I Am Shekhinah
A poem celebrating the Feminine in Judaism …
Spirituality
Your People Will Be My People (Ruth)
Ruth 1:16-18 Composition, lyrics and audio © Alexander Massey, 9 Nov 2011 BUY the sheet music (solo & pno) – $4.95 BUY the sheet music (duet & pno) – $6.75 (3 copies @ $2.25) Vatomeir Rut al-tifgi-bi, l’azveich lashuv meiachara’ich: ki el asher teilchi eileich, uva’asher talini alin – ameich ami, veilohayich elohai; ba’asher tamuti …
A tale of a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl)
My tallit is one of my most personal and precious Jewish objects. It is what I wrap around me when I step into prayer – intimate, I-Thou encounter with God. When I had one handwoven for me by the wonderful Amy Smith at Blue Feet Studio, I wanted to personalise it so that it could have special …
Mah Tovu No. 1
BUY the sheet music (3 vces) – $2.25 (3 copies @ $0.75) Mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov, mishk’notecha Yisrael. “How good are your tents, O Jacob, how pleasant your dwellings.” (Num 24:5) When the renowned magician Bilam was commissioned by King Balak to curse the Israelites, despite all his best efforts, Bilam found himself unable to …
Adon Olam No. 1
BUY the sheet music (2 vces & pno) – $6.75 (3 copies @ $2.25) Adon Olam is one of those lyrics that everyone seems to know by heart, and many take great delight in fitting to popular tunes like ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘Summertime’, ‘Happy Birthday’, or even ‘Yellow Submarine’. But what is it about what, …
Yedid Nefesh
Composition and audio © Alexander Massey 2011 BUY the sheet music (1 or 2 vces & pno) – $4.95 The poem of Yedid Nefesh is usually attributed to the 16th century kabbalist Rabbi Elazar Ben Azikri, although he never claimed authorship. The text is often sung at Kabbalat Shabbat, the service bringing in Shabbat on …
Ahavat Olam
Congregational version (lower key, Dm) Solo version (tenor, Fm) Composition and audio © Alexander Massey 2011 – All Rights Reserved BUY the sheet music (solo & pno) – $4.95 BUY the sheet music (duet & piano) – $6.75 (3 copies @ $2.25) BUY the sheet music (SATB & pno) – $9 (4 copies @ $2.25) …
Yotzeir Or
Composition and audio © Alexander Massey 22 June 2011 BUY the sheet music (vce & pno, + optional instruements) – $4.95 The Yotzeir Or blessing is a reminder to live joyfully and gratefully, to raise our voices in song, and our feet in dance. This nigun was shaped with that in mind – and heart. In …
Seven Tryptichs on the Shema
The Rabbis juxtaposed the three separate paragraphs of the Shema, because they touched on so many themes and layers of meaning central to Judaism. Reading the Shema therefore enables us to fulfill the commandment to study Torah (Berachot 60b). For about a year and a half, I have studied the Shema closely, as well as …
Tree of Life Nigun
Composition and audio © Alexander Massey 4 May 2007 BUY the sheet music (lead sheet, optional pno part) – $1.95 This nigun was written to mirror the movement of the angels on Jacob’s ladder, ascending and descending between earth and heaven (Gen 28:10-19). I originally thought of the melody spanning 10 pitches (B to D), …