Mizmor L’Dovid

Dovid Hill z”l was sick for half his life, but the young chassidic boy with the wise eyes and sublime voice learned early on to channel his fears and prayers into eternal songs of hope and inspiration

A fter 120 years baalei chesed leave behind their good name scholars hand down their glosses and philanthropists bequeath their endowments. But a life cut short in youth by tragedy or illness leaves its mark as well and fortunate are parents who have a lasting concrete record of their child’s sojourn in This World.

Yonason and Leah Hill are grateful that they have such a tangible reminder of their son Dovid’s noble spirit. It permeates the walls of their home every time they hit the play button.

Dovid Hill’s wise angelic face and sublime voice became familiar to many five years ago after a video clip captured the 13-year-old in his wheelchair pressing a finger on his trach tube as he sang one of his original compositions during a Melaveh Malkah for seriously ill patients and their families. Dovid who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just seven spent the next seven years in and out of hospitals until his petirah in June 2012 just five days after his 14th birthday.

But during those difficult years the young chassid from Jerusalem never let his spirit flag. Not only did he make sure to stay astride his class in the Skverer cheder with round-the-clock chavrusas he also composed ten niggunim. Listen to those niggunim though and you’d be hard-pressed to believe they were written by a child in between chemo treatments. Hear him singing those songs and you’d think you stumbled on a concert in Heaven.