House of Prayer

This song began at a Jerusalem bus stop.

I was sitting on a graffiti-covered bench on Agripas Street nearly half my lifetime ago, fiddling around with a baseline and a pasuk, when the melody for “House of Prayer” started to form. At the time, either I wasn’t ready – or maybe dare I say, the world wasn’t – for these words to feel like they truly belonged. But something about now feels right. As if the vision they carry is no longer a dream, but rather a necessity and a reality we are inching towards.

The lyrics are from Isaiah/Yeshayahu.

We recite them at every tefilla during every chag— a vision of unity, yearning, and healing that resonates more than ever.

As a Levi, I’ve always felt a deep connection toward the role of music in our relationship with Hashem and his sacred service. This song, in particular, lets me lean into that ancestral calling – to sing and serve in the Beit HaMikdash, alongside my fellow Levite brothers – especially my biological brother Mendy, whose production poured equal parts of heart and talent into every note.

This double release marks the beginning of a collaborative album project between myself and Thank You Hashem. Much of this body of work is rooted in our yearning for redemption. It carries the same vision: music that feels like prayer, and prayer that sounds like music. Songs that reconnect us – with each other, with Hashem, and with the dream of a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash, where music, prayer, the people, and the Divine are once again fully united.

Alongside House of Prayer, we’re also releasing Baal Shem Tov Niggun, a melody attributed to the founder of the Chassidic movement. I’ve always felt a special connection to the Baal Shem Tov, not least because I carry his name. This niggun is one I’ve come back to time and again, often in quiet moments of return. There’s something deeply poetic to me about these melodies, composed in Europe during difficult times for our people, now making a literal aliyah – redeemed and ready to be sung again, soon, in the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash. It felt like this niggun belonged here, in this moment.

This melody has always felt like home.

The Baal Shem Tov Niggun is attributed to the founder of the Chassidic movement—a spiritual pioneer whose teachings and melodies have carried generations through darkness into light. I’ve always felt a deep connection to the Baal Shem Tov, not least because I carry his name. This niggun has accompanied me in countless moments of quiet return, inner stillness, and spiritual searching.

There’s something deeply poetic to me about these melodies, composed in Eastern Europe during times of great challenge for our people, now making a literal aliyah—redeemed and ready to be sung again. It felt only right to include this niggun in a project centered around yearning, redemption, and rebuilding.

This release is part of a broader collaborative album project with Thank You Hashem—music born from longing, faith, and the hope of a rebuilt Beit HaMikdash. These are songs where prayer and melody become one. Songs that call us back—to Hashem, to each other, and to the sacred.

A tefillah in song. Words we’ve prayed for generations, now sung with heart.

We’re asking Hashem to rebuild the Beis HaMikdash, to give us our portion in Torah, and to bring us back to serve Him like we used to.

It’s a cry, a dream, and a reminder that while we are still waiting for the ultimate redemption we are still building our relationship with Him using the Torah as our guide.

Being part of Klal Yisroel means understanding that life was never meant to be lived alone. When a person stands by himself, there is a certain loneliness and a limit to what he can accomplish. But when he joins with another Yid, something changes and he becomes stronger, fuller, more complete. As Shlomo HaMelech teaches, tovim hashnayim min haechad, two are better than one. Each of us can seek out another person to lift us higher, to strengthen our avodah, and to help us grow in holiness and purpose. When we unite and give strength to one another, we do more than improve ourselves. Together we move the entire world closer to the coming of Moshiach.

This song was originally sung by our sister, Yuval Raphael, who miraculously survived the Nova festival massacre. Her life was spared in chaos, and from that place, she literally found her voice and brought this melody to the world.

This cover, performed by @IsraelPortnoyMusic and presented by Thank You Hashem, reminds us that the souls of those we lost—and those who lived—are all calling out to us. They’re telling us something deeper: “mayim rabbim lo yuchlu lechabot et ha’ahava” — no flood, no force, no darkness can ever extinguish the love that burns within the Jewish soul.

Sung in three languages, this rendition bridges worlds and hearts. The video, like the song, dances between darkness and light, as the lyric “a new day will rise” suggests. In a time when “everyone cries”, this is a reminder: “don’t cry alone!” The Pintele yid of Jews all around the world are more united than ever—in grief, resilience, and joy. We are in this dance together, our eternal spark that stays connected to Hashem is shining with love, with Emunah. This release marks the beginning of a new musical collaboration between Israel Portnoy and Thank You Hashem, with a full album coming sooner than you think!