Written by Rachel Shapira in memory of her classmate Eldad Krock, a young reservist killed in the in the Six Day War, this this sad song is about an angel blessing a young boy as he grows up with everything he needs to be able to appreciate and enjoy life. When he is finally killed, the song bemoans why the boy wasn’t simply blessed with life. The poem was put to music by Yair Rosenblum and performed by Rivka Zohar and the Navy Band. An English translation of the lyrics are provided onscreen and below.
With What Shall I Bless Him?
“With what shall I bless him, how should he be blessed, this child?” demanded the angel
“With what shall I bless him, how should he be blessed, this child?” demanded the angel
And he blessed him with a smile as pure as light.
And he blessed him with eyes, big and seeing, to grasp every flower, and life and bird.
And he blessed him with a heart to feel all these sights.
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this youth?” demanded the angel
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this youth?” demanded the angel
So he blessed him with legs to dance to the end, a soul to remember all the compositions, a hand that gathers shells on the beach and a tentative ear to listen to the young and the old.
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this young man?” demanded the angel
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this young man?” demanded the angel
And he blessed that his flower used hands, will manage to learn the force of the steal, his legs will dance the dust of the roads, and lips will sing the rhythm of commands.
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this man?” demanded the angel
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this man?” demanded the angel
“I’ve given him all that I can, a song, a smile, legs to dance, a gentle hand and a singing heart, with what more could I bless him?”
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this child, this gentle youth?”
“With what shall I bless him, how he should be blessed, this child, this gentle youth?”
This boy, now he is an angel,
No one will bless him again, and he will never be blessed.
Oh, God, God, God, if you only blessed him with – life.