Your Voice in the Wilderness | Rabbi Shefa Gold

K’chut hashani siftotayich u’midbaraych naveh

Your voice in the wilderness calls out to me;
your beauty and power are my mystery.

Your lips like a scarlet ribbon
And your voice so sweet. (Song of Songs 4:3)

These words direct our attention to the lips and to the voice that emerges through that lovely outlet. That voice brings wisdom and inspiration to us.

In creating this practice I couldn’t help but be reminded that the word, midbaraych, that is translated as your voice, or your speech, or your mouth… is a homonym for your “wilderness.” I added the English words of this chant so that the images of the Song might lead us to inquire, “Can we allow the Divine voice to emerge from the deep silence of the wilderness? Can we listen and receive the beauty, majesty and wide perspective that the wilderness offers?”

When I step into the wilderness, the noise of the “civilized” world recedes and I can begin to hear another voice — more subtle, more profound, wider in its scope. It is that voice which asks for a response that is sourced in my depths.

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

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

To download the PDF file for this chant, click Your Voice in the Wilderness PDF. For the musical notation, click Your Voice in the Wilderness notation PDF.