The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love (For People of All Faiths, All Backgrounds)

Product Description

A few short words―repeated with passion & intention―can unlock treasure upon treasure of healing, wisdom & love

“Chant is a path for all of us who lead with our hearts, who are determined to seek out the truth that is buried deep beneath the ground of our lives, and who have made a commitment to live that truth, from moment to moment, breath to breath, ‘one little bit at a time.'”―from the Introduction

Chant is a meditative practice that fully engages the body, heart and mind, and facilitates healing and expansion of consciousness. Rabbi Shefa Gold, beloved teacher of chant, Jewish mysticism, prayer and spirituality, introduces you to this transformative spiritual practice as a way to unlock the power of sacred texts and take prayer and meditation into the delight of your life. She illuminates the usefulness, benefits and blessings of chant by:

Teaching you the theory and foundations of chant―its relation to beauty, pleasure and the deep wisdom buried in sacred texts
Providing―for the first time―complete musical notations for many of her popular chants and practical instruction for how to use them to cultivate self-awareness and love.

Review

Gold, Rabbi Shefa. The Magic of Hebrew Chanting: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, DeepeningLove. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2013. 326 pp. $24.99. (9781580236713).
Chanting is a form of meditation. Rabbi Shefa Gold has written a book presenting both the theory of chanting and also providing musical notations for her popular chants. Gold explains that the root: zayin-mem-resh ((רמז for chanting “has a double meaning: z-m-r means to chant, but it also means to prune.” By chanting, we are removing the nonessential and uncovering our soul or neshamah. Chanting can bring spirituality, healing and togetherness as a community. The book is well organized and the explanations are clear. One suggestion, however, I would also purchase Gold’s audio discs if you truly want to experience the power of chanting. If you can play a musical instrument, you can play and sing the chants yourself.
Ellen Share, Librarian, Washington Hebrew Congregation — Ellen Share,
Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

About the Author

Rabbi Shefa Gold, is director of C-DEEP: The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced several recordings, and her liturgies have been published in many prayer books. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of chanting, devotional healing, spiritual community building and meditation around the world. She also trains chant leaders in Kol Zimra, a two-year program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders. Shefa, who is on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is author of Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land and In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs. For more information about Rabbi Shefa Gold, please visit her website at .
Rabbi Shefa Gold is available to speak on the following topics:

The Magic of Hebrew Chant
Ecstatic Meditation
The Path of Love
Gratefulness as the Foundation of our Spiritual Practice
The Power of Intention

Sylvia Boorstein is cofounding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and a senior teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. She lectures nationally on Buddhism and mindfulness, and teaches Vipassana and Metta meditation.