Avinu Malkeinu

With his flowing yellowish beard, Reb Shlome "Der Geller," a Chassidic teacher, cut a familiar pose as he walked the long distance from his hometown of Nevel to Lubavitch – the town where the Rebbe lived - humming this lively tune.

Avinu Malkeinu, Our Father our King; An'im Zemiros, I sing songs and melodies I will weave; Ki Anu Amecha, We are Your people and You are our G-d.

Everything is vacuous and meaningless. There is nothing beside Him! The words of Kohelet (1:2) with an added Chassidic dimension. All in this world is truly naught -- G-d alone is the only True Existence.

Reveal yourself my beloved. And spread over me the shelter of Your peace. Let the earth be illuminated by Your glory, We will rejoice and exult in You. Hasten, Beloved, for the time has come. Be gracious and favor us as in days of old. (Eve of Shabbat Prayer). As Friday ends and Shabbat arrives, we seek to connect with its sanctity and spirituality, longing for the day that will be everlasting Shabbat.

"Shalom Aleichem Reb Yid," " Aleichem Shalom." "From where do you come?" "From Pahotzik." "What do they do in Pahotzik?" "We say "l’chayim" and we rejoice, and we serve the One above, we pray with fervor and we dance a Karahod." A playful ditty occasionally performed, in a spirit of elevated lightheartedness, at intimate Chassidic weddings where the families are oftentimes from different cities.

1. Fortunate are you Israel, that G-d has chosen you, and given you the Torah as a heritage, a gift in the desert. Rejoice and exult on Simchat Torah, and pay homage to the Torah. This melody is sung after the reading of the Torah an Simchat Torah. 2. "What benefit does man have from all his toil that he toils under the sun? There is no gain from toiling in worldly matters, but there is gain from toiling in the study of Torah. This song was sung in a concentration camp, by a group of Jews who strengthened one another, in the shadow of death, and managed to study Torah. 3.The Torah which Moshe commanded us is the inheritance of the Congregation. (Devorim 33:4)

The "Nigun Hachono" -- the Melody of Preparation—is a reflective melody, sung in preparation to singing the first Chabad Rebbe’s “Tune of Four Parts.” The Nigun Hachono was favored by the fifth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dovber (the Reshab), and is also known as his tune.

Lord of the universe, who reigned before everything as created, at the time when by His will all things were made, then was His name proclaimed King, and after all things shall cease to be, the Awesome One Will reign alone. He was, He is and He shall be in glory. He is One and there is no other to compare to Him, to consort with Him. Without beginning without end, power and dominion belong to Him. He is My G-d and my ever-living redeemer… (Morning prayer). An exultant Chasidic melody, with origins in the Russian town of Nevel.

I heard this song from the well known Chassid and mentor Reb Nochum Goldshmidt from Israel.

Poltava, Ukraine, 1882. The Shabbat meal is long finished. While most are taking a Shabbat rest, we will make our way to the main synagogue. Quietly we will slip in and sit on a bench the corner. Do you hear a haunting melody? Look, there is someone wrapped in a prayer shawl, slowly swaying. Ah, it's the Rabbi of the town, Reb Yankov Mordechai, still praying, quite oblivious to the time of day. Listen closely as he hums this tune as he bridges the gap between the finite and the infinite.