L’cha dodi, naytzeh HaSadeh

Come, my beloved, let us go out to the field. (Song of Songs 7:12)

These are words that invite us into Shabbat Consciousness, a place of spacious, relaxed receptive presence. It is only in that wide open field, that love can reveal herself, express her full beauty , flourish, thrive and blossom into her mature and powerful form.

In responding to this invitation, I find my purpose, because finally, I am in a place where my love can be received. There I will give you my love; there I will give you my all.

By stepping into Shabbat Consciousness, I am letting go of my attachments to judgment, opinions, control, fixed identity and all the rigid complications of my struggle. I am stepping into trust, unknowing and endless possibility.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Shoftim).

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

• Come, My Beloved  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Come, My Beloved PDF.

Shir Delight: A Journey Through the Song of Songs ©2004 Rabbi Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.

Mah ta’iru u’mah t’or’ru et-ha’ahavah ad she’techpatz

(Daughters of Jerusalem swear to me)
That you will not awaken love until it is ripe. (Song of Songs 8:4)

Love is a mysterious and powerful force of transformation. To really understand this power is to be humbled and sent to our keenest discernments. We turn to our companions (the Daughters of Jerusalem) to join us in this process of sensitive discernment. In that process, I meet my impatience, and my attachments. I am challenged to let go of my desire for security, affection and control. I am challenged to trust the process of love unfolding, ripening in its time.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Ki Tavo).

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

• Timing (melody)  
• Timing (harmony)  
• Timing (mix)  

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

Az hayiti v’aynav k’motzayt shalom

But for my lover, I will be
A city of Peace. (Song of Songs 8:10)

Literally, “Then I will be in his eyes, one who has found peace.” Through our practice and by steadfastly walking the path of love, I become a refuge for others, a place of calm in the storm. For the sake of Love, I dismantle the fortifications of ego, and welcome the Beloved into my center, which then becomes a radiant core. In shining the light of the Beloved, I will manifest a kind of strength, radiance and integrity that no longer requires defenses.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Vayelech).

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

• A City of Peace  
• A City of Peace (round)  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click A City of Peace PDF. For the musical notation, click City of Peace notation PDF.

Emtza’acha vachutz esha’k’cha gam lo yavuzu li

I would kiss you in the streets
And no one would scorn me. (Song of Songs 8:1)

The last chapter of the Song begins with a fantasy. What If I could be completely open in expressing my love? What if I could come out of hiding and show my most innocent and passionate intentions for love? The mystic poet, Rumi, says, “Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah… it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.” In releasing self-consciousness, I am rewarded with the ease to fully step onto the Path of Love. In the Presence of Shechina, my pomegranate wine fills me with both the sober taste of my unique complexity and the wild abandon of my full potential, set free.

To view context from Shir HaShirim through the Love at the Center project, click Shir HaShirm (Ki Tetze).

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

• Shameless Kisses (melody)  
• Shameless Kisses (harmony)  
• Shameless Kisses (mix)  

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Shameless Kisses PDF. For the musical notation, click Shameless Kisses notation PDF.