Daniela Spector: Ad Machar (“By Tomorrow”)

To date, the gentle and melancholy singer-songwriter Daniela Spector has released four studio albums and one live album recorded at the Israeli Piano Festival. For this episode of “Song of Hope”, Spector chose to sing one of Eviatar Banai’s most recognisable hits, Ad Machar (“By Tomorrow”) – a song that can easily bring anyone to tears.

Eviatar Banai is one of the biggest musical talents that the famed Banai family has produced – and we’re talking about a family that has spawned quite a few of Israel’s leading musicians, actors and entertainers through the years. Banai has been continuing to release albums since returning to his religious Jewish roots, but his songs leaned towards spirituality long before he became a baal teshuva.

Like Banai, music and family are Daniela Spector’s refuge too. Now, obviously, more than ever. Banai’s song that she chose to sing addresses an expectant mother, promising her that “by tomorrow, soon” she will be able to embrace her son. The final verse hints at the allegorical words from the Song of Songs (2:15): “The little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom”. For Spector this verse, which includes a mention of a hole in the fence, through which foxes come through to wreak havoc and howl, were simply too much.

However, she found immense comfort in other verses of the song. She immerses herself in Banai’s words, which seem to tell her to let go, not to overthink things or try and make sense of things, but rather to let go. The lyrics tell her not to worry because nature has its order, there is something bigger and wider around us. As a musician and a mother, Spector doesn’t see this as a romantic consolation, but as a real one. Something to hold on to.