The Breslever Stradivarius – Zev Zalman Ludwick

Luthier? What kind of profession is that for a good Jewish boy, and an observant one at that?

We'll see how, as I recently heard from the Melitzer Rebbe shlit”a, a G-d fearing luthier will be worth more than his weight in gold as soon as our Holy Temple is rebuilt, speedily, amen! Here's why:

King David teaches us the right way to praise Hashem when he says, "Raise up a song and sound the drum, the sweet harp with the violin."[1] Instrumental music was such an important part in the rituals of the Holy Temple that it was not only permissible on the Sabbath but a required element in the performance of the Sabbath sacrifices.[2] What's more, the Mishna teaches that if a string of a Levite's violin or harp snaps on Shabbat, a luthier – a special string-instrument craftsman – is allowed to fix the instrument and tie a new string, for the Levite's instrument playing in the Holy Temple overrides the prohibition of making a permanent knot on the Sabbath.[3] Rabbi Eliezer of Horkonus even allows building any instrument on the Sabbath if it were needed to perform a mitzvah on the Sabbath,[4] although the other Mishnaic sages override his opinion and rule that whatever can be prepared before the Sabbath may not be prepared on the Sabbath. This of course does not include a snapped string.

The above sources teach us that the luthier – the craftsman who built and maintained string instruments – was one of the unsung heroes of the Holy Temple, in whose merit the Levites' music was so heavenly exquisite. This was one of the reasons that all of Israel looked forward to every visit to the Holy Temple, just to hear the singing and the playing of the Levites.

Image above: will a lifeless block of wood become an exquisite violin with a soul? With the Creator's help and under the capable hands of luthier Zev Zalman (ZZ) Ludwick, the answer is most certainly yes.

The Gemara teaches us that there are three partners in the creation of a human – Hashem, the father and the mother.[5] When a luthier takes a block of wood and turns it into a violin, he is in effect the father and the mother of the violin. Therefore, we have two partners in the creation of a string instrument – Hashem and the luthier. By way of the luthier's hands, Hashem breathes a soul into the instrument. Since Rebbe Nachman teaches us the importance of hearing music from a G-d fearing artist, just imagine how elevated the instrument becomes when it's built by a G-d fearing artisan! No wonder such an individual was so highly in demand in the Holy Temple.

Are there such people today?

I'll answer with a true story that was verified with testimony on video:

A woman "happened" to hear about a luthier based in the Washington, DC area named "ZZ", short for Zev Zalman Ludwick. Her deceased mother, whom she missed so badly, left her a rare antique heirloom, an old violin that mom used to play. For years, the violin was in the attic, just collecting more mold and mildew. The situation was so bad that the violin was stuck to the moldy felt lining of its tattered case. She thought that she had nothing to lose, because the violin looked beyond repair. She brought it to ZZ.

ZZ, a Breslever Chassid who is connected heart and soul with Rebbe Nachman and his teachings, patiently and empathetically listened to the woman tell him what that violin means to her. "My mother's soul is in that violin."

"In that case," said ZZ, "with the help of the Creator, we'll do everything to bring your mama's soul back to you." He didn't see a moldy violin – he saw a soul. In short, he brought the violin back to life. The woman came to his shop and lifted the refurbished violin out of its brand new case and caressed it as if she was caressing her mother. "Oh my!" was all she could say, doing her best to catch her breath. "It's mama!" She could feel the soul…

ZZ thinks back to the Holy Temple when he says, "Tradition never goes out of style." That's his motto. For a luthier, tradition is everything.

As in the old days, an expert luthier becomes as such by apprenticing himself to the masters of his craft. ZZ, who has both a golden heart and a golden set of hands, learned the trade from such masters as Dalton Potter and Bill Weaver. Today, he continues to perfect his craftsmanship as an understudy of the renowned violin maker Howard Needham.

Now with his own shop, Ludwick's House Of Violin, ZZ is immersed in repairing violins, violas, cellos and even basses – restoring their lost souls. His work is exquisite and in great demand. Yet, he now has a secret project, the fulfillment of a heart's dream: he is now building the 1st "Ludwick" Violin, modeled after Stradavari's "Messiah". We wish ZZ tremendous success in his remarkable endeavors. G-d willing, the world will soon be graced with the first Breslever Stradivarius. For sure, this will be the instrument of choice in our rebuilt Holy Temple, may we all merit to see it soon, amen!