Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar m’od
V’ha’ikar lo l’fachayd klal

All the world is a narrow bridge;
the main thing is not to fear. (R. Nachman of Bratzlav)

In calling all the world, a narrow bridge, I think Reb Nachman is reminding of us how treacherous it feels to walk this path of love. How easy it is to lose our way or stumble. So often we are pulled off-course by doubt, pain, trauma, distraction, boredom, numbness, cravings, restlessness or reactivity. In those dangerous moments of imbalance, the important thing to remember is not to fear.

I believe that this bridge is what connects the finite with the infinite. We are walking this path of love with keen awareness of the dangers. We are supporting each other in that steadfast purposeful love; strengthening each other in our resolve to stay true to love, and not let fear move us off the path.

To hear the various parts of the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click the note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

• A Narrow Bridge (melody)  
• A Narrow Bridge (harmony)  
• A Narrow Bridge (mix)  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click A Narrow Bridge PDF. For the musical notation, click A Narrow Bridge notation PDF.