“I Was on the Verge of Despair”: Singer Ben Tzur Shares His Spiritual Journey

Israeli Singer Ben Tzur has been growing in his religious observance for some time, a journey reflected in the songs he writes, which are filled with faith and spiritual strength. In a recent conversation on the Israela podcast, Ben Tzur opened up about how he met his wife, his spiritual growth, and the role of faith in his life.

“My Confidant in Life Is Hashem”

“On our first date, I made my wife a barbecue in the forest. She hadn't even seen me yet, and there was already a whole cow on the grill,” he recalled with a laugh.

Asked which lyric he loves most, he replied, “The line I love most out of the songs I've written is ‘Every delay is for the best.’ Ofir Cohen wrote that line, but it's the line I love most. In the end, everything is exactly as it should be.”

Ben Tzur also shared a glimpse into his daily routine. When asked what he does first thing in the morning, he answered, “I brush my teeth, wash my face, and put on tefillin.”

“If there's one statement of faith that strengthens me, it's that there is no despair in the world at all. My confidant in life is Hashem.”

He also spoke about his practice of hitbodedut, personal prayer in which a person speaks privately to Hashem.

“When I'm looking for a quiet corner, I go to the forest behind my parents' house in Tzfat,” he shared.

Asked what he hopes for in the coming year, Ben Tzur answered, “In the coming year, I want to build a beautiful family.”

From Despair to a Deeper Connection With Hashem

Earlier this week, the singer revealed that his musical success had been a long time coming and that he had experienced moments of deep frustration along the way.

“I worked very hard and released a lot of songs before this song came along. I was on the verge of despair, broken... You keep making more and more music, and nothing happens, and you don't understand what's going on.”

The turning point, he explained, came when he decided to devote himself more deeply to his spiritual journey.

“I really took it upon myself. I was living in Tzfat, so every day I would walk to the resting place of the holy Arizal, going down the steps where we filmed the music video. Those were truly real moments, just like that, with the guitar.”

He continued, “I would sit there on the mountain, playing and singing, immersing in the mikveh every day, and visiting the gravesite. That's what I preferred to do, to pray and ask Hashem: ‘Please, let me truly succeed in bringing hearts closer.’”