B’tzilo chimad’ti v’yashavti, upiryo matok l’chiki

In His shade I delight to sit, eating His sweet fruit. (Song of Songs 2:3)

This is a practice of reconnecting with and remembering the essential beneficence of Reality. Sometimes when it feels as if the whole world is my enemy and I am struggling with my predicament, I can stop and rest in the blessing of pure Being. With this practice I receive the gift of feeling held by Reality itself. Imagine leaning back against the trunk of a sturdy tree on a hot summer day. This is The Tree of Life, offering protection, inspiration and unending generosity. At the end of the chant, tune into your breath as you receive the sweet fruit of Being. Let each breath nourish, delight and renew.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Vayeshev).

Recording updated and harmony and mix recordings added in 9/2020. To hear the chant, use the audio players. To download a chant, right-click the note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.

• In His Shade (melody)  
• In His Shade (harmony)  
• In His Shade (mix)  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click In His Shade PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 256.

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

Sham etayn et dodai lach

There I will give you my love. (Song of Songs 7:13)

This is a practice of strengthening and refining our deepest and finest intentions to love God through each moment and detail of our lives. Before the chant begins, imagine before you the landscape of your life — all the small details that make up your day. Then when you chant the word “Sham” (there), focus the force of your love into a particular detail or relationship of your daily routine.

Imagine bringing the power of Love (a love that embraces the mystery of the Whole), to everything you do: getting out of bed, making tea, greeting your family, doing your daily practice, cooking and eating breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen, approaching your work, acknowledging strangers and friends. See and imagine each moment as an opportunity for loving God through whatever is before you.

Each time you chant the word “Sham,” direct its energy towards another relationship or situation or detail of your life, charging up your intention to love God through “this.”

This practice can also be done as a walking meditation, when you’re on your way to do something that may require your clear, strong and loving intention. With each step you can build this intention and expand your awareness of the precious opportunity that awaits you.

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

• Building the Intention for Love  

Zeh Dodi v’zeh ray-ee

This is my Beloved; this is my Friend. (Song of Songs 5:16)

Meditation is the practice of opening to “this” — this very moment, this very place. Ordinarily I may have my judgements — things about this that I like or not. But in meditation I just say yes to whatever is before me. I accept it fully. I may not like it, but I surrender to “this” whatever it is. I fall in love, each moment, again and again. I make this moment my friend.

My friend and teacher Sylvia Boorstein has taught me a phrase of intention, “I greet this moment in friendship with an undefended heart.”

This phrase from the Song of Songs helps me to enter into meditation with a clear and vital intention of making each moment my Beloved.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Beha’alotekha).

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

• Loving ‘This’  

For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 258.

The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Shir Delight: A Journey Through the Song of Songs ©2004 Rabbi Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.