Hava nagila

song

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June 29, 2026

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"Hava Nagila" is a popular Jewish folk song that means "Come, Let's Rejoice." While traditionally attributed to Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, who adapted it from a Hasidic melody, more recent scholarship suggests the words were written by his student, Moshe Nathanson. The song is significant in Hasidism as an expression of religious devotion and joy, often featuring repeated syllables to convey piety and emotion. Hasidic nigunim, or wordless songs, were used to elevate the soul to God, moving the singer beyond the sensual and rational toward the mystic.123

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Abraham Zevi Idelsohn
Although the song “Hava nagila” (“Come, Let’s Rejoice”) traditionally has been attributed to Idelsohn as a setting of his own text to a tune that he adapted from a Hasidic (a pietistic Jewish movement) melody, more-recent scholarship has suggested that the words to the song actually were composed…
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Although the song “Hava nagila” (“Come, Let’s Rejoice”) traditionally has been attributed to Idelsohn as a setting of his own text to a tune that he adapted from a Hasidic (a pietistic Jewish movement) melody, more-recent scholarship has suggested that the words to the song actually were composed…
Read More