New Song: Fallen Angels

By Binyomin Weiss, COLlive reporter

Like many Chabad Shluchim and Lubavitch Chassidim, Moshe Benasher was glued to the screen, anxiously awaiting news from the once great – and now infamous – Nariman House.

Benasher, 26, whose parents are Shluchim in New York, had never met Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg, nor did he ever visit Mumbai where the couple operated a high-profile Jewish hub of activities.

On Nov. 26, 2008, when Indian terrorists invaded Nariman House, home to the Chabad House, and took the Holtzbergs and other Jewish people hostage, Benasher was devastated.

From his Flatbush home, surrounded by his wife and three children, he tried to gather bits and pieces of information from outlets like CNN’s Indian IBN channel and COLlive.

But when the ordeal came to a tragic end, he broke into tears.

“The only way I could respond was to compose a song about it,” Benasher told COLlive. “I sat near the piano and was crying while writing the song.

“You don’t want to let go of being sad. You want to mourn and feel the pain. At the same time, however, as a Chassid, you need to move on.”

A student of stenography at New York Career institute, Benasher composed in the past a musical album called ‘Soul Awake.’ He calls his new 6 minute song ‘Fallen Angels.’

“At one point, I thought to possibly not even release the song. I ended up sending it because I thought that many people don’t know how to express in words what they are feeling.”

Benasher adds: “The lyrics have even deeper meaning than just the face value. I didn’t just use the word angel because it was poetic or because it fit. Angel in Hebrew is malach. Malach is interchangeable with messenger, which means a Shliach.”

Fallen Angels – Lyrics:

She closed her eyes
He wiped her tears
He said Shema
It calmed his fears

He held her hand
Said it’d be alright
Knowing well they both could lose their life

And as my world watched it on the screen
We hoped and prayed and prayed again
That it would be a silent dream
But the dawn ushered in an unfamiliar light
The worst was heard confirmed

Now I cry to you, I lean on you,
my fellow Jew I ask of you

Chorus:
Tell me how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have fallen from our life
And how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have flown away at night

3500 siblings asking why
An orphan’s forced to cry
Mommy, Tatty hold my hand
One day I pray you’ll understand
The cowardly lion is not the king of the land.
But the question remains, I ask

Chorus:
Tell me how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have fallen from our life
And how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have flown away at night

Don’t judge me when I mourn
Today it’s me who’s torn
Don’t look at me
My tears are falling fast

They say it’s all a blessing in disguise
I can’t differentiate the lies from truth
What’s a mind to do

We were the super heroes of the night
We would illuminate the sky
They took away the torch but not your flame
What’s my mind to do
I will never forget you
I will light the sky from here to Mumbai
And nothing will ever look the same

Chorus:
Tell me how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have fallen from our life
And how do we say goodbye
to the angels that have flown away at night

Chassidim Never say goodbye
We want Moshiach Now

Moshe Benasher is available to preform Fallen Angels at Chabad Houses and Chanukah events. He can be reached at [email protected]