In memory of Thelma Malofsky. Originally broadcast to the Rising Song Institute's Facebook page on October 15, 2020. Tune in every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST to hear Joey sing and share musical Torah.
Hear a haunting original melody for "Shalom Aleichem" on Joey Weisenberg's first album Spontaneous Jewish Choir, available from Rising Song Records on Bandcamp, and scroll to the bottom of this source sheet for another resplendent version from R' Yosef Goldman.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת
מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם
מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם
מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם
מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
Peace be with you, ministering angels,
messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings,
the Holy One, Blessed be He.
Come in peace, messengers of peace,
messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings,
the Holy One, Blessed be He.
Bless me with peace, messengers of peace,
messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings,
the Holy One, Blessed be He.
Go in peace, messengers of peace,
messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings,
the Holy One, Blessed be He.
Shalom Aleichem is traditionally sung at the beginning of the Friday night meal for Shabbat.
...אמר רב חננאל אמר רב: שלש כתות של מלאכי השרת אומרות שירה בכל יום, אחת אומרת קדוש, ואחת אומרת קדוש, ואחת אומרת קדוש ה' צבאות.
מיתיבי: חביבין ישראל לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא יותר ממלאכי השרת, שישראל אומרים שירה בכל שעה, ומלאכי השרת אין אומרים שירה אלא פעם אחת ביום... ואין מלאכי השרת אומרים שירה למעלה, עד שיאמרו ישראל למטה
Rav Hananel said that Rav said, “Three groups of ministering angels sing a song each day, one says, ‘Holy,’ one says, ‘Holy,’ and one says, ‘Holy is the Lord of Hosts.’”
They retorted: Beloved is Israel before the Holy One, more than all of the ministering angels, since Israel sings a song every period, while the angels only sing once a day! … The angels do not sing a song above until Israel sings below.
ובליליא מאי עביד איבעית אימא מעין יממא ואיבעית אימא רוכב על כרוב קל שלו ושט בשמונה עשר אלף עולמות...
ואיבעית אימא יושב ושומע שירה מפי חיות שנאמר (תהלים מב, ט) יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירו עמי
What does God do at night? You could say just as what is done in the day. Or: God rides God’s lissome cherub, gliding through eighteen thousand worlds…
Or you could say God sits and listens to the song of the hayyot, as it is said, “By day, God commends His love, and by night His song is with me” (Psalms 42:9).
Translations of these two Talmudic sources are by Joshua Schwartz and can be found in Joey Weisenberg's anthology The Torah of Music.
קדושה
נַקְדִישָׁךְ וְנַעֲרִיצָךְ
כְּנֹֽעַם שִֽׂיחַ
סוֹד שַׂרְ֒פֵי קֽוֹדֶשׁ
הַמְּ֒שַׁלְּ֒שִׁים לְךָ קְדֻשָּׁה
כַּכָּתוּב עַל יַד נְבִיאֶֽךָ
וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה וְאָמַר:
קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ
ה' צְבָאוֹת
מְלֹא כָל הָאָֽרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ:
לְעֻמָּתָם מְשַׁבְּ֒חִים וְאוֹמְ֒רִים:
❖אָז בְּקוֹל רַֽעַשׁ גָּדוֹל
אַדִּיר וְחָזָק
מַשְׁמִיעִים קוֹל
מִתְנַשְּׂ֒אִים לְעֻמַּת שְׂרָפִים.
לְעֻמָּתָם מְשַׁבְּ֒חִים וְאוֹמְ֒רִים:
בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד ה'
מִמְּ֒קוֹמוֹ:
❖מִמְּ֒קוֹמְךָ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ תוֹפִֽיעַ
וְתִמְלוֹךְ עָלֵֽינוּ
מְחַכִּים אֲנַֽחְנוּ לָךְ.
מָתַי תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּצִיּוֹן
בְּקָרוֹב בְּיָמֵֽינוּ
לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד תִּשְׁכּוֹן.
תִּתְגַּדַּל וְתִתְקַדַּשׁ
בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽםִ עִירְ֒ךָ
לְדוֹר וָדוֹר וּלְנֵֽצַח נְצָחִים.
וְעֵינֵֽינוּ תִרְאֶֽינָה מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ
כַּדָּבָר הָאָמוּר בְּשִׁירֵי עֻזֶּֽךָ
עַל יְדֵי דָוִד
מְשִֽׁיחַ צִדְקֶֽךָ:
יִמְלֹךְ ה' לְעוֹלָם
אֱלֹקַֽיִךְ צִיּוֹן לְדֹר וָדֹר
הַלְ֒לוּיָהּ:
Kedushah
The Congregation says and the Chazzan repeats:
We will hallow and revere You
as [with] the sweet words
of the company of the holy Seraphim
who thrice repeat “holy” unto You,
as is written by the hand of Your prophet (Isaiah 6:3):
“And they called to one another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy
is Adonoy of hosts,
the fullness of all the earth is His glory.'”
Facing them, they offer praise and say:
Then, with the sound of great rushing,
mighty and strong,
they make their voice heard,
raising themselves up toward the Serafim,
Facing them, they offer praise and say:
Congregation says and Chazzan repeats
“Blessed is the glory of Adonoy
from its place” (Ezekiel 3:12).
From Your place, our King, You will appear
and reign over us,
for we yearn for You—
When will You reign in Zion?
Soon, in our days,
forever may You dwell [there].
You will be exalted and sanctified
within Jerusalem, Your city
for all generations and for all eternity.
May our eyes behold Your kingship,
as it is said in the songs of Your might
by David,
the anointed of Your righteousness:
Congregation says and Chazzan repeats:
“Adonoy will reign forever;
Your God, Zion, throughout all generations!
Considering the texts above that claim angels only sing at night because Israel sings during the day, it's interesting that one of the "songs "we sing during our communal prayers, immortazlied in the Kedusha passage of the Amidah, is essentially a liturgical cover of angelic song. What's the significance of this earth-to-heaven-and-back feedback loop?
From Yosef Goldman's debut album Open My Heart, available from Rising Song Records.