Odeh Yah b’chol libi

I thank God with my whole heart. (Psalm 9:2)

To be whole-hearted is to step all the way in to the life I am given. It means I must let go of my resistance, and surrender to “what is.” The practice of gratefulness can take me to this place of whole-heartedness.

On the inhale I am breathing in the gift of my life exactly as it is.
On the exhale I am saying “thank you!”… for this breath, this very moment.

Each breath takes me deeper. Each breath allows me to include more of my voice and presence as I respond to the gift. I give the fullness of my heart. I stop withholding. And I open wider to receive the heart of God.

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

• Whole-Hearted 1
• Whole-hearted 2
• Whole-hearted Mix

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Whole-Hearted PDF.

Ta’amu u’r’u ki tov Havayah

Taste and see that God is Good! (Psalm 34:9)

When I enter into the sensibility of reverence and assume an ultimate meaning to the flow of my life, I am rewarded with this Divine Goodness. When I follow my intuitions that a great beauty is hidden just beneath the surface, and I dive into that Mystery, I am gifted with a direct experience of the Oneness. But I must enter; I must dive; I must take the risk. This Psalm invites me to take that leap of Faith. It says, “Don’t believe me; see for yourself!” I am invited to go for it, to fully taste this moment of Life, and then to trust my own experience.

In this chant I pronounce the YHVH unpronounceable name of God with the Hasidic term HaVaYaH, a term that incorporates the 4 letters of God’s name and also suggests BEING itself.

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

• Taste and See!
• Taste and See! as a round

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Taste and See! PDF.

Im aylech b’kerev tzarah, t’chayayni

Even when I walk in the midst of trouble,
you are giving me Life. (Psalm 138:7)

As I cultivate resilience, I meet the obstacles of reactivity, overwhelm, alienation, despair and feeling cut off from my Source. With this practice, I first acknowledge, with compassion, the difficulties of Life. Then I open to the help that is available in each moment — the unseen possibilities of renewal. When I activate my imagination, the possibilities of joy, curiosity, insight, and a wider perspective are revealed moment by moment and then I simply open to them. In that moment of opening, I let go of my story; I become curious; I connect with inner and outer resources that were always there; I reignite my enthusiasm for the journey.

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.

• Resilience 1
• Resilience 2
• Resilience Mix

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Resilience PDF.

Harofay Lish’vuray Lev, u’m’chabaysh l’atzvotam

Oh Healer to the Broken-hearted, you bind up our wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 147 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

With this practice, we invoke the Divine Force of wholeness and allow our own broken hearts and the broken heart of the world to be held within that loving, accepting and healing embrace.

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.

• Healer to the Broken-Hearted 1
• Healer to the Broken-Hearted 2
• Healer to the Broken-Hearted mix

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Healer to the Broken-Hearted PDF.