Teachings of Rebbe Nachman Class #2: Niggun

Rav Itamar Eldar, "The Niggun of the Wicked and the Righteous"

"Song, asserts R. Nachman, is drawn from the two birds. And the two birds receive their nourishment "from the place that the prophets receive their nourishment." Here R. Nachman lumps together the singer, the chazan, and the prophet,[4] in that they all receive their nourishment from the same place. Common to all three of them, argues R. Nachman, is the use of voice...

The voice is not the definitions or the framework, but rather the breath that blows from inside a person and plucks on the vocal cords, where it is transformed into speech and words. That breath, asserts R. Nachman - which constitutes the song of the singer, the chazan, and the prophet, the inspiration that is the living spirit of the world, drawing from those two live birds - is rooted in a spiritual source of holiness which is identified by R. Nachman with "the place that the prophets receive their nourishment."

Rav Itamar Eldar, ibid.

"In this teaching R. Nachman describes a certain phenomenon, and attempts to explain it:

The wicked, argues R. Nachman, for the most part sing melodies of lament and sadness, and it is human nature to be drawn to such melodies. R. Nachman explains: The wicked are the soul of the mixed multitude, and the mother who gave birth to this soul is Lilit[6] who constantly whines. This Lilit is the aspect of "Leah's eyes were weak," which is dimmed sight, the aspect of me'orot (luminaries) lacking a vav.

R. Nachman cites the words of the holy Zohar on the word me'orot in the creation story, which is written in a defective manner, that this refers to Lilit. Again, following the same principle that we saw above, there lies here the principle that already at the time of the creation of the world, excesses were created, the light within them being defective, a particle separated from the perfect profusion of Divine light. Indeed, it bestows vitality on the world within which it is held captive, but since it is separate and detached, it cannot bring God's word in a perfect manner and illuminate the world in its light. This is a defective world of "eclipses", of incomplete visions, of partial pictures, and in the words of R. Nachman, of dimmed vision. This, according to R. Nachman, is the aspect of Leah."

Rav Itamar Eldar, ibid.

"Levi, then, symbolizes the possibility of joining the defective world – which comes to expression in the hatred that had existed towards Leah – to Yaakov. Levi – R. Nachman offers his own interpretation of the story – is the channel connecting Leah and Yaakov, the defective world and the ability to influence the world. And he accomplishes this, asserts R. Nachman, through his singing.

Singing, then, is an instrument in the hands of the wicked to establish a connection, and thus, to influence the world. Standing on their own, without this aspect, they are like the hated Leah, who, while indeed attached to the house of Yaakov, is merely an extra appendage. Meaningful attachment and the assumption of a central role in the building of the nation begins with the birth of children and reaches perfection in the aspect of Levi."

Rav Itamar Eldar, cont.

"In this teaching, R. Nachman asserts that "the joining of two things is by means of melody and musical instruments." A niggun has the power to join two things. We see with our own eyes the sweeping power of a niggun. Extreme enthusiasm, sometimes reaching the point of mass ecstasy, is rarely found today except at musical performances, in all their varied forms. There is nothing in the world that can compare to the power of music pouring out of giant amplifiers, sweeping thousands of people to other places, detaching them entirely from the everyday existence that surrounds them. Neither the word – written or spoken – nor even drama can create such a sweeping and unbreakable connection, in the way that music can.

Because music is able to sweep people off their feet, causing them to abandon their critical powers and lose control, the song of the wicked is far more dangerous than any article, lecture, or book to which a God-fearing person is likely to be exposed."

Rav Itamar Eldar, ibid.

"When a person is engaged in the pure study of Talmud, he is not interested in the Halakha, but in the various aspects of the law that arise from the diverse opinions. In the study of Halakha, the decisive truth is the final law, whereas in the study of Talmud, the truth is revealed in the various aspects and different sides, and the purpose of study is to uncover the truth in all its diversity, as it is reflected in the discussion of the talmudic passage.

This wondrous aspect of Talmud study, which uncovers the many-sided Divine truth, is liable to turn into a stumbling-block, when a person develops within himself the quality of finding the element of truth in everything. For this quality, just as it can redeem every idea and give it significance, it can also bestow legitimacy upon falsehood and evil."

Rav Itamar Eldar, ibid.

"R. Nachman argues that even the infinite has a melody:

That song is also above all the melodies and songs in the world, belonging to every science and belief. And all the songs and melodies of all the sciences are drawn from that song and melody, which is above all the songs and melodies of all the sciences. For it is the song belonging to the belief in the infinite light itself, which is above everything."

Rav Itamar Eldar, cont.

"R. Nachman uses the ideas mentioned above to explain the Mishna in Avot. He asserts that there is a causal succession between the three statements in the Mishna in the following order: Acquire for yourself a companion → Get yourself a rabbi → Judge everyone favorably.

For the acquisition of a companion R. Nachman requires a a niggun. The psychological movement of acquiring a companion resembles the psychological movement singing. It is through the windpipe that the voice issues forth and joins the two cherubs so that they are face to face. The cherubs symbolize the connection between God and Israel. And when Israel performs the will of God, He shines His face upon them. The niggun which "joins two things" creates the connection, as we saw above, between God and His Shekhina. We are dealing with the act of receiving nourishment from an elevated place. When a person sings, he lifts his face outwards in order to receive something - inspiration, apprehension, or merely a pleasant feeling. This lifting of the face is similar to the attempt to acquire a friend, an attempt which also requires the lifting of one's face outwards and the readiness to receive from the other. When man lifts his face to God, God bestows His profusion upon him, and in this way his niggun turns into a channel between him and God."

H. AZAMRA- A NIGGUN OF JOY

1. Likutei Moharan Kama 282

"The same applies with regard to himself. A person has to judge himself favorably and find in himself some remaining good point, in order to give himself the strength to avoid falling completely, God forbid. On the contrary, he will revive himself and bring joy to his soul with the little bit of good he finds in himself – i.e., that once in his life he merited doing a mitzva or good deed.

Likewise, he must go on searching until he finds in himself yet another good thing. And although this good thing too is mixed with much impurity, still, he must extract some good point from there as well. Indeed he must go on searching and gathering further good points.

And it is through this that melodies are made. As explained elsewhere, the aspect of playing a musical instrument is the aspect of gathering the good ru'ach from the ru'ach of gloom, depression; see there. [The principle is that music of holiness is extremely lofty, as is known. In essence, music is made through the separation of good from evil; by selecting and gathering the good points from the bad, melodies and songs are created. Study there well.]

Therefore, by not letting himself fall, by reviving himself by searching and seeking until he finds in himself some good points, gathering and separating those good points from the evil and impurity within him – through this melodies are made, as explained above. Then, he is able to pray and sing and give praise to God.

For it is known that when a person becomes depressed over his gross physicality and evil deeds, and he sees how very distant he truly is from holiness, it generally makes him completely incapable of praying. He cannot even open his mouth at all, due to the magnitude of the depression, sadness and heaviness that come over him when he sees how exceedingly distant he is from God.

However, if he revives himself by means of the aformentioned suggestion: that is, although he knows within himself that he committed evil deeds and numerous sins, and that he is exceedingly distant from God, yet he nevertheless searches and seeks until he finds some remaining good points in himself, as explained above, and he brings himself vitality and joy through this.