ETZ CHAIM - The PORTNOY Brothers ft Joel Portnoy

It only took us close to 30 years to pull him out of music retirement but we finally convinced our dad to do a song with us. This is “Etz Chaim” - the newest installment to our Shabbat album project. The tree of life. Our dad was our first music teacher and is our biggest musical inspiration. Mendy is playing dad's childhood accordion in this song which is so symbolic to us of the music that passes through generations. We literally owe all of our music to him. Having him as our guest on this song means the whole world to us and as you can hopefully feel when watching, we wanted to capture that love so instead of the lyric videos we did for our other ones, we made an extra special video for this song (and we’ve included the text in the description).
Feel free to check out our other songs from this project featuring some friends/artists (Alex Clare, R’Shlomo Katz, Zusha and more on the way).

“Etz Chaim” Composed by: Tanchum Portnoy
Performed & Produced by: The Portnoy Brothers Featuring Joel Portnoy
Project: “The Shabbat Album” by the Portnoy Brothers
Visit theportnoybrothers.com for more info.
Mixed By Ben Wallick
Mastered by: Yaron Saffer
Filmed by: Sasha Gorev
Edited by: Mendy Portnoy

More about this Project…..
“The Shabbat Album” is a concept album which aims to encourage the whole world to sing the songs of Shabbat.
It comprises the sacred songs we grew up singing together every Shabbat (both around the family table and up on the bima in Hale Shule (Synagogue) singing with our dad, who (to everyone else) was also the community Rabbi. To reflect the inclusive & unifying spirit we hope this album captures, each song features a different artist/friend and comes complete with a text-focused visual accompaniment.

In memory of Maurice and Pearl Esterkin

HEBREW:
עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ. וְתמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר:
דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נעַם וְכָל נְתִיבותֶיהָ שָׁלום:
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ ה' אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה. חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם:

TRANSLATION:
“It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it, and those who uphold it are happy. Its ways are pleasant, and all of its paths peaceful. Return us to you, God, so that we shall return, renew our days as of old.”

TRANSLITERATION:
Eitz chayim hi lamachazikim bah, v'tom'cheha m'ushar. D'racheha darchei noam v'chol n'tivoteha shalom. Hashivenu Adonai eilecha v'nashuva, chadesh yameinu k'kedem.