Shalom Aleichem

Shalom Aleichem means Peace Be Upon You, and it is the hymn sung in Jewish homes on Friday night to welcome the Sabbath angels. The tune most couples know was written on 10 May 1918 by Rabbi Israel Goldfarb in New York, and here Avraham Fried, the New York born Lubavitcher singer who has headlined Jewish music for four decades, performs it with a full symphony orchestra. Couples who want their first dance to feel like a blessing rather than a pop moment choose a setting like this, and the slow, rising melody is easy to hold and turn to. Goldfarb composed the tune sitting near the Alma Mater statue in front of Columbia University's Low Memorial Library.