It took 23 years to bring his vision to fruition, but Rabbi Ruvi New is sharing the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings through music in a new album, Storm the World.

Produced and arranged by Bentzi Marcus of the popular Jewish rock band 8th Day, the recently released Storm the World features 14 new compositions performed by New with guest appearances by Benny Friedman, Yossi Green, Bentzi Marcus, Eli Marcus and Shmuel Marcus. New, co-director of East Boca Raton, began writing lyrics to perpetuate the Rebbe’s teachings shortly after his passing in 1994, and the songs carry messages with themes that he hopes will resonate with Jews worldwide.

While the songs all carry a strong Chabad undercurrent, their appeal is meant to be universal. The song Six Days (Shisha Yamim) reflects on the 50th anniversary of both the Six-Day War and the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Tefillin Campaign, which was launched to tip the heavenly scales during the battle. Shliach is dedicated to the Chabad emissaries who have spread throughout the world, while Nigun portrays the power of spiritually centered music that enables listeners to soar to heavenly realms. Two of the songs, “Storm the World” and “The Match” are available on Chabad.org.

RELATED

Growing up in Australia, Ruvi New was surrounded by Jewish music. His mother, Assia New, is an accomplished singer who sang on behalf of many charities. Both of his grandfathers were noted Chassidic singers (in the Chabad and Gerrer traditions, respectively), and his great-uncle, Rabbi Shmuel Betzalel Althaus—one of the prominent leaders of the Chabad community in Australia—had recorded Chassidic melodies of his childhood hometown of Nikolayev, Ukraine, thus preserving them for future generations.

Nursing a Dream for Two Decades

It was natural to assume that music would be in New’s future as well. But then he was ordained as a rabbi, got married, started a family and became a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary. Life got busy. Together with his wife, Ahuva, he co-directs Chabad of East Boca Raton, Fla. He is also a sought-after teacher and speaker, whose classes can be seen and heard on Chabad.org.

Yet for more than two decades, the rabbi nursed a dream of something else: a musical odyssey with a greater meaning, one that would perpetuate the words of the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—to listeners far and wide through song.

After the Rebbe’s passing in 1994, he began writing lyrics that carried the Rebbe’s message, with a goal of sharing those spiritually meaningful words with a global audience.

“It was partially a cathartic process when I started, but I was also thinking that this could be a way to share the Rebbe’s life with the world,” explained New. “There is a vast amount of the Rebbe’s teachings and Torah in printed materials and video, but using music as a teaching tool is something different and unique.”

Working with multiple composers, the rabbi eventually accumulated more than 20 original songs, most of which mixed English lyrics with Chabad themes. He began performing musical tributes to the Rebbe at Chabad Houses throughout North America and Australia and soon found himself inundated with requests for recordings of his songs.

“Growing up in a Chabad home and having had the chance to meet the Rebbe and experience the Rebbe’s farbrengens in 770 Eastern Parkway, the songs’ messages immediately resonated with me,” said Marcus, who produced the recording. “The chance to help spread these beautiful inspirations with a musical production was something I couldn’t pass up.”