Today, on the yahrtzeit of the holy Skulener Rebbe – with Elul’s arrival just a day a way – it behooves us to take heed of Dovid Hamelech’s words. To recommit ourselves to Hashem and His Torah; to pay no attention to those who may ridicule or question our observance and adherence to His laws. B’zchus hatzaddik R’ Eliezer Zusia ben R’ Yisroel Avraham Zecher tzaddik l’vracha.
What better way to begin our Shavuos preparations than with a timeless niggun of devotion and faith, united in declaring our readiness to accept Hashem as our One and Only King.
There is a particular piece of music that has become synonymous with the Holocaust. I would even suggest that if there was one tune that could capture and encapsulate the entirety of our extensive Exile – from beginning to end – this would be the one.
The Sixties also represented a pivotal period in the history of the Jewish Diaspora as well. There was a real need to cultivate a proud Jewish identity for the new generation of post-war youth, including a contemporary but uncompromising musical expression of its own. It wasn’t long before the void was filled by a fresh, current, and sincere young group that single handedly created an exciting new idiom in the Jewish music world – “Chassidic Folk.”
Yeshaya HaNavi (2:5) says it clearly, בֵּית יַעֲקֹב לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה בְּאוֹר ה – Bais Yaakov, come let us walk in the light of Hashem. It is the Bais Yaakov, the women, who lead the way for their husbands and children, and maintain the spiritual light of our people. In the words of Sarah Schenirer, “Bais Yaakov” does not tell the Jewish woman that her place is at home, but that the Jewish woman IS the home.”
In the context of observance of Moshe Rabbeinu’s yahrtzeit, the message is as clear as it is fundamental to our most basic principles: one’s belief in the Supreme Creator is incomplete if it is not complemented by the full belief in His most loyal servant and greatest emissary: Moshe Rabbeinu.
Music has always been at the heart of Chassidic life and practice. But perhaps even more so than even Modzitz, there may not be another chassidus whose essence revolves around music more so than it does in Chabad. Many of us know that there are hundreds of Lubavitch niggunim – many of us can even sing a healthy handful of them with relative ease. But what many do not know is that the rescue and preservation of the music of Lubavitch can be directly attributed to Rav Yosef Yitzchak, zt’l.
Asks the Dubno Maggid, isn’t there a little Yankel in all of us? Don’t we all work and worry too much in areas that are out of our control? We may just need to say to ourselves; Yankel, you’ve been carrying that problem for far too long. Throw down your burden, and let Hashem, Who carries you and all your needs, take it from here.
To master the art of musical composition requires innate skills. To translate one’s emotion musically, to create beautifully expressive music, one must truly have lyrical genius. But to develop a majestic melody that radiates with sparkling finesse and that complements the accompanying lyrics, requires the insight and talents of an almost Davidic nature…
By now, there is very little that hasn’t been written about the great R’ Meir Shapiro zt’l. His Yiras Hashem and Ahavas Yisroel were legendary, his brilliance and charisma were unmatched, and his revolutionary contributions to limud haTorah cannot be overstated. But of all Rav Meir’s great accomplishments, perhaps least known today is his music.