The Gat Brothers - Happiness

by Alexandra Fleksher 

Two ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, each with long curled side-locks and long wispy beards, stand on the shiny, spot-lit stage.  Slung across their knee-length black frock coats are guitars – one acoustic, the other electric.  They begin to play their instruments, and they begin to sing.  As they make their music, the two men begin to smile.  It is as if they are singing just to make themselves happy.  Yet they are making an entire audience, and a panel of judges, very happy, for these two brothers are quickly rising to stardom while singing “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel on “Rising Star,” Israel’s version of “American Idol.”

Meet the Gat brothers. Gil and Arie were discovered while performing in the streets of Jerusalem and were asked to audition on “Rising Star.” After receiving tens of thousands of votes on the show for their performance of “The Sound of Silence,” they quickly became an Internet sensation.  They returned to the show to sing the Eagles’ “Hotel California” and again captured over 80% of the fans’ interactive votes.

What is it about the performances of the Gat brothers that have made them so popular?  Michelle from New Jersey says, “It’s really neat to see such talented singers without all the flashy costumes.  They just sing in their traditional clothes, and they sing from the heart.”   Ben from Maryland makes a similar point: “Normally you wouldn’t see an ultra-Orthodox Jews on a stage singing like rock stars.  It’s unexpected, and they do an amazing job.”

Another aspect that makes their performance so “magical”, as one YouTube commentator posted, is their sense of happiness while performing their music.  In front of four judges and 1000 audience members, the Gat brothers do not look nervous.  They have warm smiles on their faces as they sing.  They are connecting to their music and connecting to the audience.  The brothers have a sense of happiness, a sense of personal satisfaction, that is result of doing what they love and in turn, making others happy. 

The Hebrew word for joy is simchah.  Simchah is an internal state of happiness that derives from satisfaction, trust, faith, confidence, and an appreciation of the little things in life.  The Gat brothers seem to have all these traits when it comes to performing their music.  “The power of music is above everything else,” Gil Gat tells the The Times of Israel.  “I’m not a man of lights, flashes and sparkles.  I am ready to stand – I say that in the spiritual sense – with what I have, without external outfits.  There is no need for that.  And I believe that if it’s good it will sell, and if not, then not.”