The Ten Niggunim of the Alter Rebbe
A tradition has been passed down among Chassidim that the Alter Rebbe — Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad Chassidus — personally composed ten niggunim (Chassidic melodies) that are precisely calibrated and intentional, each one hinting at sublime matters in the upper spiritual worlds. These melodies carry a special quality: singing them draws the one who hums or chants them toward awakening in teshuvah (repentance and return to G‑d) and to a feeling of devekus — the soul's deep clinging and attachment to the Divine.
Some Chassidim have the custom not to sing these melodies casually, reserving them instead for appropriate moments or times of heightened spiritual readiness. In the case of the niggun known as Arba Bavos (The Four Chambers), this practice goes beyond personal custom: it reflects an explicit directive from our Rebbeim — the successive leaders of Chabad — not to treat it as an everyday melody.
Of the ten niggunim, the first five are known with certainty to have been composed by the Alter Rebbe himself. The remaining five are attributed to him, though whether he personally composed each of them is a matter of some uncertainty.[1]
The Ten Niggunim edit
External Links edit
- Sources of Melody — The Ten Niggunim of the Alter Rebbe at Heichal Neginah
- Pinchas Bichler, Ten Supernal Niggunim, HaMevaser, Shevat 5772
Notes edit
- ↑ In Hearos U'Biurim Ohalei Torah, issue 515, p. 50, it is noted that there are actually fourteen niggunim attributed to the Alter Rebbe, of which eight are known with certainty to be his. The additional melodies include Niggun Yashan, Tzama Lecha Nafshi, and Niggun LeHakafos.