In Your Light | Yaakov Galen
It was a cold Sunday afternoon in Queens, NY, when I found myself at the Ohel, the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As I left, I stopped near the exit to watch one of the Rebbe’s sichos (speeches) playing on a TV. He was emphasizing the importance of Tehillim—reading Psalms.
It wasn’t something I often did, but I’ve learned to take moments like this as signs from Hashem to focus on that idea.
At the time, I’d been striving to grow creatively and spiritually. I had been wanting to write music for a while, but I was stuck in a slump. Something wasn’t clicking, and I felt like I needed a spark to reignite my soul during the winter.
When I got home, I grabbed a Tehillim and decided to read the first chapter I opened to. I landed on Chapter 36.
As I read through it, one line stood out to me, almost as if it had been written by the greatest songwriters in history (It was!):
“For with You is the source of life; in Your light, we will see light.”
(כִּֽי־עִמְּךָ מְקוֹר חַיִּים; בְּאוֹרְךָ נִרְאֶה־אוֹר)
That one line stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t stop reading it. And in that moment, this song was born.
Oftentimes, when we feel disconnected, unmotivated, or like we’re not living up to our potential, we carry that weight on our own shoulders. Ironically, what we think is a desire to spread light is often our ego trying to control the outcome. But Hashem has other plans. If we’re putting in our best effort yet still feel a distance, that too is part of His will.
The journey to connection begins when we release that weight and place it back into Hashem’s hands. It’s not about wanting to feel connected but recognizing that we are always connected. Our ego clouds the truth when it insists on connecting on its terms.
There is no light except Hashem’s light.
There is no life except within Hashem’s world.
This song is a conversation with the stranger inside ourselves—the part that doubts, fears, and feels broken. We tell that part: it’s okay to feel broken as long as we’re breaking into Hashem, who is ultimately whole.
The message ties deeply to the story of Chanukah. After the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, it would have been easy to see only brokenness and despair. But the heroes of the story searched for the pure jug of oil—a symbol of the unbreakable connection we always have with Hashem. They found it, and through Hashem’s miracle, they rebuilt and relit the menorah for eight days, stronger than before.
This is the story of the Jewish people. It’s the story of resilience, hope, and light. And it will ultimately be the story of the coming of Moshiach.
Yours truly,
Yaakov Galen and the Thank You Hashem team.
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Music credits
Composed and written by Yaakov Galen
Produced and arranged by Mendy Portnoy
Additional production: Yehuda Pinsker
Guitars: Ziv Shalev
Choir vocals: Yehuda Pinsker & Izzy Drihem
Vocal editing: Izzy Drihem
Mixed by Mendy Portnoy & Jake Antellis
Mastered by Jake Antellis
Video credits
Director: Binyamin Babayof
Assistant Director: Chaim Mordechai Gerlitz
Art Direction: Yechiel Dov Diamond
