Chants, Liturgy, Psalms

An Invitation to Shabbat: L’chu

L’chu n’ra’n’na La’Adonai
L'chu Hebrew text
Oh, go forth, let us express our joy! (Psalm 95:1)

These are the first words of the traditional Kabbalat Shabbat Service. They are meant to move us out of our complacency and awaken us to the miracle of Shabbat which is just happening. The word n’ra’n’na is related to ra’n’nim, which are a certain kind of very expressive bird (mentioned in Job 39:13). Birds are so very unself-conscious in how they express their joy. They are our teachers of song. This is a practice of finding whatever joy might be locked up in your heart, and letting it out. In expressing our joy, we then can invite each other to step forth into the sacred realm of Shabbat.

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 Invitation to Shabbat PDF. For the musical notation, click L’chu Music.

Chants, Psalms

By Day Your Love: Yomam y’tzaveh

Yomam y’tzaveh Adonai chasdo, u’va’laila shirah imi
By Day Your Love Hebrew text
By day: Your Love… By Night: Your Song
By day God commands his love and by night her song is with me. (Psalm 42:9)

In the light of day and all that we do, God’s love is called forth through us and through all of Creation. Then at night, the Divine song reverberates in the stillness, surrounding us and holding us in a tender embrace. This practice is a chant of remembrance and celebration of that Presence who supports us through every trial and accompanies us on every 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 By Day Your Love PDF. For the musical notation, click By Day Your Love Music.

Chants, Psalms

Turn Your Hope to God: Kavay el Yah

Kavay el Yah, Chazak v’ya’amaytz libecha,
Kavay el Yah
Turn Your Hope to God Hebrew text
Turn your hope to God; be strong and be filled with courage;
turn your hope to God. (Psalm 27:14)

Psalm 27, which is especially dedicated to the Tshuvah work of Elul, ends by offering us this visionary possibility. We can turn to God with all our yearning, all our dreams, all our highest and deepest hope. In doing so we will be strengthened in our work of coming close to God. We can also understand this line to mean that it will take all of our strength and all of our courage in order to turn our hope to God. The practice of this chant is to call up that strength, that courage, and use it to make that turning.

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 Turn Your Hope to God PDF. For the musical notation, click Turn Your Hope to God Music.

Chants

The Place of Comfort: HaMakom

HaMakom yinachem etchem
Place of Comfort Hebrew text
The Place will comfort you.

The Place of Comfort/The Comfort of Place

The ancient and traditional way to greet mourners is, “The Place (i.e., The Omnipresent One) will comfort you (pl.) among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

The Place of Comfort is where I know that I am held, supported and encouraged, even in my mourning, even through the passage of my darkest grief. The Comfort of Place in in knowing God’s omnipresence; knowing and feeling that God is here, wherever I travel. That presence will manifest differently and uniquely in each and every place.

This is a blessing that we can give to each other and receive for ourselves as we travel through all the high and low places of 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.

To download the musical notation as a PDF file, click The Place of Comfort Music.

Chants, Psalms

The Cornerstone: Evven ma’asu

Evven ma’asu habonim ha’y’tah l’rosh pinah
Cornerstone Hebrew text
The Stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)

The people who have been marginalized by our society seem to carry the voice of prophesy for us all. The part of my own psyche that has been rejected, likewise holds the key to my nascent power.

This is a practice of identifying that “stone” — the part of us that has been pushed aside, devalued, maligned or rejected — and then raising that part up as the gift that I might reclaim and refine.

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 The Cornerstone PDF. For the musical notation, click The Cornerstone Music.