“AMEN SONGS”: Lean On Me

Bill Withers’ timeless anthem “Lean on Me” offers a profound message of compassion, solidarity, and mutual support. With its reassuring chorus—“Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on”—the song reminds us that being a blessing often means simply being there for others. Its message fits beautifully within our theme, “Amen – Be a Blessing,” showing that the power to uplift someone’s spirit lies not in grand gestures but in steady, loving presence. We become blessings in each other’s lives when we carry one another through hardship and remind each other we are not alone.

Parashat Re’eh opens with a call to choose the path of blessing. Moses sets before the people the choice between blessing and curse, urging them to build a society that reflects God’s values. Throughout the parasha, the Torah instructs the Israelites to care for the vulnerable—the poor, the stranger, the orphan—underscoring that blessing is not just something we receive from above, but something we actively give through our actions. Lean on Me becomes a musical embodiment of this Torah principle: creating a just and kind society depends on our willingness to support one another.

In a world where so many face hardship, the song is both a comfort and a call to action. It challenges us to live out the meaning of Amen not only as affirmation but as commitment—to say “Amen” to someone’s pain is to answer with empathy, with presence, with love. When we make ourselves available to others in times of need, we transform ordinary friendship into holy responsibility. That is the everyday holiness Parashat Re’eh invites us to live—and the message Bill Withers so soulfully conveys.