Listen: Singer Simche Friedman and family sing the ‘Shir Hageulah’ first published in 5703 in Hakriah V’Hakedusha and sung in the presence of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
Singer Simche Friedman and family released the ‘Shir Hageulah’ first published in 5703 in Hakriah V’Hakedusha and sung in the presence of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
“On the occasion of my father’s 60th birthday – the Rebbe’s shliach to Tzfas- Rabbi Alter Eliyahu HaCohen Friedman, the whole family gathered in a studio, brothers and nephews, and recorded the songs we grew up with at home.” Simche Friedman said. “We sang the same tunes that our father taught us at the Shabbos table over the years. It was an extraordinary experience, both from the musical and emotional standpoints.”
“Hachayenu Kel” is a song about the future redemption. It was first published as a poem in the first issue of ‘Hakriah V’Hakedusha’, which was published under the direction and guidance of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
There is a clear hint to Moshiach’s coming in the verses of the song, with the first letters, reading from down up, spelling out “ביאת משיחנו בה’תש”ג אי”ה” – “The coming of our Moshiach in 5703”.
The tune for this melody was composed by Yisroel David Rosenberg who was one of the students of Tomchei Tmimim in Shanghai.
“Over the years there have probably been some changes in the exact words,” Simche said. “In any case – we recorded in the studio what we were used to singing at our Shabbos tabe…”
החיינו א-ל עד מועד
יתגלה עוזר וסועד
אריאל יקום כלביא
גאולתך לנו להביא
שבותנו להשיב לארץ
תולדתו מבני פרץ
הוא מלך והוא משוח
בעל זרוע וגם איש רוח
והוא בא ועד קט יתעלה
נצחונו חיש יתגלה
חזקנו א-ל עד בואו
יום יחשוף גואל זרועו
שנזכה וכן נשיח
מחבלי המשיח
תקיפים ירדו דומה
אותנו השאיר לאומה
יחיינו מיומיים
בשלישי נמצא חיים
This niggun was taught for many years by Rabbi Yisroel Gordon to the Bochurim of YSP in Morristown. I was there in 5751 and he told us the words were written by the Frierdiker Rebbe. There are a number of differences in the way he sang the tune compared to this recording. He also told us that when sung in the presence of the Frierdiker Rebbe, the Frierdiker Rebbe did not encourage it, which – Rabbi Gordon continued – is why the niggun never became very well known in Lubavitch.
the words were actually published in the first hakriah vehakdusha magazine dated “erev rosh hashono 5701, erev Yom haKippurim, erev chag hasuccos, veiy”h erev geulas yisroel.”
the words in the original format can be seen here:
https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=12758&st=&pgnum=18
I heard from r’ Arel Serebryanski a”h that the frierdiker rebbe wrote it under a pen name (T.Z.B.).
r’ Shimon Goldman a”h writes in his book (from shedlitz to safety p. 155) that r’ Yisrael Dovid Rosenberg composed it while sick in bed on the ship from Shanghai to America.
r’ zusha Posner related that it was sung before the frierdiker rebbe but he didn’t enjoy it. http://chabadpedia.co.il/index.php/החיינו_א-ל_(ניגון)#cite_ref-1
the way it is sung here has many inaccuracies