Category Archives: Psalms

Trust in You: Yom Ira

Yom Ira Ani aylecha evtach
Trust in You Hebrew
In the (very) day that I fear,
I will put my trust in You. (Psalm 56:4)

My practice is to notice, really notice when fear arises, so that in that very moment I can turn and surrender to the Great Mystery. It’s tricky because fear often wears a disguise. The disguise might look like anger or cynicism or irritability or numbness or anxiety or tension in my body. When I can catch myself, I can interrupt the pattern of fear hiding behind one of these masks. Then, I notice the fear, take care of myself with tender self-compassion, and open in trust to the Great Mystery, relaxing into the Divine embrace, which, in truth. has been holding me all along.

To hear the chant, 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 Trust in You PDF. To download the chant’s notation, click Trust in You notation PDF.

Sowing Our Tears: HaZorim

HaZorim b’dimah b’rinah yik’tzoru
Sowing Our Tears in Hebrew
Those who sow in tears will reap in joyous song. (Psalm 126:5)

Some tears lie fallow. They dissolve into dust or splatter on pavement, and are not planted. These tears leave us bitter and exhausted. Yet, when we know our tears as precious, they can be carefully and tenderly planted. We can do this planting for one another by giving each other the kind of attention that creates the fertile ground for tears. By acknowledging the value of grief as tears flow through us, we can plant each tear as a seed of joy. Our grieving can wash us clean, open the ground of our hearts, and clear the way for new life, new song, and surprising joy.

With this practice I reach into the stored memories of grief. I re-encounter my own tears, shed and unshed, and know my tears as precious seeds that can grow into greater love and compassion for myself and others. As I chant these sacred words, I let the power of my grief pour through my voice and presence. Memories fuel my intention – the intention to surrender to the power of transformation.

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

There’s no PDF file for this chant, but it appears on page 17 in The Magic of Hebrew Chant.


The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.


Davkah

Davkah nafshi acharecha, bi tamchah y’minecha

Davka in Hebrew
My soul with love goes after You;
while your strong hand supports me. (Psalm 63:9)

This is a practice that illuminates the paradoxical nature of my spiritual practice. I am seeking, reaching, longing for Devekut, which is God-consciousness, awareness of ultimate connectivity. With all my love I follow the glimmers of the Divine, bringing my heart, soul, commitment, effort, skill, wisdom and grace to the adventure.

On the other side of the paradox I lean back, and surrender into the Divine embrace. I totally relax to receive this support. I open in the stillness to the gift of this moment and let myself feel held, encouraged, nourished and supported.

To hear the chant, 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 Davkah PDF. To download the chant’s notation, Davkah Notation PDF.

Romemu

Romemu YHVH (Havayah, Adonai, Shechina) Elohaynu

Raise up the Truth; lift up our love; honor the God within us. (Psalm 99:5)

Fred Rogers favorite quote was from Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. He had it framed and hanging on a wall in his office. The quote is: “What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”

When we exalt God in prayer, we are raising up, lifting up, and honoring that which is essential. Through our loving attention and passionate expression, we are making that essential spark of Divinity, visible and known. When we share that essential Divinity through prayer, it makes itself available to us as Truth and Love, so that we can live from the highest essence that is in us.

To hear the chant, 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 Romemu PDF. To download the chant’s notation, Romemu Notation PDF.

Unveil My Eyes: Gal aynai

Gal aynai v’abitah nifla’ot mi’toratecha
Unveil My Eyes in Hebrew
Unveil my eyes that I might see the miracles of Your Torah (Psalm 119:18)

Unveil my eyes.
Unveil my eyes that I might see.
Unveil my eyes that I might see the miracles.
Unveil my eyes that I might see the miracles of Your Torah.

Our eyes are veiled with fixed expectations, conditioning, past hurts, intergenerational trauma, cynicism, and limitations both imposed and self-created. It is the awareness of the veils that allows them to dissolve, revealing the startling clarity of a wide array of color, texture and beauty and a vast expanse of Soul beyond the constrictions of personality, beyond the confines of our imagination. In the moment of unveiling we are also unmasked. Our masks that were meant to protect, have concealed the miracles that were always there. Those miracles are revealed through the words of Torah. And we can use the words of Torah to reveal the miracles that were always there. Behold! Just having a glimpse of the wondrous will open us and allow us to perceive the Divine Presence that shines through all of Creation.

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 Unveil My Eyes PDF.

To download the chant’s notation, Unveil My Eyes Music PDF.