It has been said that the quickest way to God's innermost ear is
through niggunim - Jewish tunes chanted or sung as prayers.
Thousands of niggunim have been composed over the centuries, and
they remain an active part of Jewish life today. Sung in the
synagogue, around the Shabbos table, at farbrengenchasidic
get-togethers - at work, in solitude, to express joy or sorrow,
niggunim allow Jews to find that which is hidden deep within their
souls, to connect with God and their own spiritually without the
use of words. In Niggun: Stories behind the Chasidic Songs that
Inspire Jews, Mordechai Staiman relates thirty-eight tales in which
niggunim affect the lives of Jews. The stories range from those
about great chasidic rebbes of the past, such as "The Purpose of
Life", in which the Baal Shem Tov binds a Jew to the world of music
to help him find his way; through those from recent history, such
as "David without the Slingshot" and "Embers midst the Ruins",
where niggunim helped to save people from certain death at the
hands of the Nazis, and "Jerusalem on Her Mind", about
Soviet-Jewish emigres; to contemporary situations, as in "Jail
House Rock", in which the singing of a niggun helps to bring
holiday magic to Jewish prisoners on Riker's Island in New York
City, and "Leonard Bernstein Unbound", in which the great conductor
is so moved by a tune that he is prompted to wrap tefillin for the
first time. This wonderfully moving collection contains stories of
faith, of miracles and transformations, and of daily life, all
connected through the beauty of niggunim. According to the author,
the stories, or "prayers", as he calls them, contained in Niggun
will teach us about our deep, rich, Jewishheritage, helping us to
reclaim our inheritance and share in the Jewish legacy.
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