Under the Wings: Va’ani matzati

11/19/2010 Alia Meira

Va’ani matzati menucha mitachat kanfay HaSh’china

Under the Wings of Shechina I have found my rest.

I wrote this chant in honor of Sukkot. I imagine sitting in my Sukkah under a delicate roof of branches that give me a glimpse of the vast deep blue sky. The Divine Presence also protects me, yet allows me to see through her wings and connect with The Beyond.

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 Under the Wings PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 241.

Chants, Liturgy

Gratefulness: Odach

09/29/2010 Alia Meira

Odach b’od t’h’yeh Nishmat Eloha bi

I will thank You as long as the Divine Breath is in me.
(Solomon ibn Gabirol, 11th Century Spanish poet and philosopher)

Gratefulness is the foundation for my practice and it is the fuel for my spiritual search. When I can fully receive the miracle of this moment, I am energized and inspired to face whatever challenge Life gives me. This line from a poem by Solomon ibn Gabirol, expresses my intention so well — to feel God’s breath in me, and to use that breath in gratitude.

Also, see the Flavors of Gratefulness page for Modah Ani chants.

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 Gratefulness (Odach) PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 233.

Chants, Liturgy

Eyes, Hearts, and Hands: V’Ha’ayr aynaynu

09/20/2010 Alia Meira

V’Ha’ayr aynaynu b’toratecha, v’dabayk libaynu b’mitzvotecha
Eyes, Hearts, and Hands Hebrew text
Enlighten our eyes with Your Torah, and connect our hearts to Your Mitzvot. (Liturgy)

When my eyes are really opened, I see your Torah everywhere! And from the deepest place within, I can connect with and embody that heart wisdom. Then the next step is to allow that deep heart-wisdom to flow out across my shoulders, down my arms and into my hands. These are the hands that will do Your Mitzvot with heartful compassion and kindness, instructed always by the Torah that this world reveals to me.

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 Eyes, Hearts, and Hands PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 238.

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 106:1)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 106 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, Liturgy

Rolling: Golel or mipnay

07/16/2010 Alia Meira

Golel or mipnay choshech, Choshech mipnay or

Rolling away light before darkness, darkness before light (Evening Liturgy)

As evening falls we say a prayer to bless the coming darkness. This practice opens us to the miracle of light and dark as they mix and then roll away from each other in cycles of day and night. These same cycles roll inside us through the rhythms of mood, through the ebb and flow of our daily drama. Through this practice, we raise ourselves up as holy witness to these cycles, so that we may gratefully receive the gifts of darkness in absolute trust. We surrender to the evening, knowing this darkness will lead us back to the light again.

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.