A chant to lean into Elul in three parts

Part one: I'm going deep, deep within, mmmmmm (inspired by the practice of cheshbon hanefesh and teshuva during Elul)

Part two: I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine (acronym of Elul from Song of songs 6:3)

Part three: Whom shall I fear? Nobody! (inspired by Psalm 27, the psalm read/chanted daily during Elul)

Elul Chant 5781

A lullaby melody for day turning to night

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu
Ruach haolam asher bid’varo 
maariv aravim

B’chochmah potei-ach sh’arim, 
uvit’vunah m’shaneh itim 
umachalif et haz’manim, 
um’sadeir et hakochavim 
b’mishm’roteihem barakia kirtzono. 

Borei yom valailah, 
goleil or mipnei choshech, 
v’choshech mipnei or. 
Umaavir yom umeivi lailah, 
umavdil bein yom uvein lailah, 

Adonai Tz’vaot sh’mo. 
El chai v’kayam, 
tamid yimloch aleinu l’olam va-ed. 
Baruch atah, Adonai, hamaariv aravim.

Maariv Aravim Lullaby

Nishmat Kol Chai - Joey Weisenberg And The Hadar Ensemble

recorded by Batya Levine & Noam Lerman
November 9, 2016

Noam Lerman learned this song during a morning water ceremony that took place at standing rock reservation when they were there during sukkot. It was taught by someone named Lia.

Water Heal My Soul

Ozi v'zimrat yah vayihi li lishua 
My strength and the divine song will be my deliverance (Psalm 118:14, Exodus 15:2) 

A prayer for courage, strength, and surrender as we navigate these trying times.
lyrics
Ozi v'zimrat yah vayihi li lishua 

Claim your place in the fabric of creation 
Know your face as the face of the divine 
This is our time, we've come to unwind 
the tangled patterns of history. 
Lifetimes fall and rise 
surrendering to the Mystery. 

Don't stop now, don't turn back 
It's just beginning to flow 
Let go and see what your body knows 
You were made for this, made for this 
Open wide and shed your skin 
Through fire we begin again
credits
released September 14, 2017 
Composed by Cedar Ranney 
Arranged by Cedar Ranney & Madhu Anziani 
Vocals: Cedar Ranney & Madhu Anziani 
Percussion: Madhu Anziani 
Produced by Madhu Anziani 
Hebrew Lyrics: Psalm 118:14, Exodus 15:2 

With deep gratitude to my bright and well ancestors, Kohenet community and beyond, and my teachers Taya Shere and Ibrahim Baba. Thanks to Rabbi Shefa Gold for inspiration and Madhu Anziani for collaboration, allyship and recording.

Ozi V'zimrat Yah ft. Madhu Anziani

Mishpacha Nigun (Molly Bajgot & Sol Yael Weiss)

Batya Levine, Rena Branson, Aliza Schwartz, Tamar Sandweiss-Back

Shalom Aleichem (Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Sheva & Jai Uttal)

"The Sky's Reply" by Joshua Blaine
LYRICS:
מִֽן־הַ֭מֵּצַ֥ר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ עָנָ֖נִי בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 118:5

To You I call, feeling scared and small.
And You reply with the vastness of the sky!

English verse/translation inspired by-the English translation from Siddur HaKohanot: A Hebrew Priestess Prayerbook:
"I called to Yah from the narrow place, and was answered with the sky's wideness"

The Sky’s Reply by Josh Blaine

Mi Chamocha 
Traditional Indian Melody
Arranged and Produced by Shir Yaakov Feit
Recorded by Sol Weiss, Margot Seigle & Aly Halpert

מִ י כָ מכָ ה בָ אֵ לִ ים ה'. מִ י כָ מכָ ה נֶאְ דָ ר בַ ּקדֶ ׁש. נורָ א תְ הִ ּלות
עשה פֶ לֶ א מַ לְ כּותְ ָך רָ אּו בָ נֶיָך. ּבוקֵ עַ יָם לִ פְ נֵי משֶ ה. זֶה אֵ לִ י
עָ נּו וְ אָ מְ רּו יְהֹוָ ה יִמְ לְך לְ עלָ ם וָ עֶ ד וְ נֶאֱ מַ ר. כ ִ י פָ דָ ה ה' אֶ ת
יַ עֲ קב. ּוגְ אָ לו מִ יַ ד חָ זָק מִ מֶ ּנּו בָ רּוְך אַ תָ ה יְהֹוָ ה גָ אַ ל יִ שרָ אֵ ל

Mi chamocha baeilim Adonai. Mi kamocha ne’dar bakodesh. Nora t’hilot
osei fele. Malchut’cha rau vanecha, bokeia yam lifnei Moshe, zeh eili anu
v’am’ru: Adonai yimloch l’olam va’ed. V’ne’e-mar: Ki fada Adonai et
Ya’akov, u’g’alo miyad chazak mimenu. Baruch atah Adonai, ga’al yisrael.

Who is like you, Adonai, among all powers of the world? Who
is like you, glorious in holiness, Awesome in praises, doing
wonders? You redeem the one who wrestles, and make us whole
in the face of what overwhelms

Mi Chamocha - Shir Yaakov

This is a chant grounded in the resilience, courage, and hope of our Jewish ancestors, reminding us that when we fight for life and for justice, we are weaving ourselves with all justice-fighters who came before us. No fight is too big for our fierce and courageous hearts. 

As the story goes: In 1939, Nazis surrounded a group of Jews from Lublin, Poland, backed up against barbed wire and ordered them to sing to their own execution. One man began to sing: "Mir veln zey iberlebn, iberlebn, iberlebn” —"We will outlive them.” The song took hold among the entire people, who, as they awaited their deaths, began to dance. They danced with joy, with resilience, with a life that could not be destroyed by fascism, militarism, or genocide. The commander saw this resilience. He recognized their defiance. They continued, even as the SS troops charged at them. Most lost their lives that day. And some lived to tell this story. We are here. We will outlive them. We will join forces and voices with others to fight so we can all outlive them, together (thank you, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice!). 

Vocals: Avra Shapiro
Melody: Avra Shapiro
Arrangement: Avra Shapiro & Nadav Simon 
Bass: Matt Coglianese
Drums: Nadav Simon
Violin: Mallory Linehan
Production and Mixing: Nadav Simon
Mastering: Steve Marek 
Recorded and Mastered at Cybernetic Meadow
Art by Micah Bazant (poster can be bought here: https://www.micahbazant.com/buy-art/we-will-outlive-them).

Mir Veln Zey Iberlebn

Origin:
We don't know who wrote this song, if you do, please let us know in the comments!

This song came to our community through folks who learned it at a Let My People Sing workshop taught by the farmers at Linke Fligl. 

This version is a collaborative audio recording created by NSP members. Folks sang individually into their phones and computers, and then we edited the audio tracks, weaving all the voices together. We created this recording for a Musical Tu Bishvat Seder in 2021, hosted by Hadar's Rising Song Institute.

Singers: Sarah Beth Alcabes, the Balis family, Jen Liebschutz, Lauren Spokane, Tyler Benjamin, Atid Kimelman, Miriam Ginsberg, Marni Loffman, Ike Swetlitz, Sofie Werthan, Sam Waxman, Akiva Wolberg, Ori Clemons, Elana Orbuch, Mira Smith, Aliza Wasserman, Yael Kiken, Becca Vogel, & Leah Muskin-Pierret

Audio Editor: Miriam Ginsberg

Words:
I am a wave
I am a wave
Make me the sea
Make me the sea

I am a seed // Make me a tree
I am a mountain // Make me a stone
I am a breeze // Make me a storm
I am a ____ // Make me a ______

I am a Wave

The New Synagogue Project is building a spiritually vibrant, radically inclusive synagogue that reflects our vision for a world of justice, equity, and liberation. Our community is being created by and for families with kids, couples and single people, queer and trans people, disabled and chronically ill people, D/deaf and hard of hearing folks, interfaith families, Jews of color and white Jews, Jews from many religious and secular backgrounds, and anyone interested in exploring and experiencing Jewish life. 

We believe communal singing is an incredibly powerful way to pray, connect with each other and ourselves, and find healing. Singing infuses our services and gatherings, and we are always looking for new ways to create vibrant, songful experiences. Come sing with us!

I am a Wave

New Synagogue Project

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