Jeanette Gross was invited to lead The Mill Valley Community Church Choir and Congregation
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 ITSELF 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."
(click to play) (Shehechiyanu)
(click to play) (B'tzelim Elohim)
(click to play) (Ana El Na R'fanala)
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 teaching 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 since March, 2000. In addition to her regular chanting sessions, Jeanette has organized and led special chanting sessions for Temple Beth Abraham's Sisterhood (Oakland, CA), The Mill Valley Community Church (Mill Valley, CA), Temple Isaiah's 'Boi Kallah' Shabbat Retreat and for Temple Isaiah's Annual Women's Retreat. Since 2008 she has been leading 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 study session using sacred chant to deepen and enrich this long day of prayer and fasting. (Open to the public, continuous from 2:30pm to 4:00 pm, leading into Temple Isaiah's Afternoon Service at 4:00 pm)
Margaret Sawyer, Jeanette's friend and student accompanied her and co-led the choir.
*All chants were recorded live at Mill Valley Community Church, Mill Valley, California, February 17, 2008.
To Contact Jeanette, click here
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