Lands of Life: Et’halech lifnay

Et’halech lifnay Yah B’Artzot HaChayyim.

I will walk before God in the Lands of the Living
I will walk before God in the Lands of Life. (Psalm 116:9)

The Power of Placebo
As I was exploring the power of my beliefs, I was curious about the word placebo. I learned that its origin was Psalm 116:9, which was translated into Latin and adapted into a Catholic funeral ritual. They sang, “Placebo Domino in regione vivorum” (“I will please the Lord in the land of the living”) The word, placebo came into the English language to mean sycophant or flatterer because of the interpretation “I will please…” and then it came to mean simulator because how can you trust someone who is trying to please?

Today the phenomenon of placebo is linked to the miraculous power of Belief. When I chant these compelling words from Psalm 116, I am embodying my belief in God’s loving, life-giving Presence that surrounds me and beckons me towards ever-more radiant vitality. As I strengthen, nurture and refine this belief, God’s Presence manifests before me as the miracle 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 Lands of Life PDF.