Hu Elokeinu

This niggun was sung in Lubavitch and afterwards in Rostov-on-the-Don, Russia. The famous Chazzan, the Chassid Reb Yechiel Hacohen Halpern used this melody for the “Kesser” in the Musaf Amidah prayer, when leading the congregation in prayer during the High Holidays, during the time of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Ber Schneersohn.

The Rebbe taught this last melody on Simchas Torah, 5724 (1963), based on the words recited in unison during the Shabbos prayers. The words express the steadfast faith of Jews throughout the generations in the final Redemption. Just as G‑d redeemed us from the exile in Egypt, so will he redeem us with the coming of Moshiach.

The next day, when the Rebbe asked one of the Chassidim to begin the song, he said that he had not yet mastered the melody. The Rebbe responded, “In this song, the central focus is the text - not the tune!”