Planting Seeds of Joy and Light: Or zarua

Or zarua laTzadik, u’l’yishray lev simcha

Plant the seeds of Joy and Light; Tend them carefully day and night,
In this soil so dark and deep, I plant the dreams that Love will reap. (Psalm 97)

I wrote this practice in honor of the winter solstice leading up to the passage of Chanukah. In preparation for this chant, recall the shining peak moments in your life that revealed to you a great joy or profound wisdom, moments of ecstasy or prophesy, delight or enchantment. Imagine those moments as seeds. Create an intention to plant those seeds and tend them with your loving attention as you grow a life of joy and light.

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

Planting Seeds of Joy and Light 1
Planting Seeds of Joy and Light 2
Planting Seeds of Joy and Light Mix

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Planting Seeds of Joy and Light PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 278.