Clearing the Way: Ana b’choach

Ana b’choach gedulat y’mincha Tatir Tz’rurah

Please, with the strength of your right hand, untie our tangles.
(Siddur)

This is the first line of a magical prayer ascribed to Rabbi Nechuniah ben Hakanah. The whole prayer contains 42 words, the initials of which comprise the secret unpronounceable 42 letter name of God.

With this practice we call on that aspect of God that moves through obstacles, dissolves resistance and opens the way forward for us.

Begin by asking, “What is the obstacle (inner or outer) that is getting in my way?” Lay that obstacle lovingly on the altar of the chant. As you chant, allow the power of God’s right hand to move through you forcefully opening the way ahead and delicately untying the tangles within you.

I composed this melody while a dear friend was undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery, praying that the tangles in his heart be cleared.

To hear the chant, use the audio player. To download the chant, right-click the note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

Clearing The Way

For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 231.