Playing the Alter Rebbe’s Niggun at a play

 

Question:

We want to make a play that would include the story when the Alter Rebbe was in Shklov and sang the Daled Bavos in the shul of misnagdim and all their questions disappeard.

But at the same time we know that this Niggun is reserved for special times.

Is it ok to play a recording of someone singing this Niggun during the play, if no one will be singing it live? (The “Alter Rebbe” character will be lip-syncing, pretending to be singing it live).

And would it be ok for people to watch a video of the play that has this Niggun?

 

Answer:

You should use a different niggun for your play.

P.S. In all the traditional sources there’s no reference that this was the daled bavos niggun, just a dveikus niggun, named since then as the Matan Torah niggun. I don’t think that anyone knows today which Niggun that title refers to.

For another tradition about a niggun sung at Matan Torah, see here page 8.

 

Sources:

ראה סה״ש תש״ג ע׳ 111. לקו״ד ג ע׳ 912. ולהעיר מסה״ש תש״ד ע׳ 128.

 

 

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