The Toldos Aharon Rebbe recently spent a Shabbos with 100 of his yungeleit in Tzfas. When he left the room the group began to sing Meshulam Greenberger’s popular new “Mah Tishtochachi Nafshi” a slow moving song with a complex structure of several parts which has become a choir favorite in the months since its release on Greenberger’s newest album Oscha Avakesh. Upon the Rebbe’s return the young men stopped singing since he does not usually approve of contemporary music. But the Rebbe motioned them to continue. And when the song finished he spoke for an hour expounding on the song’s words taken from Tehillim 42:12 — “Why are you downcast my soul and why are you disquieted? Hope to Hashem for I will yet thank Him for the salvations of my countenance and my G-d.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 678)

For Reb Abish Brodt this year will be different. After 30 years as the shaliach tzibbur in Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin in Flatbush his move to Lakewood means a change of amud. Reb Abish treasures the opportunity to lead the Yom Tov tefillos. Until recently he was the baal Shacharis and baal Mussaf at two different shuls on Rosh Hashanah and led Maariv Mussaf and Ne’ilah on Yom Kippur.

He explains the origins of his well-loved nusach. “My family comes from Mielec in Galicia close to the Sanz area. Most of my nusach is that which I heard from my father and is based on the Ropshitzer heritage but over the years it’s been influenced by the davening in the yeshivos. When I was young I davened in Bais Medrash Elyon. I was only 13 or 14 but until today I can hear the hergesh of Rav Simcha Schustal ztz”l. You had to hear how he began the brachah of Avos with such passion. Some people today underrate that first brachah and make the mistake of skimming through it but Avos is the basis of the whole tefillah — you have to feel that. On other occasions I heard the previous Stuchiner Rebbe ztz”l daven. The Rebbe was an unforgettable baal tefillah — it was obvious to anyone who listened that he felt the weight of what he was saying.”

The crowd in shul wait for their familiar favorite pieces and Reb Abish likes to keep his nusach and tunes the same from year to year so that they can join in the davening. “The shaliach tzibbur has to daven with the oilem not at the oilem ” he says. While one or two new tunes add freshness more would disappoint. He explains that the world has now adopted many niggunim that originated in the various yeshivos — for example the “Ki Hinei Kachomer” composed by the famed baal tefillah Rav Herschel Goldstein and adopted by Rav Sholom Schwadron was first used in the Chevron yeshivah back in the 1950s and has spread widely from there.

Today Reb Abish’s sons are popular baalei tefillah in their own right. “They are all accomplished baalei tefillah and yes they use mostly my nusach. But each has changed certain parts and rightfully so. A baal tefillah has to make the davening his own. You can’t copy someone or try to be someone else. You have to be comfortable with the nusach in order to deliver the message.”

Since 1983 Reb Abish’s name has been associated with the Regesh album series. These songs composed by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil include such classic favorites as “Shalom Aleichem ” “Kavei El Hashem ” and “Modeh Ani Lefanecha ” and have been popular for years thanks to Reb Abish’s trademark voice and hartzige style. On Yamim Noraim Regesh songs “Kevakoras” (Regesh Vol. 5) and “Selach Na” (Regesh Vol. I) have become popular davening niggunim.

“In a certain shul where I served as baal Mussaf many years ago there was a strong tendency to take out a sefer and learn during chazaras hashatz ” Reb Abish remembers. “One year after davening my young son let me know ‘Tatty everyone was looking in the machzor this time.’ It was the ultimate compliment.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 678)

"For me it’s the Alter Rebbe’s ‘Avinu Malkeinu Ein Lanu Melech Elah Atah.’ It’s one of ten special niggunim which we have from the Alter Rebbe [Rebbe Shneur Zalman the founder of Chabad chassidus]. There is such awe and anticipation in that niggun. When you’re singing it you can clearly sense that without Hashem there is nothing and I am nothing.

Singer composer and guitarist SHLOMO KATZ

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 677)

"Ribbon Haolamim Yodati Yodati Yodati…”—it seems like everyone was singing Rabbi Pinchas Breyer’s song last year. In fact many contemporary songs like this one continue the tradition of adopting the words of powerful pesukim or midrashim emotional descriptions and passionate pleas but not all today’s listeners and fans understand what they’re singing or can relate the concepts to parallels in their own lives.

And that’s what motivated Baruch Levine to work with Torah Umesorah on a new project called “Know your Niggun” — popular songs presented together with English translations and visualizations. The first release will be an audio-visual “Ribbon Haolamim ” sung by Levine and a children’s choir. The lyrical flowing translations created by celebrated lyricist Ruchie Torgow fit into Rabbi Breyer’s soaring melody and are accompanied by footage of such dramatic scenes as soldiers planning war tactics the Titanic sailing forth in splendor and prowess the ruins of ancient towers and strongholds. Seeing it brings the timely message home — despite the bluster and glory despite the precise planning technological know-how and even the laws of nature ultimately every earthly being is kachomer beyad hayotzer — like clay in the hands of the potter.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Issue 677)