversation should be how can both of us help somebody else ? That's one thing . Also , if the girl says I was a counselor at Hask , I want to continue working with that , oh really , I would love to help with that .
I work with hud salah , I work with whatever . Make that the conversation , not like what are you going to cover and what are you going to eat and what are you going to ? Just you know , how do you ? How are you going to create mashiach ? Energy should be the conversation and then you figure out you know , is this where we're going ?
you know like it , that's still not a joke .
I was hoping for a joke about like , I guess I don't , I don't know , but just like saying people are looking for jokes . You know what are you ?
gonna hit it with a joke .
Yeah , you can I try a joke go ahead , go ahead .
Why did the hezbollah guy come to work today ? He didn't get the message .
Hello , okay , yeah , well I'm not sure when this is airing , but this is this . This podcast is on the day following all of the pagers blowing up in lebanon .
How absolutely insane is that it's like the jokes are going the next movie that like yeah , every do you understand ?
let's discuss this . Do you understand ? So ? So israel had to have somebody . Somebody had to sell the package to hezbollah . So somebody somebody from israel is selling met with hezbollah and said here's what you guys need . These aren't beepers . I don't think . I don't think they're beepers . Do you , how old are you ? Do you know what a beeper is ?
Have you ever seen a beeper ? Yeah , beepers . I don't think . I don't think they're beepers . Do you , how old are you ? Do you know what a beeper ?
is have you ever ?
seen a beeper yeah beepers , as little things that used to be on your on your belt , and it gave a phone number of where to call . Call to yeah , so you have to go look for a quarter and a pay phone and you call that number back . These , I believe , are like lahavdil . What united hudsalah ?
has type of things .
United Hatzalah . The Hatzalah in Israel have this . It's kind of like a small than a phone , but it has like a ways of who's in trouble in the area . So someone's having a heart attack and you're three blocks away , it lets you know so you can run over there .
Right , so it's like data , it's like a screen .
So obviously it's for the barbarians to let them know where they have to be , and someone sold them this package and then , in Taiwan , put the bomb inside . Wow , wow , it's insane .
Modi . Yes , I had a question .
No .
What's the name Modi ?
It's so funny you're asking that . So funny you're asking that I had a question . No , what's the name ? Modi ? It's so funny you're asking that . So funny you're asking that I was just talking about this . Modi is .
Mordechai . It's a short nickname for Mordechai . I didn't see that I was trying to figure out .
But I put it in as my middle name . I put it in as my middle name when I was growing up . Whenever I filled anything up , I would say Mordechai Mody Rosenfeld , and this is before everything was computerized . So when I went and got my passports and driver's licenses , everything says Mordechai Mody Rosenfeld , and so my middle name is my .
But yesterday I was having a conversation with somebody and we're talking about the Jews were waiting for Moshiach . We're waiting for a messianic era where everything is in harmony , Everything is in oneness , and the Goyim are waiting for Jesus to come back . I asked him the Muslims , they must be waiting for something .
There's no way that they can be happy with this . They definitely want something too . And so we Googled is there a messianic ? a messiah figure for the , and his name is Mahdi .
Really .
His name is M-A-H-D-I . Maybe you could bring the Gullah .
Mahdi Mahdi , which is what Sephardics call me . So I might as well just be , so I could be the messiah of the Muslim nation you want to hear something interesting . No .
Somebody told me a reporter was talking to these Muslims and he's saying look , you're sending thousands of rockets every day to these Jews . This is an old story . Like you're not hitting anything , like doesn't that like what's going on ? Like is your aim that bad ? Yeah . And they're like no , we have great aim .
The God of the Jews is blocking all these rockets . He said all these rockets . He said that . He said that . So then ? He said if so , then why ?
you keep on shooting if the god doesn't want it .
He's like we're waiting for the time when the god of jews is angry at them and he's going to allow us to finally hit .
Wow , wow that sounds like biblical level . It's you learn from your enemies that you there it is , and it's that whole I was in . Is man Yo ? The vibe is you're in a restaurant , you're on the beach , but you know there's a war going on . It's so harsh and then , you and it's .
You know I don't put the news on , but we're in the hotel so I , okay , let me see what's happening . And you just see the anger and the screaming and the yelling In Knesset Yisroel . It's called the Knesset , but it's like from the Bible , it's from Talmud Knesset , yisroel .
This is like they could be the most powerful thing in the world if they just had peace there . If they had peace , it would be more powerful than any Hamas or Iran or Trump or Harris or anything . The energy of Knesset Yisrael at peace could change the world .
You have to be realizing this is the hardest time for people to be on the same page , because there's so many ways to look at everything , especially when it's so intense . I've got to imagine this person lost a relative , a sibling , whatever you call it . This person's desperate for like world peace .
This person , like you know every angle that you come like it's contradicting each other . And Jews , you know , have a billion opinions , so , like everybody has a different .
So what's the focus then ? If everything is contradicting , but you go back to what the focus is , what is the purpose of being a Jew ? Mashiach , at the end of the day , it's Mashiach . People say the purpose of being a Jew is to do Torah and Mitzvahs and learn Torah . It's no , no , no . Mashiach , first and foremost , is getting us to a messianic era .
That is the focus of any Jew , whether you go to shul every day , or whether you go to shul every day , or whether you go to shul once a year .
You're stressing this unifying goal it's what it is .
That's what it is and so if you focus on that , it'll come together . Moshiach is the focus , is the number one goal of every Jew , whether you understand it or not . It's not . It's not . You know , we have to have kosher and kosher and kosher , and the flight has to be kosher and kosher . So I can't kosher and kosher In the Pesach program .
That's not the goal . The Pesach program is not the goal . Your goal is Moshiach . What can you do to create Moshiach energy till ? We are fully in Moshiach and what can you do to create Moshiach energy till ? We are fully in Moshiach and it's and I think it's by the Jews , the Goyim , Muslims , everybody .
I once got kicked out of Knesset because I tried playing guitar .
Did you ? I was in a documentary that was . That was we taped in the Knesset like guerrilla style and we snuck into it and all that . They're screaming at each other , they're yelling .
I bring back some of your old stuff . I remember the first video watching you like this Hussein in LA . Maybe I forgot even what it was about . Do you remember what I'm talking about ? What you were doing like a Hasidic act , like with glasses , maybe , or a spoon you had a spoon . Do you know what I'm talking about ?
yeah , oh , yeah , yeah , yeah , I can't remember .
Yeah , I know what you're talking about you , gotta like show people , like your origins . We have .
I haven't done anything from my old special . I've been performing my new hour on the tour called pause for laughter and , um , I forgot my old hour , I forgot all . I forgot the fakrazo jokes . I've been working all this new material which , by the way , is time to discuss the pause for laughter audience . Uh , pause for laughter tour is on modilivecom .
Um , by the time this airs , I believe the tour will be in full gear . Shows everywhere . Oh my , we're in Montreal , we're in St Paul , we're in Skokie .
How do you have the energy ? I ?
can go every night . I could if give me a hotel room and backstage in the theater , and that's it . Leo's dying , it kills him , but traveling isn't . It's insane , but it's not as bad as it seems . It seems we travel nice , and I travel with my , my husband , so it's , and he's been introducing the shows lately which is so cute .
He goes up there and he did jokes and it's like it's so amazing . So I and I and that an hour and a half on stage with the audience , I'm , I'm in another level . I'm having a better time than anybody in that room . So , modilivecom , get your tickets , find everything by you . There is Montreal , there is the Beacon .
We added a third show at the Beacon Kane Aina Hara . We sold out the first two the 17th of December . And be the friend that brings the first two the 17th of December , and be the friend that brings the friends to the comedy show . Get a few tickets for your friends and come , find a friend who has a show near him and let him know .
Maybe buy them a ticket and send it to them . Make that , create Moshiach energy and we'll take us and L11 . Wait , l11 , wait , l11, . How did they make you a part of their lives ? What's ?
the best way to reach you . Well , I have L11musiccom . My main platform that I like to post most on is Instagram , right , l11 Music . But yeah , you can reach me on my website if you want to book me or just ask any questions about what we can do together .
Who's handling ? your bookings , I handle it , you handle it okay , so that's something old school , so that's very sweet though , but it's , it changes a vibe . It changes a vibe of an event , of a party . He , he , it just wow .
You'll be like wow , we no one's gonna remember your chicken or your fondue or your whatever flowers you brought in , but they're gonna remember there was a singer there and we sat and we sang with him and we had the best time of our lives and that's L11 , and make that a part of your life l11musiccom , and take us out with something .
Thank you so much , yeah .
¶ Unity and Hope for Israel
If we don't forget to always be united . The people of Israel live and to be in the low . How many hardest songs the God of Baruch ? He says about us . So who can blame us Because we don't have another country ? Peace be between us , the glory of our children .
Wow , man , thank you so much Thank you everybody Thanks for listening everybody and we're hopeful . We're traveling but we're going to make episodes and it's a weekly thing and we keep that up and Moshiach energy to everybody , thank you .
Toda Rabah , toda Rabah .