“There are Nigunim (songs) of joy, and nigunim of bitterness. Both of these, joy and bitterness, have known and fixed times, each one in its own proper time. However, in general, the concept of song is revelation of the essence.”

Music and singing are one way we express emotion. Music can express joy or sadness; profound peace when we feel close to G-d, or bitterness when we feel distant from G-d. In general, we are enjoined to serve G-d through joy – “Ivdu et Hashem b’simchah”¹ – and Chassidut especially emphasizes the trait of joyfulness. So it would seem natural to include singing and music in the context of our prayers.

In the Temple, the daily services were accompanied by the singing and musical instruments of the Levites. They would sing and play while offerings were brought, inspiring the Jewish people and enriching their prayers

Jewish music, including klezmer, cantorial, and other styles, actually has its roots in the synagogue. This traces all the way back to the time when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem. In the Temple, the daily services were accompanied by the singing and musical instruments of the Levites. They would sing and play while offerings were brought, inspiring the Jewish people and enriching their prayers.

In the Book of Psalms, King David mentions several different kinds of musical instruments, and it is explained that musical instruments were used to inspire prophets to reach the heights of their prophetic connection to G-d. The Torah itself is sung in the synagogue with “trop,” a tune based on special musical notation.  Music and Torah are seemingly inseparable.

However, after the destruction of the Temple, some Halachic opinions forbade listening to music. The reasoning for this opinion is that music brings joy, and there can be no true joy until the Temple is rebuilt. Even for those today who are not stringent about this, there remain certain times during the Jewish calendar when we observe periods of semi-mourning – such as during the "Three weeks" leading up to Tishah b'Av in the summer, and during sefirat ha'omer (the counting of the 49-day period from Passover to Shavuot)  – when most Jews refrain from listening to music.

More recently, with the introduction of the Chassidic movement by the Baal Shem Tov, joyful service has once again become a focal part of all elements of Torah and mitzvahs—and especially prayer. In the typical chassidic shteebel (quaint mini-synagogue) many parts of the prayer are sung in unison; some tunes are somber and others are joyful, depending on the nature of the prayer. Fortunately, the trend is catching on, and “songful” prayer services are now the norm at many non-chassidic synagogues too.

Some tunes are somber and others are joyful, depending on the nature of the prayer

The story is told of the Modzhitzer Rebbe who in the wake of World War II had to undergo a lengthy medical procedure, but no sedatives were available. He asked the doctors to wait. He began singing a Nigun, and thus entered into an altered state of consciousness. The doctors were then able to operate on him without anesthesia!

With a little effort, you can easily learn one of the countless Chassidic melodies in existence, and use them to enrich and give new vitality to your prayers. Go to http://audio.chassidus.com/audio/#songs, and choose a nigun to listen to and try to learn it by heart. The next time you're praying, try humming your new nigun quietly to yourself, and see what happens.

Recently there are those who have introduced musical instruments into the synagogue. Of course, this is limited to weekdays, because playing musical instruments is forbidden on Shabbat or Yom Tov.

As to why there was no singing (and perhaps no apparent joy) in your uncle Moishe’s shul... Unfortunately, some prayer services have become hasty and rushed. People do need to get to work, after all. And people get used to the way things are done wherever they are. Maybe the next time you visit Yahoopitsville, you’ll sing a little nigun, and it just might catch on!