Category Archives: Psalms

Taste and See!: Ta’amu

Ta’amu u’r’u ki tov Havayah
Taste and See in Hebrew
Taste and see that God is Good! (Psalm 34:9)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 34 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

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.

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

Resilience: Im aylech

Im aylech b’kerev tzarah, t’chayayni
Resilience text in Hebrew
Even when I walk in the midst of trouble,
you are giving me Life. (Psalm 138:7)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 138 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

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.

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

Healer to the Broken-Hearted: Harofay

Harofay Lish’vuray Lev, u’m’chabaysh l’atzvotam
Hebrew for Healer chant
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.

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

Celebration in Praise: Kol Ha’n’shama

Hilulah, hilulah, hilulah, Halleluyah!
Hilulah, hilulah, hilulah, Halleluyah!
Kol Ha’n’shama t’hallelyah,
Kol Ha’n’shama t’hallelyah
Hebrew for Celebration In Praise
It’s a Celebration of Praise;
Let all souls praise Yah! (Psalm 150:6)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 150 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

The word Hilulah in modern Hebrew, means celebration. In the Chasidic world, the term has come to mean a celebration in praise and honor of some great sage on the anniversary of their death. We celebrate not only to have a good time, but to honor that teacher and connect with the flow, wisdom and love of a life-well-lived. Through our celebration, we enter that flow, receive that wisdom and open to the possibility of living in the light of that 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 Celebration in Praise PDF. To download the musical notation, click Celebration in Praise Notation PDF.

A Steadfast Heart: Nachon libi

Nachon libi Elohim,
Ashira va’azamra af k’vodi
A Steadfast Heart Hebrew (Psalm 108.2)
My Heart is steadfast, Oh God;
I will sing and chant even with my soul. (Psalm 108:2)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 108 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

When my heart becomes steady, firm in its commitment, resolute in its love, unwavering in its loyalty to the Unity of Being… then the music of my soul can soar. When my song is anchored in the steadfast heart, each note expresses and magnifies my love. The energy of the heart unlocks the fullness of my soul’s glory.

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 A Steadfast Heart PDF. For the musical notation, click one of the musical notations for A Steadfast Heart Music: A minor, B minor, or B-flat minor.

NOTE: The provided MP3 versions are in B-flat minor.