Singer Ben Tzur on Keeping Shabbat: “I Understood That It’s a Gift”

When singer Ben Tzur began hearing from listeners that his music was bringing them closer to Judaism, it sparked an unexpected realization: perhaps it was time for him to grow spiritually too.

“People told me, ‘You’re making me think about returning to faith. I listen to you, and I’m becoming stronger,’” Tzur told News 12 in an interview about his journey toward religious observance. “Then I said, ‘Wait, they’re becoming stronger because of me? I need to become stronger myself.’”

For Tzur, that journey began with one relatively small step.

“I started with tzitzit,” he explains. “I said, ‘Shabbat seems too big for me. I don’t know how I can start keeping Shabbat, but what can I do? Tzitzit. It’s clothing. It’s something I can manage.’”

That simple decision, he says, began influencing other areas of his life.

“Just the fact that I wore tzitzit started reminding me of things. I’m wearing tzitzit, so I won’t go to certain places. Automatically, it kept me away from things that didn’t feel right.”

“I Understood That It’s a Gift”

Eventually, Tzur felt ready to take another major step: keeping Shabbat.

“Afterward, I took on Shabbat and discovered how wonderful it is to keep Shabbat,” he says. “I work hard all week, with phones and studios, and then suddenly I disconnect. I have complete quiet. I rest, talk with my family, my parents, and my siblings. I understood that it’s a gift.”

What initially seemed too difficult had become something he looked forward to, offering a weekly opportunity to disconnect from the demands of work and reconnect with his family.

Several months earlier, Tzur also spoke about a meaningful meeting with Rabbi Zamir Cohen, who discussed the impact his music was having on listeners.

“I met with Rabbi Zamir Cohen, and he told me that what rabbis try to do for years through long lectures, I managed to do in a song of just a few minutes, ‘Thirsty Souls,’” Tzur recalled.

“He blessed me that I should continue this way and have much siyata d’Shmaya and success. Since then, I have felt that I am on a mission. I only want to put out as many good, strengthening songs as possible.”

For Tzur, the influence has ultimately gone both ways. His music may have inspired listeners to grow stronger in their Judaism, but hearing from those listeners also encouraged him to take his own steps forward.