הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃
How good and how pleasant it is that brothers dwell together.
Jewish tradition recognizes the awesome power of collective musical worship. But in a time when communal gatherings are socially distant, if they happen at all, the thought of simply sitting closely with friends may be painful. All the more so, group singing is entirely out of the question. And yet, our communities will someday merit to gather together in song once more, and we can access the voice's spiritual power even when we are by ourselves. Below, explore a few brief texts about music made en masse. At the end of this source sheet, we offer inspiration and an exercise for singing at home alone.
This song is available on the album Joey's Nigunim,Vol. V: Songs from the City of Brotherly Love from Rising Song Records.
אָסָ֥ף הָרֹ֖אשׁ וּמִשְׁנֵ֣הוּ זְכַרְיָ֑ה יְעִיאֵ֡ל וּשְׁמִֽירָמ֡וֹת וִֽיחִיאֵ֡ל וּמַתִּתְיָ֡ה וֶאֱלִיאָ֡ב וּבְנָיָהוּ֩ וְעֹבֵ֨ד אֱדֹ֜ם וִֽיעִיאֵ֗ל בִּכְלֵ֤י נְבָלִים֙ וּבְכִנֹּר֔וֹת וְאָסָ֖ף בַּֽמְצִלְתַּ֥יִם מַשְׁמִֽיעַ׃ וּבְנָיָ֥הוּ וְיַחֲזִיאֵ֖ל הַכֹּהֲנִ֑ים בַּחֲצֹצְר֣וֹת תָּמִ֔יד לִפְנֵ֖י אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִית־הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא אָ֣ז נָתַ֤ן דָּוִיד֙ בָּרֹ֔אשׁ לְהֹד֖וֹת לַיהוָ֑ה בְּיַד־אָסָ֖ף וְאֶחָֽיו׃ הוֹד֤וּ לַֽיהוָה֙ קִרְא֣וּ בִשְׁמ֔וֹ הוֹדִ֥יעוּ בָעַמִּ֖ים עֲלִילֹתָֽיו׃ שִׁ֤ירוּ לוֹ֙ זַמְּרוּ־ל֔וֹ שִׂ֖יחוּ בְּכָל־נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו׃
Asaph the chief, Zechariah second in rank, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with harps and lyres, and Asaph sounding the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests, with trumpets, regularly before the Ark of the Covenant of God. Then, on that day, David first commissioned Asaph and his kinsmen to give praise to the LORD: “Praise the LORD; call on His name; proclaim His deeds among the peoples. Sing praises unto Him; speak of all His wondrous acts.
Assaf was the conductor of the Levitical orchestra in the ancient Temple. His name literally means "gatherer," and in this source we see him first gathering all the band members together to properly give praise. Assaf personified the purpose of music, gathering the flock together for collective transformation. He organized musicians and created such an amazing musical experience that people packed into the Temple not only to bring their offerings but also to hear the music. Assaf operated as the "head" (translated above as "chief"), bringing all the musical limbs into harmony. He was the prototype of a singing-drumming prayer-leader, who not only gathered people together and provided the beat, but allowed people to experience a shared spiritual resonance and journey. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that a dozen Psalms are attributed to him.
כְּזֵיתָא פִּסְחָא, וְהַלֵּילָא פָּקַע אִיגָּרָא.
[There were so many people that] each person only got an olive-sized piece of the Paschal lamb, and their Hallel burst the roof!
This brings to mind one of the 10 miracles that occurred in the ancient Temple: "עוֹמְדִים צְפוּפִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים רְוָחִים - the people stood pressed together, yet bowed down and had room enough" (Pirkei Avot 5:5). Jerusalem was said to be completely packed with pilgrims yet no one complained for lack of space and everyone found an oven in which to cook their Passover offering (see Avot d'Rabbi Natan 35). The power of communal song and praise is that it transforms lack into plenty, defying logic to create new realities. Perhaps this is how a room full of people singing together -- even if only a few of them are competent singers while others are completely tone deaf -- can create beautiful music.
ר' פנחס מקורץ, מדרש פנחס, חלק א', צ–צא
...לפעמים, כשאדם מנגן ואי אפשר לו להרים קול. וכשבא איש לעזור ורים את קולו, גם הוא יכול להרים את קולו, הוא גם כן מסוד: אתדבקות רוחא ברוחא…
R' Pinhas of Koretz, Midrash Pinhas, vol. 1 (Lvov, 1872), §90
...sometimes, when a person sings, he cannot raise his voice. But when someone comes to help and sings strongly, this in turn gives the first person the ability to raise his own voice [to match]. This is of the secret significance of uniting, soul to soul...
One need not travel back in time and place to the Temple in ancient Jerusalem to harness the power of song. Nor must one join a large group to have a transformative musical experience. Rather, two friends together can symbiotically lift their voices to a level of strength well beyond their individual capabilities.
And we might extend this teaching from the Koretzer even further and say that a person who is alone, who is unable to sing with a partner or gather with community, can still draw strength from the thought of joining voices with a dear friend.
The Piazetsne Rebbe took this idea even further, saying: "You do not need to be in a community to sing this way. Even when you are at home, any time you feel capable, you can sing as described above. And you do not need to scream and shout. There is music made even with a whisper or a breath that can still be heard in heaven" (see Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, B’nei Mahshavah Tovah, Number 18, which is included in our source sheet on the Piazetsne Rebbe’s teachings about nigun).
Try it! Find a private place and sing a melody a few times out loud. Now, close your eyes and begin singing the same melody, but this time envision the smiling faces of your favorite people singing along with you. What happens when you lower your voice to a whisper?
Not sure what to sing? Learn the "Sheves Achim Nigun" by watching the video below...
This video is one of hundreds available in Joey Weisenberg's virtual library of master classes in Jewish song and prayer.
Some of the translations above are by Joshua Schwartz and can be found along with Joey Weisenberg teachings in the anthology, The Torah of Music, available here: https://www.risingsong.org/books
To learn these texts and others from the Torah of Music in hevrutah (with a study partner), visit Project Zug, an initiative of the Hadar Institute.