Category Archives: Psalms

A Spirit of ‘Yes!’: V’Ruach nachon

12/29/2010 Alia Meira

V’Ruach nachon chadaysh b’kirbi

Renew within me a Spirit of “Yes!” (Psalm 51:12)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 51 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

The ruach nachon that I’m in need of renewing is the remembrance of the “rightness” of the reality before me. When my spirit can fully agree to and accept “what is,” then I am empowered to rest in the truth of this moment and walk through the doors of transformation that open. I need this renewal because I sometimes fight with the truth of “what is” and that is an exhausting and losing battle. (Inwardly I say, “Oh, no! I don’t like what this is.” And I can get stuck there in my “oh, no!”) When the spirit of “Yes” is renewed in me, I lean into the mystery of this moment and look for the doors of opportunity and transformation that open in response to my curiosity, and in response to my agreement to accept the challenge of my Life.

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 Spirit of Yes PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 291.

Chants, Liturgy, Psalms

Goodness: Hodu l’adonay

07/21/2010 Alia Meira

Hodu l’adonay ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo

Give thanks to God for essential goodness; His kindness endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 136 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

By giving thanks, we open our hearts to, receive, and acknowledge the essential goodness of Reality itself. As we open to the flow of Divine kindness, everyone and everything becomes our ally. By giving thanks we enter the perspective that sees the whole world as conspiring to shower us with blessings.

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 Goodness PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 237.

Chants, Psalms

The Heavens: HaShamayim

05/22/2010 Alia Meira

HaShamayim misaprim k’vod Ayl

The Heavens open up and tell Your Story,
Of sun and clouds and storm, of wind and Glory. (Psalm 19:2)

Where I live in New Mexico, the skies are my great entertainment and inspiration. With this practice, we watch the sky and receive from its wide expanse and changing colors, the story of God’s expanse and the Truth of Impermanence. You can try this practice lying back on a grassy field with your chant-buddies, looking up at the sky and receiving the amazing story that the Heavens tell. (If you do this practice at night you can substitute stars for sun.)

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 The Heavens PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 275.

Chants, Psalms

Day and Night: Yom l’yom

05/22/2010 Alia Meira

Yom l’yom yabiya omer, v’laila l’laila y’chaveh da’at
Day and Night Hebrew text
Day after day pours forth speech, night after night declares knowledge (Psalm 19:3)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 19 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

God speaks through the movement of Time. Through the cycles of Day and Night, meaning is expressed, wisdom is revealed. We chant these words in order to open our eyes to this mystery. We dance to the rhythms of Night and Day and allow the sacred Word to move us, and to pour out through us. True Knowledge is made real as we dive again and again into Night. Each Day returns with new opportunities for the Holy Word to manifest in our lives.

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

Day and Night

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Day and Night PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 275.

Chants, Psalms

From the Depths: Mima’amakim

04/10/2010 Alia Meira

Mima’amakim k’raticha Yah

From the Depths I call to You, Oh God. Hear my Voice! (Psalm 130:1)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 130 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

For me the practice of chanting is about finding those Depths from which to call, thereby unlocking the treasures of passion, longing, love and wisdom at my core. Slavery is the state of being trapped on the surface. I find my freedom by opening to the possibilities of the infinite space within. Calling out to God is a practice of dropping down into those infinite depths and allowing my deepest and truest expression to emerge.

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.