Rabbi Shefa Gold

Author: Alia Meira

  • My Cup

    Kosi r’vayah
    Graphic: My Cup in Hebrew
    My cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)
    [Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 23 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

    Though I walk through the valley of deepest darkness, I will not fear evil, for You, God, are with me. How do you manifest Yourself to me? I have come face-to-face with my own demons across the lavish table that You spread before me. And on that table is a cup that is overflowing.

    In building the kavanah, the intention, for this chant, I would invite the community to begin to become aware of two different dimensions of “cup”.

    • One cup is located in the heart. It is the connection to the source of life and love within us, and no matter what befalls us or what “enemy” faces us across the table, that inner cup continues to flow and overflow. The sound of the chant reconnects us to that flow.
    • The other “cup” is the cup that is formed in community. The sound of our voices and the strength of our shared intention create that cup, which both contains the divine flow and serves as a vehicle for our nourishment. As we form the cup of community, we enable each person to access exactly what he or she needs, to drink individually from the flow that we create together.

    This chant is composed of three parts, which through different rhythmic patterns evoke the feeling of rivulets flowing mellifluously together and apart. At the end of the chant, we can breathe into the heart and look for an image of a cup. Stay with that image as it gets clearer and clearer with each breath. Imagine touching the cup, drinking from it, being filled with its contents.

    And then raise the eyes of your heart to see who (or what) it is that sits across from you at the table—your enemy or demon. Knowthat the cup contains exactly what you need in order to do that facing. Comple the practice by drinking again from your cup.

    NOTE: This chant is available as Kosi R’vayah 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.

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

    The musical notation is on page 267 of The Magic of Hebrew Chant, which is available from the Books page.
    The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.


  • Healing Chant

    Mah yakar chasd’cha Elohim.
    Graphic: Healing Chant in Hebrew
    How precious is Your love, God. (Psalm 36:8)
    [Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 36 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

    Each of us is like a unique crystal through which the light and love of God might shine. This healing practice is done through the perception and amplification of that unique refraction of God-light.

    • The person seeking healing lies down in the center of the circle and instructed to shine his or her unique light.
    • The circle of healers then bring all of their attention to that unique light and shine it back to him or her through this chant.

    A healing field is created, and the person seeking healing is connected up with his or her own “blueprint of perfection”.

    NOTE: This chant is available as Healing on the Chantformations 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.

    To download the PDF file for this chant, click Healing Chant PDF.

    The musical notation is on page 273 of The Magic of Hebrew Chant, which is available from the Books page.
    The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.


  • Pure Heart

    Lev tahor b’ra li Elohim.
    Graphic: Pure Heart in Hebrew
    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.

    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.


  • With Every Breath

    Kol han’shamah t’haleil Yah HalleluYah.
    Graphic: With Every Breath in Hebrew
    Every soul praises Yah with every breath. Halleluyah! (Psalm 150:6)
    From the moment of birth until death!
    [Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 150 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

    This is the very last line of the book of Psalms, and it pretty much sums it up. Can we know our very breath as praise?

    NOTE: This chant is available on the The Majesty of Nurture 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.

    To download the PDF file for this chant, click With Every Breath PDF.

    The musical notation is on page 290 of The Magic of Hebrew Chant, which is available from the Books page.
    The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.


  • From World to World

    Me’olam ad olam Atah Eyl
    Graphic: From World to World in Hebrew
    From world to world You are God. (Psalm 90:2)
    [Click (or tap) to see the entire Psalm 90 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985).]

    We are always moving from world to world. I walk into a convenience store and I’m in a hurry to buy something I need. The lighting is harsh; everyone around me is also in a hurry; the cashier is harried. Can I smile and remember that God is here too? I get in the car to drive away, and I am stuck in traffic. I look around with compassion at the faces of all the other drivers; I notice the beautiful trees by the side of the road. Can I remember that God is here too? From world to world I am challenged to address God everywhere.

    This is a way of moving through all the worlds, that guides me towards the necessity for the continuity of practice. My eyes are opened to miracle. Wherever I look, YOU are there!

    NOTE: This chant is available on the Chantsendence 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.

    To download the PDF file for this chant, click From World to World PDF.

    The musical notation is on page 296 of The Magic of Hebrew Chant, which is available from the Books page.
    The Magic of Hebrew Chant ©2013 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.