Nava Tehila melody for psalm 27, verse 8
September 17, 2009
From Nava Tehila, the Jerusalem Jewish Renewal congregation which I love so much, comes the following melody for one of the lines of Psalm 27.
Yoel from Nava Tehila singing psalm 27, verse 8. If you can't see the embedded video, you can find it here.
The words are:
Lach amar libi bakshu panay
Et panayich HaVaYaH avakesh
"Havayah" is a reordering of the letters of the Divine Name, which is used often when people do not want to pronounce the name but do wish to mention the letters. It means "all existence," and is a feminine term. The rest of the Hebrew text has also been feminized; this is the form of address one would use in speaking to a woman rather than to a man. You might choose to understand this rendition of this line of the psalm as being sung to the immanent divine Presence of God (Shekhinah) rather than to the masculine transcendent (Kadosh Baruch Hu.) Or, not! Up to you.
The English translation is:
To You my heart has said: I turn to seek you,
Your Face / Presence is what I'm searching for.
Thanks, Reb Ruth & Nava Tehila folks, for this beautiful tune.