Shefa Gold

Shefa Gold (born 1954 or 1955)[1] is an American rabbi, scholar, and director of C-DEEP, The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Gold is a teacher of chant, Jewish mysticism, Jewish prayer and spirituality who Rabbi Mike Comins described in 2010 as "a pioneer in the ecstatic practice of Jewish chant."[2] Her chants have been used in synagogues, minyanim, and street protests, perhaps her most well-known being "Ozi V'zimrat Yah".[3][4] Combining traditional Jewish liturgical music with Hebrew chant, she has worked to cultivate Jewish gratitude practice.[5] Her "Flavors of Gratefulness" mobile app has 79 different chants for the morning prayer Modeh Ani (feminine "Modah Ani") as of Dec 31, 2020.[6]

Shefa Gold
Born
Sherri Katz

New York City, New York, U.S.
Education
OccupationRabbi
Spouse(s)Rachmiel O'Regan
Websitewww.rabbishefagold.com

Prior to becoming a rabbi, Gold was a musician. She said in a 2013 interview "what I was really trying to do with my music was create sacred space. I felt how powerful music is in opening hearts."[7][8] During rabbinical school she took time off to study Zen meditation practices including chant and co-lead a Rosh Hashanah service at a retreat led by Thich Nhat Hanh at the Omega Institute in 1993 as many participants were Jewish.[9] By the time Gold was ordained as a rabbi by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1996 she had integrated Hebrew chant into her spiritual practice and ultimately into her rabbinate.[8] She is a leader within Aleph: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received semicha from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.[5][10] Through a program called Kol Zimra, Gold has trained rabbis, cantors, and lay leaders in Hebrew chant practices.[7][11] According to one Jewish Telegraphic Agency article, nearly all interest in Jewish chanting today can be traced back to Gold.[3] She was included in Letty Cottin Pogrebin's 2007 list The Other Fifty Rabbis in America,[12] and in a 2015 list of "America's most inspiring rabbis" by The Forward,[1] and has been quoted in articles that discuss the intersection of New Age/Spirituality and Judaism.[3][13][14]

Gold has produced ten albums and her liturgies have been published in several prayerbooks.[15]

She is the author of several books on deepening spiritual awareness through sacred chant and meditation:

  • Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land [16]
  • In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of The Song of Songs [17]
  • The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love [18]
  • Are We There Yet?: Travel as a Spiritual Practice [19]

Gold's work was featured in the book Stalking Elijah: Adventures with Today's Jewish Mystical Masters by Rodger Kamenetz.[20]

In 2017, Gold was one of the rabbis who signed a statement by Jewish Veg encouraging veganism for all Jews.[21]

Gold has described Hebrew chant as effective for healing and transforming people of different religions, not just adherents of Judaism.[7]

References
  1. Eisner, Jane (2015). "America's Most Inspiring Rabbis: 33 Men & Women Who Move Us". The Forward.
  2. Comins, Mike (2010). Making Prayer Real: Leading Jewish Spiritual Voices on why Prayer is Difficult and what to Do about it. Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58023-417-7.
  3. Harris, Ben (2010-11-23). "With shruti boxes and drums, practitioners chanting their way into Judaism". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  4. Mathias, Christopher (2018-10-31). "Trump's Visit To Pittsburgh — A City That Didn't Want Him". Huffington Post.
  5. Abernethy, Bob (2005-09-30). "Jewish Renewal". PBS.
  6. Cohen, Susannah (2018-11-02). "Thank goodness: Gratitude may just be the secret to a happy life". So Tov.
  7. Byle, Ann. "Shefa Gold: The Joy of Hebrew Chant". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  8. Palmer, Joanne (2013-04-12). "A chant encounter with God: How a Paramus teen grew into a rabbi in search of heaven's gate". Jewish Standard.
  9. Steinfels, Peter (1993-09-19). "At a Retreat, a Zen Monk Plants the Seeds of Peace". New York Times.
  10. "Authors". Evolve. 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  11. "Kol Zimra: Chant Leader's Professional Development". Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  12. Letty Cottin Pogrebin (April 16, 2007). "The Other Top Fifty Rabbis in America". Lilith. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  13. SH Editors (2013-07-24). "Rabbi Shefa Gold: Giving Voice to Sacred Texts". Spirituality & Health.
  14. Schultz, Matthew (2019-10-09). "Of Tao and Torah: New Age Beliefs Are Making Serious Inroads in U.S. Jewish Life". Haaretz.
  15. "Rabbi Shefa Gold". rabbishefagold.com. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  16. Gold, Shefa (2006). Torah Journeys: An Inner Path to the Promised Land. Ben Yehuda Press. ISBN 978-0-9769862-6-3.
  17. Gold, Shefa (2008). In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs. Ben Yehuda Press. ISBN 978-1-934730-26-3.
  18. Gold, Shefa (2013). The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening Love. Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58023-671-3.
  19. Gold, Shefa (2019). Are We There Yet?: Travel as a Spiritual Practice. Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 978-1-934730-72-0.
  20. Kamenetz, Rodger (1997). Stalking Elijah: Adventures with Today's Jewish Mystical Masters. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-064232-7.
  21. "Rabbinic Statement". Jewish Veg. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
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