Category Archives: Psalms

Your Throne: Tzedek u’Mishpat

Tzedek Umishpat m’chon kis’ech:
aish l’fanayich telech
Your Throne Hebrew
Justice and Impeccability are the Foundations of Your throne:
Fire will go before You. (Psalm 97:2-3)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 97 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

As we take our seat for spiritual practice we are establishing our throne, our sovereignty over our inner state of being. That autonomy and freedom are undergirded by the values of Tzedek and Mishpat. It is our grounding in Justice (which embraces our integrity, honesty, compassion and wide perspective) and Impeccability (which suggests a commitment to fully showing up for this moment) that provides the foundation for this sovereignty.

When we really sit on that throne, then the way is prepared for us. A Divine fire clears the way and illuminates the path before us.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Your Throne PDF.

Accessing the Highest: Va’azamra

Va’azamra Shaym-Havaya Elyon
AccessingTheHighest_Hebrew
I will sing praise so that I may know the highest Essence of Divine Existence. (Psalm 7:18)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 7 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

When I chant, I can lift myself up into a soul perspective and enter into the highest level of perception of and communion with the One. Instead of just focusing on the content of my Life’s drama, I can glory in the miracle of existence itself.
The four letter name of God is unpronounceable, just as the Divine is unfathomable. When I chant, the music, rhythm and intention lift me up beyond Reason, and connect me with a Mystery. There I can experience the Essence of soul which was there before “I” was born and will be there beyond death.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Accessing the Highest PDF.
To download the chant’s notation, click Accessing the Highest notation PDF.

Relax and Know: Harpu u’d’u

Harpu u’d’u ki anochi Elohim
Relax and Know in Hebrew
Relax and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:11)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 46 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

There is a war raging within, and this world is a reflection of that struggle. We are holding tension in our bodies, minds and hearts and we’re not even aware of it. It’s this unconscious tension that stands between us and the experience of intimacy with God.

When I began chanting this sacred phrase, I was filled with joy at the possibility of Divine connection (Devekut) so available, so close. That joy bubbled up into a very celebratory melody. Later when I chanted it slowly, it felt like a completely different practice. I include both tempos for our practice..

I am learning that letting go of the struggle doesn’t mean disengaging with life. The process of surrendering and releasing the tension around “getting it right” actually creates a new vibrant spaciousness at my center that allows for a deeper awareness of miracle and Presence.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Relax and Know PDF. To download the musical notation for this chant, click Relax and Know Notation PDF.

Heart Reflections: Imru vilvavchem

Imru vilvavchem al mish’kavchem v’domu selah
Heart Reflections Hebrew
Reflect in your hearts upon your beds and be still. (Psalm 4:5)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 4 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

A life of spiritual practice is built around pivotal moments of transition. We want to wake up into gratefulness and continue to wake up into awareness of miracle and blessing throughout the day, sanctifying moments of nurturance, pleasure, surprise or connection. Each moment has the potential to bring us into awareness, reverence, and remembrance of God’s Presence. Even difficult moments of missed connection can awaken our yearning for Oneness. Each moment is a doorway where the mezuzah waits for recognition.

I have been somewhat obsessed with lifting up my morning moments of awakening with practices of gratefulness and inspiration. And now I find myself turning towards the mysteries of bedtime, sleep, and dreaming. I’ve learned that how we fall asleep matters and that the quality of our sleep can set the stage for tremendous healing and rejuvenation.

In this practice, we commit to awareness even as we fall into the reverie of sleep. And that commitment leads us to a profound stillness where God can find us, as we relax and surrender into the Divine embrace.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Heart Reflections PDF. To download the musical notation for this chant, click Heart Reflections Notation PDF.

Whole-Hearted: Odeh Yah

Odeh Yah b’chol libi
Whole-Hearted Hebrew text
I thank God with my whole heart. (Psalm 9:2)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 9 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

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.

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