Nigun Lecha Dodi
The Nigun "Lecha Dodi" is a melody attributed to the Alter Rebbe, sung to the words of the Shabbos hymn "Lecha Dodi" — a liturgical poem composed by the Kabbalist R' Shlomo Alkabetz, a resident of the city of Tzfas. R' Shlomo wove his name into the poem as an acrostic, using the first letters of each stanza. The Rebbe Rashab was accustomed to singing this nigun with great devekus — deep cleaving to G‑d — on the opening verse of the Shema on weekdays.
There exists a different version of this nigun — and likely a more precise one — set to the stanza beginning Likras Shabbos from the poem "Lecha Dodi." This version was recorded from the Chassid R' Peretz Mochkin, who received it from the elder Chassidim of the previous generation, and was published in Sefer HaNiggunim, Volume II (Part I).
This nigun is Nigun No. 7 in Sefer HaNiggunim (the alternate version is Nigun No. 177).
Lyrics
Lecha dodi likras kallah
- Pnei Shabbos nekabelah
Shamor vezachor bedibur echad
- Hishmi'anu Kel hameyuchad
- Hashem echad ushmo echad
- Leshem uletiferes ulehilah
Likras Shabbos lechu veneilecha
- Ki hi mekor haberachah
- Merosh mikedem nesuchah
- Sof ma'aseh bemachashavah techilah
Mikdash melech ir meluchah
- Kumi tze'i mitoch hahafechah
- Rav lach sheves be'emek habacha
- Vehu yachmol alaych chemlah
Hisna'ari me'afar kumi
- Livshi bigdei sif'arteich ami
- Al yad ben Yishai beis halachmi
- Karvah el nafshi ge'alah
His'oreri his'oreri
- Ki va oreich kumi ori
- Uri uri shir daberi
- Kevod Hashem alaych niglah
Lo seivoshi velo sikalmi
- Mah tishtochachi umah tehemi
- Bach yechesу aniyei ami
- Venivnesah ir al tilah
Vehayu limshisah sho'sayich
- Verachaku kol meval'ayich
- Yasis alaych Elohayich
- Kimsos chasan al kalah
Yamin usmol tifrotzi
- Ve'es Hashem ta'aritzi
- Al yad ish ben partzi
- Venismechah venagila
Bo'i veshalom ateres ba'lah
- Gam berinah (besimchah) uvetzahalah
- Toch emunei am segulah
- Bo'i chalah bo'i chalah
- (Toch emunei am segulah
- Bo'i chalah Shabbos Malketah)
External Links
- Listen to the nigun — at the Heichal Neginah website
- Listen to the nigun — performed by the baal menagen R' Dovid Horowitz
- Listen to the nigun — arrangement by R' Elior Valner