Yud Beis Tammuz Niggun

This niggun was composed by Reb Aharon Charitonov, the shochet of Nikolayev, to mark the release of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe from prison in 1927. It is known that he composed this niggun even before the Rebbe was freed, so firmly did he believe that the Rebbe would soon be released. The joy expressed here does not burst forth freely from the heart, but is rather borne by deep-felt trust in the ultimate good of divine providence, even in the face of unimaginable adversity.

Reb Moshe Charitonov (Reb Aharon's brother) explained the Niggun like this:

The song has three sections. The first stanza begins triumphantly, It is declaring WE WON [i.e. the Rebbe was freed]. That is followed by aiy ya ya, That is a question: Yes we won [i.e. the Rebbe was freed], but why did we need to go through this harrowing experience? The Rebbe‘s life was in danger. That is followed by the simple answer, That is what Hashem wanted.