Why is it that singing to a young child calms the child down and helps them stop crying?
Rav Matisyahu Solomon zt”l said over from Reb Shlomo Alkabetz (who wrote Lecha Dodi), who explained that a young child’s neshama has recently arrived from Heaven, where he or she was able to listen to the shira of the malachim. When we sing to a young child, we are giving them a familiar sound, and this soothes the child and brings comfort.
Rav Avigdor Miller taught this lesson about the power of a nigun from the passuk in Tehillim, עורה כבודי עורה הנבל וכנור – “Awaken, my neshama, awaken, harp and lyre.” It is the power of the harp, the power of a nigun, that can awaken our neshama.
The power of a nigun is something we can use to overcome the yetzer hara wherever he tries to fight us, and especially when he tries to weaken our kedusha.
My Rebbi, R’ Moshe Lieber zt”l, told over a story that happened with his Rebbi, R’ Shlomo Freifeld. R’ Shlomo taught in an elementary school where many of the boys were still coming closer to Yiddishkeit. One day during recess, he noticed two boys returning to school from across the street, each carrying a bag from White Castle, a non-kosher restaurant. The boys were embarrassed to be caught by their Rebbi with non-kosher food and were sure they would be severely punished.
But R’ Shlomo simply told them to come back into the classroom, without saying a word about the White Castle bags. When they sat down, he gave each boy a siddur, opened to the Zemiros of Shabbos, and began to sing with them, “Racheim b’chasdecha al amcha tzureinu.”
The boys sang along, drawn into the nigun, until they reached the high part of “Ben Dovid avdecha.” Suddenly, the boys cried out, “Rebbi, we don’t want to eat non-kosher food! We will never do this again!” The power of the nigun had reached deep into their souls.
This is a real strategy that we can use when we are faced with a moment of temptation. Try it. Pull out a nigun that you can sing or listen to, a nigun of dveikus, and you will see wonders. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us the gift of music, a gift that can reach our soul and help us overcome the nisyonos that come our way.
May Hashem strengthen us to always be a nachas ruach to Him, l’olmei ad.
When we sing to a child we remind his neshama of the shira of the malachim.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 87.
