These sources were originally compiled by Joey Weisenberg
in his award winning book The Torah of Music.
shall reap with songs of joy.
דְּאִית הֵיכָלָא דְּדִמְעָה, דְלֵית לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִפְתַּח אֶלָּא בְדִמְעָה, וְאִית הֵיכָלָא דְנִגּוּנָא, דְלֵית לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִפְתַּח אֶלָּא בְנִגּוּנָא, וּבְגִין דָּא דָּוִד מִתְקָרֵב לְהַהוּא הֵיכָלָא בְנִגּוּנָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (מלכים ב ג טו) וְהָיָה כְּנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן...
There is a palace of tears to which no one can gain entrance except through crying, and there is a palace of song (nigun) that can be entered only through song. And King David came close to the palace of song, as it is written (II Kings 3:15) "and as the musician played, the hand of God came upon him."
וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁשַּׁעֲרֵי תְפִילָּה נִנְעֲלוּ, שַׁעֲרֵי דִמְעָה לֹא נִנְעֲלוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שִׁמְעָה תְפִלָּתִי ה׳ וְשַׁוְעָתִי הַאֲזִינָה אֶל דִּמְעָתִי אַל תֶּחֱרַשׁ״.
Even if the gates of prayer are locked, the gates of tears are never locked, as it is stated: “Hear my prayer, Eternal One, and listen to my call for help. Do not be silent at my tears.” (Psalms 39:13).
על כן יעורר אדם עצמו ויראה שתפילתו תהיה בדמעה...ואף אם לפעמים אינו בוכה ממש, יהיה קול דברים שמדבר בתפילתו יהיה בקול נמוך ונשבר כאלו היה בוכה...
One must awaken oneself and see that one's prayers are tearful...Even if sometimes one cannot truly bring oneself to tears, one's voice during prayer, in vocalizing the words, should still be humble and broken, as though one were crying.
Kalonymus ben Kalonymus Shapira, B'nei Makhshavah Tovah, #18:179
A melody, ultimately, is only a kind of exposure of the spirit and its feelings. They are revealed in speech, as when one speaks with a friend of their thoughts and feelings of pain or joy, but this is even more true with the {timbre} of the voice...when one's sorrows are overwhelming, God forbid, and one can no longer find the words to speak, then one will break down into crying and weeping, using only his voice, no words.
...אָמְרוּ, כָּל מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה שִׂמְחַת בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה, לֹא רָאָה שִׂמְחָה מִיָּמָיו:
(ב) בְּמוֹצָאֵי יוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל חָג, יָרְדוּ לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, וּמְתַקְּנִין שָׁם תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל. וּמְנוֹרוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב הָיוּ שָׁם, וְאַרְבָּעָה סְפָלִים שֶׁל זָהָב בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶן, וְאַרְבָּעָה סֻלָּמוֹת לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְאַרְבָּעָה יְלָדִים מִפִּרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה וּבִידֵיהֶם כַּדִּים שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁל מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים לֹג, שֶׁהֵן מַטִּילִין לְכָל סֵפֶל וָסֵפֶל:
(ג) מִבְּלָאֵי מִכְנְסֵי כֹהֲנִים וּמֵהֶמְיָנֵיהֶן מֵהֶן הָיוּ מַפְקִיעִין, וּבָהֶן הָיוּ מַדְלִיקִין, וְלֹא הָיְתָה חָצֵר בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה מֵאוֹר בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה:
(ד) חֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה הָיוּ מְרַקְּדִים לִפְנֵיהֶם בַּאֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוֹר שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶן, וְאוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי שִׁירוֹת וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת. וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּכִנּוֹרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת וּבִכְלֵי שִׁיר בְּלֹא מִסְפָּר, עַל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת הַיּוֹרְדוֹת מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, כְּנֶגֶד חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת שֶׁבַּתְּהִלִּים, שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶן לְוִיִּים עוֹמְדִין בִּכְלֵי שִׁיר וְאוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה. וְעָמְדוּ שְׁנֵי כֹהֲנִים בַּשַּׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁיּוֹרֵד מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת בִּידֵיהֶן. קָרָא הַגֶּבֶר, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לְמַעְלָה עֲשִׂירִית, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לָעֲזָרָה, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הָיוּ תוֹקְעִין וְהוֹלְכִין, עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעִין לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִזְרָח. הִגִּיעוּ לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִמִּזְרָח, הָפְכוּ פְנֵיהֶן לַמַּעֲרָב, וְאָמְרוּ, אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ בַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֲחוֹרֵיהֶם אֶל הֵיכַל ה' וּפְנֵיהֶם קֵדְמָה, וְהֵמָּה מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים קֵדְמָה לַשָּׁמֶשׁ, וְאָנוּ לְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הָיוּ שׁוֹנִין וְאוֹמְרִין, אָנוּ לְיָהּ, וּלְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ:
They say: One who did not see the Celebration of the Place of the Water Drawing never saw joy in their days....The pious people and accomplished would dance before the assembled, with flaming torches that they would juggle in their hands, and they would say before them passages of song and praise to God.
And the Levites on their lyres, harps, cymbals, and trumpets, and countless musical instruments. [They stood] on the fifteen stairs that descend from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, corresponding to the fifteen Songs of Ascents in Psalms, on which the Levites stand with musical instruments and sing songs.
Two priests stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, with two trumpets in their hands. When the rooster crowed at dawn, they sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they who would draw the water reached the tenth stair the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they reached the Women’s Courtyard, the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia....
Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: From where is it derived that the basic requirement to accompany communal offerings with song applies by Torah law? As it is stated with regard to a Levite who serves in the Temple: “Then they shall serve with the name of the Lord their God” (Deuteronomy 18:7). What is this service that is performed with the name of God? You must say that this is the song.
רב מתנה אמר מהכא (דברים כח, מז) תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלקיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב איזו היא עבודה שבשמחה ובטוב לבב הוי אומר זה שירה...
Rav Mattana said that the source for the requirement to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness, and with goodness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47). What is this service of God that is performed with joyfulness and with goodness of heart? You must say that this is song...
Ḥizkiyya says that this obligation is derived from here: “And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites…he was master of lifting, because he was skillful” (I Chronicles 15:22). Do not read it as “he was master [yasor] of lifting,” but as: He shall sing [yashir] with the lifting of his voice.
The Sage named Balvatei said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said that the requirement for the Levites to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here: The verse states with regard to the Levites: “Every one that entered in to do the work of service” (Numbers 4:47). What is work that must be performed in conjunction with another service? You must say that this is song.
Rabbi Yitzḥak says it is derived from here: “Sing aloud to God…Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the lyre” (Psalms 81:2–3).
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said that the obligation is derived from here: “Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; for the majesty of the Lord they shout from the sea” (Isaiah 24:14).
ותנא מייתי לה מהכא (במדבר ז, ט) ולבני קהת לא נתן כי עבודת הקדש עליהם בכתף ישאו ממשמע שנאמר בכתף איני יודע שישאו מה ת"ל ישאו אין ישאו אלא לשון שירה...
And a tanna cites the derivation from here: “But unto the sons of Kohat he gave none, because the service of the holy things belonged to them: They bore them [yisa’u] upon their shoulders” (Numbers 7:9). By inference from that which is stated, “upon their shoulders,” don’t I know that they bore them? Why must the verse state “yisa’u”? The term “yisa’u” is not stated here in its meaning of “they bore them,” but rather as an expression of song....
Ḥananya, son of Rabbi Yehoshua’s brother, says that the requirement for the Levites to sing in the Temple is derived from here: “Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice” (Exodus 19:19).