Lev tahor b’ra li Elohim.
Create for me a pure heart. (Psalm 51:12)
[Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 51 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]
The heart, in our tradition, is the sear of holistic intelligence. The heart center mediates between the upper and lower worlds. And the heart center is the nexus point between the realms of the finite and infinite. Since we receive divine guidance through the open heart, our spiritual practice is about purifying that channel… or acknowledging its essential purity. I freely translate this phrase from Psalm 51 in three different ways. As you chant these words, notice which translation resonates for you.
[God] has created for me a pure heart.
O pure heart, create for me [the experience of] God.
The pure heart has created God for me.
Am I asking God to re-create my in purity? Am I affirming the essential puristy within me? Am I calling on the power of my heart to allow me to access the Divine? Or am I affirming that access?
NOTE: This chant is available as Lev Tahor on the Chanscendence CD.
To hear the chant, use the audio player. To download the chant, right-click the note and save (or download) the linked MP3 file.
- Pure Heart
To download the PDF file for this chant, click Pure Heart PDF.
The musical notation is on page 289 of The Magic of Hebrew Chant, which is available from the Books page.
The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.