All posts by Alia Meira

Chants, Shir HaShirim

Against the Terror of Night: Ish charbo

Ish charbo al y’raycho mipachad balaylot

Each with a sword on his thigh
Against the terror of night. (Song of Songs 3:8)

I hold the sword of Truth close, in the moments I may need to cut through the illusions of separateness, finitude, isolation. In moments when I am paralyzed by the terror of night, the terror of not seeing a way forward, I need to find my strength, my vision, my powerful imagination, and my courage. Then, I can relax my heart, release my fears and enter this night with a confident song. This is what it means to be a spiritual warrior.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Tetzaveh).

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Against the Terror of Night PDF. For the musical notation, click Against the Terror of Night notation PDF.

Chants, Scripture

Holy Ground: Admat Kodesh

Admat Kodesh Hu

It is holy ground! (Exodus 3:5)

In the moment when Moses is called into his work of liberating his/our people (us), he witnesses the miracle of a bush that is burning yet not consumed, and then he is told to take off his shoes, so that he can experience directly the Divine Presence beneath his feet.

The experience of holy ground gives us the foundation to do the work we are being called to; this is the firmness that allows us to take a leap of faith; to step into the unknown with the confidence that we are supported by the holiness beneath our feet. (See also page 160 in The Magic of Hebrew Chant.)

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Holy Ground PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 254.

The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.

Chants, Shir HaShirim

My Beloved Is Mine: Dodi li

Dodi li va’ani lo, Ha’ro’eh ba’shoshanim.

My beloved is mine and I am his.
He pastures among the lilies. (Song of Songs 2:16)

With this practice, I am asserting the truth of mutuality. We belong to one another. The Divine Mystery is giving itself to me to explore, nurture, and embrace. I make myself vulnerable to his gaze, his touch, his searching interest in the inner beauty of my soul. I open to the God’s loving attention and in opening I can know myself truly.

And this sense of mutuality can extend to all my relations, as I acknowledge the Tzelem Elohim, the Divine image, that is engraved in the heart of all Creation.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Beshalach).

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Beloved Is Mine PDF. For the musical notation, click My Beloved Is Mine notation PDF.

Chants, Shir HaShirim

Longing for the One: Al mishkavi

Al mishkavi balaylot bekashti et she’ahavah nafshi.

In my bed all night I long
For the one that my soul loves (Song of Songs 3:1)

Longing is the fuel that must be unlocked through our practice. It is the force that moves me on the journey towards truth and essence. That longing is magnified by the difficult times when I looked to the wrong places to find love, fulfilment or validation — to other people’s approval or opinions, to food or substances, fame or more information. Each of these dead-ends send me back to my Self and to the inner journey of soul.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Yitro).

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Longing for the One PDF. For the musical notation, click Longing for the One Notation PDF.

Chants, Shir HaShirim

Catch Us the Foxes: Echezu-lanu

Echezu-lanu shu’alim,
shu’alim k’tanim m’chablim k’ramim uchramaynu smadar.

Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that raid our vineyard
Just when the vines are in bloom. (Song of Songs 2:15)

If the vineyard is the place of our love and the place where the power of prophecy is cultivated, then those pesky foxes are the doubts that creep into the mind just when I am opening with some new insight or realization. If I can catch myself right at the moment when the doubt is beginning to take hold, I can release that thought and return to nurture the fragile blossoming of wisdom. When I know I am having a “doubt attack,” with this awareness, I am “catching the foxes.” With this awareness, I open in self- compassion, gently releasing the interrupting and destructive thoughts, and return to the vineyard, to the blossoming of love.

With this practice, I acknowledge the reality of foxes, (doubts, fears, cynicism, distrust, worry that run through the mind) and resolve to catch them before they do too much damage.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Bo).

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Catch Us the Foxes PDF. For the musical notation, click Catch Us the Foxes notation PDF.