My Prayer as Incense: Tikon t’filati

Tikon t’filati k’toret l’fanecha

Let my prayer be incense before You. (Psalm 141:2)

Our ancestors knew the secrets of fragrance. They carefully mixed balsam, frankincense, myrrh, spikenard, cinnamon and other precious spices with secret ingredients that would help the smoke ascend. This powerful practice of incense helped to focus our intentions and create an atmosphere of holiness. The complex and beautiful fragrance penetrated our consciousness directly and lifted us up into mystery.

Our prayer can have this same power, lifting us up in beauty, bringing us into an awareness of the Divine Presence.

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

My Prayer as Incense

To download the PDF file for this chant, click My Prayer as Incense PDF. For the musical notation, see The Magic of Hebrew Chant, page 295.