3. "Shalom Aleikhem"

^{Mendel Brichto, Jerusalem, 10 October 1966.}

On Friday evening, after the Evening Prayer ushering in the Sabbath, the song "Shalom 'aleikhem" is sung in the home, welcoming the angels that accompany the Jew from the synagogue to his home. Some of the Hasidic melodies for "Shalom 'aleikhem" are recitatives, while others have a well-defined meter. This niggun has a dual meter, but Brichto sings it rather freely, in a manner similar to recitative singing.

Mendel Brichto (1896-1997) was active for many years as ba'al-tefillah in the synagogue of the Batei Rand neighborhood of Jerusalem, which many consider the main synagogue of Sanz Hasidim in the city. Brichto's musical style was eclectic. The repertoire he used, whether leading the synagogue service or singing at home, included niggunim from a variety of sources. On the evidence of his son, Mendel used to sing "Shalom 'aleikhem" to several melodies; he used the present one, which he attributed to the Dzhykev Hasidim, when he wanted to be brief. The melody is indeed a combination of only three short phrases.