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We sometimes forget to take time to honor and show respect for our wise elders.  This group is a monthly opportunity to visit, to learn, and to connect with older adults through the simple practice of sacred Hebrew chanting.  Being a spirited group, we welcome any and all visitors to join us in preparation for Shabbat on the 2nd Friday of each month.  We meet from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in the Reutlinger Community Synagogue. By joining us you can enjoy doing a Mitzvah while spending an hour doing something to enrich your soul!!

September 7, 2007  Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living, Danville, California    Photograph courtesy of Maria Kivel

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.  The repetition itself becomes a meditation.  Rabbi Shefa Gold teaches: "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."

In March of 2000 The Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living invited Jeanette Gross to lead a session of Sacred Chant.  The practice was so well-received that it has continued as a monthly offering for almost eight years.  Some of the "regulars", including Bess Meek (above, far right) have been there almost every month since the very first session. (Click here to read a poem Bess wrote after that March 2000 session)

No prior knowledge of Hebrew or singing is required - just an open heart and the willingness to try a different type of prayer study. Please contact Jeanette Gross: jeanetteg@SacredHebrewChant.com or the Activities Director, Carol Goldman, at the Reutlinger, with any questions.

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Chant Leader Jeanette Gross reflects:

I look forward to this group so much:  Month after month, year after year, these folks keep showing up.... they pour their hearts into the practice of sacred chant.  They share their wisdom with me as much as I share mine with them.  My favorite part of the hour has become the last few minutes when I walk around the circle and make direct contact with each person for at least one round of our Shabbat Shalom chant.  Even if someone has been sleeping (which is not an unusual circumstance!) they seem to perk up for this one. and when they notice me standing very near singing directly to them, the close contact always brings a beaming smile, and by the time we finish the chant, even those who may have been snoring, are now fully engaged. Over the years I have watched several residents transition from walking in on their own, to using a cane, then a walker and, because it has become so important to them, even when they move to a wheelchair, someone helps them get to and from the Synagogue so they can participate.

The very first session, a tiny little woman who snored quite loudly right beside me throughout the hour said as she left, "Thank you so much! For the first time in ages, I didn't feel my pain for a few minutes!"

One man who was almost completely deaf, came every month during the first few years, singing his heart out even though he couldn't hear most of what we said or sang.  The practice was so meaningful to him that even on the days when he was feeling quite poorly, he came and participated fully right up until the last month of his life.

A woman who never, ever remembered that she had attended before, kept showing up month after month, as long as she was physically able to.... pouring her emotions into the chants and thanking me profusely afterwards.