A Niggun

A Jew went the horrors of the holocaust and lost EVERYTHING. His parents, his siblings, his aunts, uncles and cousins.... and his faith. He came to Israel on a boat and the EVIL BRITISH EMPIRE who was ruling our land [and had streets in the center of town named after their kings] acted with great cruelty and did not allow these poor, downtrodden, dejected, tortured survivors of the worst gehenom known to mankind, to disembark. They sent the ship away and it went to Cyprus, Greece.

One Saturday night this Jew related that he was hungry, thirsty, tired and miserable. He then heard a niggun coming from a nearby tent. He moved in the direction of the niggun and saw a group of Jews sitting and singing at an impromptu melave malka they had made. The niggun was one that our protagonist remembered from his youth in Europe and made a tremendous impression upon him.

He stood outside the tent listening and said that it put him on such a high that he felt that wanted stand there forever and enjoy the bliss. He didn't care about his hunger, thirst or fatigue. He stopped feeling the pain of losing his family.

The niggun elevated him to a place of such spiritual heights it was like being in Gan Eden right here on our callous earth.

The power of a niggun - even in times of extreme distress.

So if you are down or know anybody who is, before calling the shrink, play a holy tune. It is cheaper and often more effective.

[Heard  from the Rebbe Shlita at the Melave Malka Va-era 5774]