(click to play)
"Traveler's Blessing"
(Recorded in Danville, California 3/6/2009 Chanting with Our Elders )
(click to play)
"Traveler's Blessing"
(Recorded in Danville, California 3/6/2009 Chanting with Our Elders )
Sacred Hebrew Chant
See article in "The J" with Jeanette Gross
CHANT IS A WAY OF FOCUSING on the core meaning of a prayer or piece of text that allows us to enter more fully into the kavannah, the holy intention, of the phrase. By using a simple melody and repeating the sacred phrase over and over, we are able to open our hearts to its blessing, to step inside of the prayer itself and take on its deeper meaning in a new way. THE REPETITION OF THE PHRASE becomes a meditation. In raising our voices together we synchronize our breathing which, combined with pouring ourselves into the chant, can be a powerful tool in opening the heart and mind. In the silence after the chant we might find ourselves opening even more fully to the prayer, and I like to use this silence as a way of soaking in the effects of the practice... RABBI SHEFA GOLD WRITES: "Chant is the bridge between the inner life and the outer expression; between the solitary practice and the shared beauty of fellowship. When we chant we are using the whole body as the instrument with which to feel the meaning of the sacred phrase."
Below are more samples of this practice, including a recording of each chant and a short teaching for the sacred phrase - the kavannah (holy intention) of the practice. (Note: To download mp3 recordings - right click on its title - (or control-click on a mac) and save the linked file)
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(Recorded at Temple Isaiah March 1 2013 - WRJ Worldwide Shabbat Service)
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No matter how far we might have strayed from our spiritual anchor, from the Divine, it is said that we have only to make the first gesture of return and we will be met by the Shechina, God's sheltering presence, who will take us by the hand and lead us back.... if we have missed the mark, this practice shows us the way to return..... in words from our liturgy we say "Let us turn to you and we will be turned - Hashiveynu Elecha v'nashuvah" ....turning, returning.... (click to play)
As Moses pleaded with God for Miriam's healing, so too, do we use these words to bring that divine healing energy to our loved ones in need of healing. Whether physical or emotional, may all those in need of healing feel surrounded by our loving blessings.... after we mention names, we will join our voices in these words of Torah and send their healing power throughout this circle and far beyond to envelop those named and unnamed who need our prayer. Remember to direct some of this healing towards your own heart, to those bruised and broken places we all hold within.... (I composed this melody in January of 2004 when my friend Simone Weinstein was diagnosed with leukemia at age 14; it has been chanted in many healing circles since then. Simone is now in her thirties and is doing great, Thank God!!!) (click to play)
(Recorded at a Temple Isaiah Healing Circle in May 2012) (Unless otherwise noted, recorded at Elul Workshop for Temple Beth Abraham Sisterhood, Oakland, California. August 12, 2007)
JEANETTE GROSS is Chant Leader at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA. Jeanette has studied with Rabbi Shefa Gold since July, 1996 and is a graduate of Rabbi Gold's Kol Zimra Chant Leadership Training Program. Jeanette has been leading monthly sessions of Sacred Chant in Lafayette since July, 1998 and a monthly "Chanting with Our Elders" group at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville from March, 2000 through 2015. In addition to her regular chanting groups, Jeanette has organized and led special Sacred Chant programs for Temple Beth Abraham's Sisterhood (Oakland, CA), The Mill Valley Community Church (Mill Valley, CA), Temple Isaiah's Annual Women's Retreat and for Temple Sinai (Oakland, CA) through Lehrhaus Judaica (Berkeley, CA). In 2014, 2016 and 2018 Jeanette presented a Sacred Chant and Healing Circles workshop at LIMMUD Bay Area. In 2008 Jeanette created Temple Isaiah's Healing Circles Project, an innovative way to support members of the community in times of illness or other need. Each Yom Kippur between Temple Isaiah's Morning and Afternoon services Jeanette leads a Sacred Chant Healing Circle intended to deepen and enrich this long day of prayer and fasting. (Open to the public, continuous from 2:30pm to 3:45 pm, leading into Temple Isaiah's Afternoon Service at 4:00 pm) Jeanette often co-leads Temple Isaiah's monthly Mussar and Meditation Service with Rabbi Jill Perlman, Rabbi Alissa Miller and Rabbi Jay LeVine - an alternative Shabbat morning service that meets on the first Saturday of the month.
Sacred Chant Healing Circle Dates
During these challenging times, we are all in need of connection, we are all in need of healing. Until further notice, Sacred Chant Healing Circles are being held virtually, IMPORTANT NOTE: Our Healing Circles will continue to be held on Zoom for the foreseeable future until such a time Please find details on Temple Isaiah's Calendar here
More detailed information is available on Temple Isaiah's website
Temple Isaiah's Healing Circles Project
Chanting Intensive: Al Shlosha D'Varim
Sacred Chant Program For Mill Valley Community Church
Contact Jeanette at jeanetteg@SacredHebrewChant.com
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