Category Archives: Chants

Chants, Isaiah

Garments of Salvation: Sos asis

Sos asis badonay tagayl nafshi belohai,
ki hilbishani bigday yesha
Garments of Salvation Hebrew text
I will rejoice in God who has dressed me in the
garments of Salvation. (Isaiah 61:10)

The Prophet Isaiah compares us to the bridegroom and the bride, decked out in our finery, bejeweled and shining in glory. What if each morning we claimed our rightful place of dignity, splendor and brilliance? This is a practice of rejoicing in our inheritance. This is a practice of matching up our outer countenance with our royal inner radiance.

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 Garments of Salvation 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, Liturgy

Life and Death: Ki Atah m’chayay

Ki Atah m’chayay hamaytim, umaymit chayyim
Life and Death Hebrew text
For You revive the dead and bring death to the living.

Standing in the presence of the mystery of Life and Death, I am both lifted up and humbled. I address myself to that Mystery, open my heart and stand between Life and Death. I honor the journey beyond this known world into the world-to-come, the Beyond that awaits us all.

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.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Life and Death PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 245.

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

Chants, Isaiah

Through the Waters: Ki ta’avor

Ki ta’avor bamayyim itcha ani,
u’va’n’harot lo yishtafucha
Through the Waters Hebrew text
When you pass through the waters, I am with you, yes, I am with you.
I won’t let the rivers overwhelm you, I will be with you. (Isaiah 43:2)

The Waters represent the times of transition, as we pass from slavery to freedom, from womb through birth into our lives, from life through death into the Sea of Oneness or into the embrace of The Beloved. The important thing is not to fear, to know that God’s Presence is and has always been with you… through every transition, through every transformation.

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 Through the Waters PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 312.

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

Chants, Psalms

Whose Face? Al tastayr

Al tastayr panecha mimeni
Whose Face? Hebrew text
Do not hide Your Face from me. (Psalm 27:9)

I begin chanting this prayer with insistence and passion because I long to see and know The Face of God in all things, in all people, in all places, in all blessings, in all predicaments. After a while it feels as if God is chanting these words to me, saying, “I have been here all along; it is you who have been hiding. Show your face to Me. “ And then I enter the subtle state that I call “The Holy Confusion.” Whose Face? Mine? God’s? Both? Neither? Or does God look out from my face? Or do I look out from God’s face?

If I chant long enough I may be able to rest in this holy confusion, and bathe in its questions and come to the state of Un-knowing that leads to Wisdom.

This is a 3-part round.

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.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Whose Face? PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 291.

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

Chants, Isaiah

Heralds of Peace: Ma navu

Ma navu al he-harim raglay m’vasayr mashmiya shalom.
Heralds of Peace Hebrew text
Oh how lovely — our footsteps on the mountain; we are Messengers; we are Heralds of Peace (Isaiah 52:7)

This chant came to me as I opened to an intention for Pilgrimage to The Holy Land. As I chanted these words from Isaiah, I felt a definite shift from being a victim of circumstance to being a “Messenger” — empowered, deployed, inspired and open to the flow of Mystery. With each step on the mountain, I plant blessing (the goodness that is in me); and with each step, I receive the blessing of “The Place,” that I might take that blessing home and share it with All.

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.

< For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 310.

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