Category Archives: Chants

Chants, Psalms

Always With You: Va’ani Tamid

Va’ani Tamid Imach
Always With You Hebrew text
I am always with You.
Though my heart is troubled and I’m filled with dread
I turn to face Your Mystery
Though I’ve been lost inside my head
I open to Eternity. (Psalm 73:23)

The highest Jewish ideal is attaining a state of constant D’vekut, an uninterrupted awareness of God’s Presence, even as we are immersed in the experience of this precious world. My addictions and cravings, my doubts, fears and worries, my plans and regrets often pull me away from that awareness- that D’vekut.

This practice is a vow, a commitment, and a re-dedication to the possibility of D’vekut. I chant directly to God, the great underlying and encompassing Mystery… and through my bold address, I strengthen my commitment to turn again and again towards the Divine Expanse.

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 Always With You PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 297.

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

Chants, Scripture

A New Covenant: Natati

Natati et-Torati b’kirbam, v’al-libam echtavenah
New Covenant Hebrew text
I will put my Torah into their inmost being
and inscribe it upon their hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promises to make a new covenant. It will be different. You will find this one inside you. A covenant is always a two-way agreement… so when I chant these words, I am expressing my own commitment, so that I can stand up in partnership with the Divine force of Love.

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 New Covenant PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 263.

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

Chants, Scripture

Go Within Us: Yelech na

Yelech na Adonay b’kirbaynu
Go Within Us Hebrew text
Please God, Go within us. (Exodus 34:9)

In the Book of Exodus, which tells the story of our journey to Freedom, Moses realizes that the only way to accomplish this journey and reach The Land of Promise is for God’s Presence to be within, between and among us as we go. Even after all the trouble of the Golden Calf, the murmurings and rebellions… Moses knows that it is only this “innerness” that makes our holy journey worth all the bother.

I address myself to You, God — the Great Mystery — with the knowledge that, “I can’t and don’t want to do this without You!” In the silence after the chant, I make a place inside me for that Divine Presence to dwell.

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 Go Within Us 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, Isaiah

Send Me: Et-mi eshlach

Et-mi eshlach u’mi yelech lanu?
Hin’ni sh’lachayni
Send Me Hebrew text
Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?
Here I am. Send me. (Isaiah 6:8)

This is a practice of listening to “the call,” and responding. When I hear the question, “Who shall go for us?” I wonder who that “us” might be. As I step forth to fulfill my unique mission, I am doing this first for myself (because I must) and then for all those who need to hear my voice, for all those who do not yet found their voice, for all those who do not feel heard and have not found their way into the Great Conversation. I come into the fullness of my presence and then go forth for all of us. We depend on each other. My going forth will inspire others to also find their own voice, mission, power and destiny.

As you develop this practice, I suggest you begin by just chanting the question, allowing the answer to well up within you. Then let your willingness to be present and be deployed burst forth in response to “the call.”

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 Send Me PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 313.

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

Chants, Psalms

My Protection: Magini al Elohim

Magini al Elohim, moshiah yishray lev.
My Protection Hebrew text
My protection is all about the God-field;
that’s what saves the Upright Heart. (Psalm 7:11)

When the source for my own energy field is the Shechina, that indwelling Divine Presence… then I am protected, shielded and ultimately safe. That sense of ultimate safety allows my heart to risk being open and expansive no matter what the circumstance. My heart stands up within me and takes the lead.

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 My Protection PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 294.

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