AND HERE’S MODI
AND HERE’S MODI is an inside look at the man behind the microphone. Hosted by comedian, Modi (@modi_live), AHM features a raw and unfiltered side of the comedian rarely seen on stage. He always finds the funny as he navigates the worlds of comedy, trending topics, his personal life and spirituality. AHM is co-hosted by Periel Aschenbrand (@perielaschenbrand) and Leo Veiga (@leo_veiga_).
AND HERE’S MODI
Eli Levin
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Episode 124: Modi sits down for a one-on-one with singer and guitarist Eli Levin.
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Comedy and Jewish Life
Speaker 1Welcome 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 ?
Speaker 2you doing Modi .
Speaker 1How 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's insanity , but there's a lot of traveling .
Speaker 1Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 1But 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 .
Speaker 1And 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 .
Speaker 2Are there a lot of like outsiders coming in there ? It's like a common , a common . I don't know .
Speaker 1No , 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 .
Speaker 2Chabad , you always have a bit .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2I saw that with the new museum that you got honored .
Speaker 1Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 2And why do you think that is ? Why do you think Jews have comedy ?
Speaker 1You 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 .
Speaker 2Obviously 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 .
Speaker 1But 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 .
Speaker 1And 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 .
Speaker 2Meanwhile 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 .
Speaker 1I'm sure he's saying that Make sure you're close enough to this ,
Monaco, Israel, and Jewish Life
Speaker 1Wait . 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 .
Speaker 1Every 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 .
Speaker 2I don't want to get a kaputah after that , but I saw that .
Speaker 1It's a pretty good look . A kaputah is the best .
Speaker 2You got to be tall . I think you got to be a little tight .
Speaker 1You got to give it a little height , and it gives it .
Speaker 2And 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 ?
Speaker 1it'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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 1but 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 .
Speaker 2I don't know .
Speaker 1If 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 .
Speaker 1Um 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 .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 2They'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
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 2Mishamayim . Yeah , that's originally by AB Rattenberg Right .
Speaker 1But you sing it much slower .
Speaker 2Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 1So 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 ?
Speaker 2song a little bit .
Speaker 1Do it , do it do it .
Speaker 2I happen to love it .
Speaker 1Anything but me talking would be great .
Speaker 3Shalom . 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 .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2I'm waiting to hear your cover , my cover .
Speaker 1No , I just , I just you understand when I bring Jewish singers on . It's just so I can talk about Jewish music .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1Nowhere 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 .
Speaker 1The 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 .
Speaker 2We had was the original song , but right , oh my wait , wait wait , wait , wait , wait , wait , wait wait .
Speaker 1Oh my god , this is the niggin that .
Speaker 3This is another . It's about Galas , galas .
Speaker 2It'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 ?
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 1It'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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , I'm a Benny lover .
Speaker 1You're a Benny lover , yeah , so what else ?
Speaker 2He's like a rich . You know his uncle , ivan Fried , you know .
Speaker 1His 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 ?
Speaker 211 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 .
Speaker 1And 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , let's do a little of that .
Speaker 3Let'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 .
Speaker 2You know , I actually recorded .
Speaker 1When you recorded that you actually in Yerushalayim , you went up at the end . It was so beautiful .
Speaker 3Yeah , Yerushalayim .
Speaker 1Which 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 .
Speaker 2You 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 .
Speaker 1Israel is one level , because everybody also knows it . So they're singing back .
Speaker 2Do you know Chabad doesn't like Hatikvah . I know they don't I did a gig on Hanukkah in Crown Heights .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2And 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 .
Speaker 1We 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 1Amchavshi could be Originally .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2You'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 .
Speaker 1It'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 .
Speaker 2How did that start with you ? How did you get into that , do you remember ?
Speaker 1You'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 ?
Speaker 2events . 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 .
Speaker 1When 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 .
Speaker 2I'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 .
Speaker 1Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 2is there any aspect of like a fright ? Do you have that at all ?
Speaker 1No .
Speaker 2No , you don't strike me as somebody who has stage fright .
Speaker 1No , 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 .
Speaker 2Before 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 .
Speaker 1Really .
Speaker 2What 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 .
Speaker 1Hayal 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
Speaker 1, right ?
Speaker 2So 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 .
Speaker 1Oh , 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah 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 .
Speaker 1How are we doing sound-wise ?
Speaker 2We'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 .
Speaker 1We want to just bless them .
Speaker 2That 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 .
Speaker 3Amen , shalom T'vaganah , l'yisrael . Hu yivarech et chayaleh T'vaganah , l'yisrael Amazing .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2People are like wow .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 1It'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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's unbelievable . Yeah , I love this part about you , moed .
Speaker 3What .
Speaker 2It'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 .
Speaker 1It'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 .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1Yishai 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 .
Speaker 2You like the Hasidic ?
Speaker 1Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 1Okay , 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 .
Speaker 2No , no , we didn't . It's almost a year since we released it . I released it right before Sukkot .
Speaker 1So 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 .
Speaker 2You're one of the last uh it's , it's unbelievable .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2Danny Finkelman and Aaron Orian .
Speaker 1Danny Finkelman .
Speaker 2I know Part of the Victorians are Kiev you know , yeah , yeah , yeah , let me tell you how it started .
Speaker 1Please .
Speaker 2There'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 .
Speaker 2And 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 .
Speaker 2That 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 .
Speaker 1I saw you had um . You had a uh drone footage drone footage was very , very nice . Yeah , you were very , very beautiful .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 1Right , not a good place to be flying your drone .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 2People 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 ?
Speaker 1tell 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 .
Speaker 1as you're Anaklech , we just had Azjordzai Right and we I mean you just had Azjordzai .
Speaker 2It'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 .
Speaker 1Maybe 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 .
Speaker 2And .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , we got to add links .
Speaker 3Yeah , 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
Speaker 3.
Speaker 2It's nice to have an animam that's more upbeat .
Speaker 1Absolutely , 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 .
Speaker 2Yeah , 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 .
Speaker 1So , again , it's how you deliver it . And , speaking of HaBeit Mishamayim , you have Mordecha Ben David version of the song .
Speaker 2I know it , you don't know it . No , I have to check it out . Leo , we got to add a link to that .
Speaker 1We'll add the links to all of the songs .
Speaker 1Wait , 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 .
Speaker 2I like that .
Speaker 1Isn'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 .
Speaker 2I can see that .
Speaker 1You know your audience .
Speaker 2Thank you .
Speaker 1You have that and anything new you're working on .
Speaker 2I'm working on a couple of new stuff I'm not ready to share it no , no .
Speaker 2I 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 .
Speaker 2That'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 .
Speaker 1He 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 .
Speaker 2You 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 .
Speaker 2Jewish 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
Speaker 1People 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 ?
Speaker 2Why 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 .
Speaker 1Anyway . 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 .
Speaker 2It's a blind date .
Speaker 1It'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 ?
Speaker 1what 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 ?
Speaker 2you know like it , that's still not a joke .
Speaker 1I 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 ?
Speaker 3gonna hit it with a joke .
Speaker 1Yeah , you can I try a joke go ahead , go ahead .
Speaker 2Why did the hezbollah guy come to work today ? He didn't get the message .
Speaker 1Hello , 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 .
Speaker 2How absolutely insane is that it's like the jokes are going the next movie that like yeah , every do you understand ?
Speaker 1let'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 ?
Speaker 3is have you ever ?
Speaker 1seen 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 ?
Speaker 2has type of things .
Speaker 1United 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 .
Speaker 2Right , so it's like data , it's like a screen .
Speaker 1So 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 .
Speaker 2Modi . Yes , I had a question .
Speaker 1No .
Speaker 2What's the name Modi ?
Speaker 1It'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 .
Speaker 2Mordechai . It's a short nickname for Mordechai . I didn't see that I was trying to figure out .
Speaker 1But 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 ?
Speaker 1a messiah figure for the , and his name is Mahdi .
Speaker 3Really .
Speaker 2His name is M-A-H-D-I . Maybe you could bring the Gullah .
Speaker 1Mahdi 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 .
Speaker 2Somebody 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 ?
Speaker 1you keep on shooting if the god doesn't want it .
Speaker 2He'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 .
Speaker 1Wow , 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 .
Speaker 1You 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 .
Speaker 2You 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 .
Speaker 1So 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 .
Speaker 2You're stressing this unifying goal it's what it is .
Speaker 1That'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 .
Speaker 2I once got kicked out of Knesset because I tried playing guitar .
Speaker 1Did 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 .
Speaker 2I 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 ?
Speaker 1yeah , oh , yeah , yeah , yeah , I can't remember .
Speaker 2Yeah , I know what you're talking about you , gotta like show people , like your origins . We have .
Speaker 1I 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 .
Speaker 2How do you have the energy ? I ?
Speaker 1can 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 .
Speaker 1I'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 ?
Speaker 2the 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 .
Speaker 1Who's handling ?
Speaker 1your 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
Speaker 3If 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 .
Speaker 1Wow , 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 .
Speaker 2Toda Rabah , toda Rabah .