Abie Rotenberg | The Freedom to Sing [From the Archives]

From Shtark Tank with Yaakov Wolff by Yaakov Wolff.

• Published: Mon, 26 Jan 2026 05:10:00 GMT
• Duration: 00:47:52
• Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/e45c8048/podcast/play/114517943/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-25%2F416786654-44100-2-c93a8ded0b82f.mp3
• Page: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yaakov-wolff/episodes/Abie-Rotenberg--The-Freedom-to-Sing-From-the-Archives-e3e5afn
• TorahApp: https://torahapp.org/share/p/3P_shtark_tank/e/69849a97-ed83-4c86-adbe-43c87234c029

For Parashat Beshalach / Shabbat Shirah, we’re pulling a fan-favorite from the archives: a wide-ranging conversation with Jewish music legend Abie Rotenberg — songwriter of classics like Acheinu, Mama Rochel, and Na’ar Hayiti.

But this episode isn’t only about music.

A.B. shares how building a serious career in business gave him something rare in the music world: freedom. Freedom to write at his own pace, choose what to release, and never treat music like a paycheck.

We also get into:

• His path from chinuch to the family import business (and what that transition really felt like)

• Why he sees songwriting as a real form of chinuch — and how melodies can open up the words of tefillah and pesukim

• The story and intent behind Marvelous Middos Machine, and the very real dilemmas of teaching values through songs

• Reflections on Acheinu returning to the world in a painful new way

• His Torah writing (sfarim on Eliyahu Hanavi and Rabbi Akiva) — plus a surprising third book: a baseball novel built for kiruv

• Baseball, balance, and the line between a healthy outlet and a distraction

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