Chants, Psalms

Hear My Song

Shim’ah Elohim rinati; hakshivah t’filati
Graphic: Hear My Song in Hebrew
Hear my song, Oh God!
I will call to You from the ends of the Earth as my heart wraps itself in Your Love.*
(Psalm 61:2)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 61 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

When I direct my song to God, and ask to be heard, I am praying that my separate unique and particular expression might be re-united with the Oneness. My song is a heartfelt yearning for harmonious connection with the cosmos.

*This is a line from Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s translation of the Psalm.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Hear My Song PDF. For the musical notation, click Hear My Song notation PDF.

Chants, Psalms

Silence is Praise

L’cha dumiyah t’hilah
Graphic: Silence Is Praise in Hebrew
For You silence is praise. (Psalm 65:2)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 65 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

With my silence, I am creating a space within me for the Divine Presence to dwell. I am inviting God in. That invitation is the most profound praise, because I am saying with my silence, “There is nothing more important, nothing more precious than to be with You, God.”

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

NOTE: This recording is from the Chants Encounter CD.

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Silence Is Praise PDF.

Chants, Psalms

Give Us Help

Havah-lanu ezrat mitzar
Graphic: Give Us Help in Hebrew
Give us help against the adversary. (Psalm 60:13)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 60 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

The spiritual challenge we face is the tendency to look for help for what we’re up against, in all the wrong places — the wrong people, food, substances, thrills, numbing, rationalizations, roads we have traveled before, familiar grooves or conceptual frameworks that we have outgrown. We look with desperation, “out there”, when the help we need is to be found within- through our connection with the Great Mystery.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Give Us Help PDF. For the musical notation, click Give Us Help notation PDF.

Chants, Psalms

Fruit of the Righteous

Ach-pri latzadik, ach yaysh-Elohim shoftim ba’aretz
Graphic: Fruit of the Righteous in Hebrew
There is, surely, the fruit of the righteous;
yes, there is indeed divine justice on earth. (Psalm 58:12)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 58 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

Even when it seems like the bullies are in charge; even when we feel such outrage and resentment towards those who are oppressing the vulnerable and inciting hatred… still we must remember the great force of love that is within us.

With this practice, we affirm the power of goodness, knowing that justice will prevail. Each thought, word or deed of kindness that we can bring to this moment will bear fruit. And that fruit will nourish and delight the world.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Fruit of the Righteous PDF.

Chants, Psalms

With Wings

A’u’fah v’eshkonah
Graphic: With Wings in Hebrew
With wings like a dove, I would fly away and find shelter in Your Presence. (Psalm 55:7)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 55 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

In a world of violence and corruption, I am sometimes seized by fear and outrage. And then, in a moment of grace, I remember my ultimate safety, no matter what! I call on my capacity to rise above the fray, receive the widest perspective of soul, and be comforted in the Divine embrace.

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click With Wings PDF. For the musical notation, click With Wings notation PDF.