Ozer Yisrael B'Gevurah

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אוזֵר יִשרָאֵל בִּגְבוּרָה

Blessed are you G-d, King of the universe, who girds Israel with strength

When soldiers in the army have to fight,
They wear a belt that is on tight,
To carry their weapons both day and night,
A belt is a symbol of strength and might!

We are soldiers in an army too,
Hashem is our commander, who tells us what to do,
Hashem gives us the strength to overcome,
Our evil inclination, which likes to have fun.

"Who girds Israel with strength," we say,
For spiritual strength, we turn to Hashem every day,
So fasten your belt, and draw Hashem near,
In the story below this lesson is clear.

The landlord made a decree,
On all the Jews of the city,
Yankel, was the one that the Bal Shem Tov did choose,
To go and represent the Jews.

Yankel didn't know why he was sent,
But off to the landlord's mansion he went,
Yankel prepared his words carefully,
But he was thrown into the dungeon immediately.

To Yankel, the landlord did say,
"I'm giving you two choices today,
If you convert you will be set free,
If you refuse your life will end miserably."

The landlord threatened Yankel that if he would refuse,
And Christianity he would not choose,
Boiling metal that was very hot,
Would be poured down his throat from a steaming pot.

Yankel said, that rather than living a lie,
He would prefer to die,
Yankel's strength to do what is right, is not a mystery,
Hashem girds Israel with strength, is the key.

Yankel closed his eyes really tight,
He wanted to serve Hashem with all his might,
Little did Yankel know that he was in for a treat,
The hot liquid down his throat, was honey that was sweet!

Yankel opened his eyes,
To see the landlord smiling, was a surprise,
The landlord said "Don't you recognize me?
I'm so impressed with your bravery!

I was orphaned with nowhere to go,
You found me trudging in the snow,
All winter, in your house I did stay,
Your kindness, how could I ever repay?

Alef, Bet, Gimmel, Daled, Hay,
With joy you taught your students every day,
You said, that the greatest thing,
Is to give up your life, for Hashem who is king.

After that winter I went on my way,
A successful landlord I am today,
Your kindness I wanted to repay,
Finally I found a way.

I gave you the opportunity,
To prove your strength and loyalty,
With flying colors you passed the test,
I now see that the Jewish people are the best!

Thanks to you, I will annul the decree,
I will always remember that you saved me!"
Yankel returned to his family,
The Jews were as happy as could be.

Souvenir: bendable soldier