Va’ani Tamid Imach

I am always with You.
Though my heart is troubled and I’m filled with dread
I turn to face Your Mystery
Though I’ve been lost inside my head
I open to Eternity. (Psalm 73:23)

The highest Jewish ideal is attaining a state of constant D’vekut, an uninterrupted awareness of God’s Presence, even as we are immersed in the experience of this precious world. My addictions and cravings, my doubts, fears and worries, my plans and regrets often pull me away from that awareness- that D’vekut.

This practice is a vow, a commitment, and a re-dedication to the possibility of D’vekut. I chant directly to God, the great underlying and encompassing Mystery… and through my bold address, I strengthen my commitment to turn again and again towards the Divine Expanse.

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

• Always with You  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Always With You PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 297.

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

Magini al Elohim, moshiah yishray lev.

My protection is all about the God-field;
that’s what saves the Upright Heart. (Psalm 7:11)

When the source for my own energy field is the Shechina, that indwelling Divine Presence… then I am protected, shielded and ultimately safe. That sense of ultimate safety allows my heart to risk being open and expansive no matter what the circumstance. My heart stands up within me and takes the lead.

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

• My Protection  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Protection PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 294.

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

Tikon t’filati k’toret l’fanecha

Let my prayer be incense before You. (Psalm 141:2)

Our ancestors knew the secrets of fragrance. They carefully mixed balsam, frankincense, myrrh, spikenard, cinnamon and other precious spices with secret ingredients that would help the smoke ascend. This powerful practice of incense helped to focus our intentions and create an atmosphere of holiness. The complex and beautiful fragrance penetrated our consciousness directly and lifted us up into mystery.

Our prayer can have this same power, lifting us up in beauty, bringing us into an awareness of the Divine Presence.

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

• My Prayer as Incense  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Prayer as Incense PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 295.

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

Kol mish’barecha v’galecha Alai avaru
Tahor Hu, T’horah Hi

All of Your breakers and Your waves have swept over me.
He is pure; she is pure. (Psalm 42:8)

Every moment can be received as a point of transition and an opening into whole new world. As I step into who I am becoming, I need to be washed clean of prejudice, expectation, disappointment and limited perspective.

This chant was written for Taharah, specifically the part of the ritual where water is poured over the body. It is also a wonderful chant for the practice of Mikvah — ritual immersion, or any ritual of purification.

The breakers and waves that cleanse us can also be understood as our life-experience. Through living and learning we are returned to our essential purity.

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.

• Pure 1  
• Pure 2  
• Pure 3  
• Pure Mix  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Pure PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 293.

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

Al tastayr panecha mimeni

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.

• Whose Face?  
• Whose Face? Round  

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.