Enjoy the music!


stand alone player

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Jewish Health Guide

Hello Friends! It's been some time since I've been here. Please accept my apologies. I tend to get distracted with so many of my interests. The good news is that it keeps me happy! I have come across a wonderful helpful website that I would like to share with you: The Jewish Health Guide. Please take the time to peruse and use it! B'vracha, Rahel

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Fire in the Forest

This song came to me direct and complete. Like Rebbe Nachman's stories it has many levels of meaning to it. It is dedicated to and in many ways about Rebbe Nachman z"l, or about the sages who have studied and lived Torah. It's about you and me who are emulating the sages and keeping G-D and G-D's Torah in front of us. It's about the fire that ignites within when studying and living a life filled with G-D's word. FIRE IN THE FOREST c 1984 Ann R. Silverman-Limor aka RAHEL CD: Hinay Ma Tov; Track 5; Arranged & Produced by Tofa’ah ---- There is a forest far away from here. There sits a weary man tending his treasures of wrinkles and minding his wares. Blessings and prayers, he sings to the Lord. Thickets of life in the pockets of time. There's a fire in the forest. -- In the heart of illusion burns a steady flame; Glowing in the darkness; Questioning life of the here and there. Guarding the answers. Seekers of light yearning for wisdom. Thickets of life in the pockets of time. There's a fire in the forest. -- Sing to the heavens. Reach for a shining star. Covet the secrets of ageless wanderings. Blessings and prayers. Seekers of light sing to the Lord. Thickets of life in the pockets of time. There's a fire in the forest.

If we can find peace....

If we can find peace within ourselves we can make peace throughout the world... Oseh Shalom bimromav - Hu ya'aseh Shalom alaynu v'al kol Yisrael - v'imru AMEN!

Sacred Dancing

Barukh Adoshem Elokay Yisrael Psalm 41:14 --- Blessed is Adonai, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity – Amen and Amen! ---- Ba-rukh AdoShem Elo-kay Yisra-el, may – ha-o-lam v’-ad ha-o-lam ]x4 --- A-men v’a-men ]x4 There are a few songs in my Tikkun collection that I have created dances to. This is one of them! Feel free to dance along!

Niggun: A Happy Melody

Come on and sing along!

T'home el t'home (Psalm 42:8)

T’home-el-t’home Psalm 42: 8 --- Deep cries out to deep, the sounds of the opened slices of heaven’ all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. ---- T’home el t’home, ko-ray l’kol, tsee-no-re-hkha } X2 -- Kol-mish-ba-re-kha, v’ga-le-kha, v’ga-le-kha a-lai, A-lai a-vah-ru -- T’home el t’home … The timing of this performance at a festival taking place the week before Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, inspired me to bring Greg Salts on the stage to include the powerful awakening sound of the shofar. I felt the addition of the shofar was particularly relevant to these verses of this psalm.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Before the Montains Were Born (Psalm 90:2)

B’terem Harim Yuladu Psalm 90; 2 ----- Before the mountains were born. Before you set forth the earth and the inhabited world. From world to world You are HaShem ---- B’te-rem ha-rim yu-la-du, va-t’kho-lel e-retz v’te-vel ] x2 U-meh-o-lam ad o-lam a-tah kel ] x4 This clip is from a performance a festival in New Hampshire.

Tikkun Visual

Please enjoy this introductory clip of my 3-disc CD called Tikkun. We are created in the image of G-d. As such, our reason for existence is to reflect G-d’s Light. Creation begins with G-d; void, emptiness, a thought, a breath, chaos changing to form. As we have been created, so we create. Creativity springs forth from within us as G-d works through us. G-d is pleased with us when we reflect back The Light. ------ Sefer Tehillim (The Book of Psalms) is a collection of 150 songs and meditations reflecting a stirring of the heart and an emotional outpouring of the soul. It is a well of creative expression that is available to everyone. Sefer Tehillim represents a complete musical system of which we know very little. Talmudic sages have taught that the original Hebrew text of the Psalms contains profound hidden wisdom. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov z"l (1772-1810) taught that there are ten psalms, when recited as a whole, will bring about a complete spiritual healing. He called these ten the Tikkun HaKlali (The Complete Remedy). --------------- The Ten Psalms comprising the Tikkun HaKlali are: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150 -------------------------------- The Tikkun HaKlali crossed my path many times over the years, but I paid little attention. I, like so many others, was “asleep”. In 1995, in the midst of a personal life change, it found me again, yet only for a moment. By the year 2004 the Tikkun HaKlali has at long last become central in my life. I am awake and listening. This CD was a long time in coming. It is a work that was born of khesed (lovingkindness). There are so many people to whom I would like to express my heartfelt thanks: First and foremost to G-d for the constant nudges and whacks, and for always standing in my way! To Aaron, Greg, and Chris, whose sincere devotion to this project has been nothing less than awesome; to Inbal and Eran, my loving and patient children; to Aaron’s children, Rowan and Lorian; to my Dad, who always supports the artist in me; to Karen Satz for her enthusiasm, support and encouragement; to the Tobi Family, and to Zo Tobi for the healing hand artwork and logo (www.zotobi.com); to Chana, B.F. & W.O.W, for everlasting wisdom and friendship; to Rav Avraham Greenbaum, author of The Wings of the Sun (Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem) who gave me the first words of encouragement to go forward with this work; to Rav Shalom Brodt for a thumbs up; to the Breslover Institute whose ein sof devotion to Reb Nachman has enlightened me and all those who seek to know; and to all who listen to this work with open ears and loving hearts. Please take these songs as your own and let them do their work for, and through you.

Babylon (Psalm 137: 1,2,4)

Babylon is a place of Jewish sorrow. Forcibly exiled from our homeland, we are taunted and teased by our captives who want us to sing our songs of joy. But we cannot sing when our home is in ruins and we are now exiled. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Al Naharote Bavel Psalm 137; 1,2,4 1. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and we wept as we remembered Zion. 2. Upon the willows on its banks we hung up our harps. 4. But how shall we sing the song of our L-rd on foreign soil? Al na-ha-rote Ba-vel, al na-ha-rote Ba-vel, al na-ha-rote Ba-vel Sham ya-shav-nu, sham ya-shav-nu sham ya-shav-nu gam ba-khee-nu B’zakh-ray-nu, b’zakh-ray-nu, b’zakh-ray-nu, b’zakh-ray-nu et Tsion Al a-ra-vim, al a-ra-vim, al ara-vim b’to-kha Ta-lee-nu, ta-lee-nu, ta-lee-nu keenoro-tay-nu Ekh na-shir, ekh na-shir et shir HaShem Ekh na-shir et shir HaShem al ad-mat neh-khar. Oh….. Al na-ha-rote Ba-vel, al na-harote Ba-vel, al na-ha-rote Ba-vel…---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Nachman on Music

RABBI NACHMAN of Braslav Sayings on Music**

From: http://www.nigun.info/nachmanwords.html#top


A holy melody has the power to bring one to the level of prophecy. Music is the foundation of true attachment to God. (From Advice 'melody')

Music will make you happy and bring you to religious fervor. ( From the Aleph-Bet Book 'simcha')

When people dance and clap their hands the harsh judgements are sweetened. (From Advice 'simcha')

Music has a tremendous power to draw you to God. Get into the habit of always singing a tune. It will give you a new life and send joy into your soul. Then you will be able to bind yourself to God. It is especially good to sing on Shabbat and the festivals, and at a wedding celebration. (From Advice 'melody')

When a person achieves moral purity, his voice is also purified. Simply through hearing the sound of his voice singing, God sees which enemy is oppressing us - which of the seventy nations with their seventy languages. Then God saves us from trouble. When a harsh decree is passed against the Jews, God forbid, and one of the nations rises up against us, it is very good to sing the song or anthem of that nation. When our cries and singing are directed towards Heaven, it arouses God's love. He looks down upon us in our trouble and saves us from the people oppressing us.

The Rebbe said, "It is good to make a habit of inspiring yourself with a melody.
"There are great concepts included in each holy melody, and they can arouse your heart and draw it toward G-d.

"Even if you cannot sing well, you can still inspire yourself with a melody" sung to the best of your ability while alone at home. The loftiness of melody is beyond all measure."

The Rebbe's works contain towering lessons speaking of song. (759)
The Tale of the Seven Beggars (760) also alludes to the importance of melody. The unconscious princess is cured mainly through melody, through the ten categories of song. (761) Understand the depth of this.
The divine soul in every Jew is a princess - a king's daughter. She is weary and faint because of her sins. She is held captive by an evil king and is shot with ten poisonous arrows. Only a great Tzadik has the power to enter every place where the soul has fallen and remove all ten arrows from her. In order to heal her, he must be able to discern all ten types of pulsebeat. (762) He must know all ten categories of song, for her main cure is through melody and joy. (763) Taking this as a clue, you can understand the entire story. Use it as a means of returning to G-d in truth. "For the main thing is not study, but deeds". (764) (From Rabbi Nachman's wisdom paragraph 273 - translated from Sichot Haran by Rabbi Arye Kaplan)


759. Ibid. 3, 8:9, 38:4, 42, 49:7, 282; B 8:1, 31 92.
760. Sipurey Maasios 13. See above, 149-151.
761. Ibid. 76b.
762. Ibid.
763. See Lekutey Moharan 2:92, above, 129.
764. Avos 1:17.


Jerusalem Dome

I saw this photo on Facebook and could not resist sharing it. I remember watching the on-going repair of this famous Al Aksa mosque in Jerusalem; the roof being replaced by actual gold financed by the late King Hussein of Jordan. Over the years I came to respect the late king whom I sincerely believe also came to respect us Jews too. I remember the event when a crazed Jordanian soldier gunned down a group of young Israeli High School students at a popular tourist location on the Israeli-Jordanian border. This was NOT a common event for Jordanians. Jordanian soldiers were very disciplined and respectful in general. The late King Hussein was sincerely horrified and full of regret for what had occured. So much so that he came to Israel for the sole purpose of consoling the families of the murdered youth. I watched in tears as the king went down on his knees to express his sorrow to the surviving family members. Imagine a king bowing on his knees to common folk - an ARAB king kneeling to common Jews! I should note that the king had not yet visited the Al Aksa mosque and did not do so at this opportunity either. In fact he died without ever having visited the finished mosque. The golden dome was repaired and is indeed very beautiful. The king remains an honorable and respected man in my eyes. Nevertheless, history reminds us that this very beautiful mosque is plopped and sitting on the holiest place for us Jews. It marks a victory for the Muslims who tirelessly work towards conquering the infidel in order to create an entire Muslim universe. So in this regard I feel personally offended each time I see a photo of the golden dome sitting arrogantly above and on top of the most holy place for Jews, the Kotel (Wailing or Western wall). When I saw this photo I sighed with relief and a smile came over my face. Our holiest of holies seemed to have finally, at least symbolically, been returned to G-D's chosen people. I admit that I prefer NOT to use the word "chosen" because this term is very misunderstood. We, the Jews, agreed to answer the call to live by G-D's word. We entered into a covenant, a direct relationship with G-D to live according to a high moral and spiritual standard. Living up to G-D's standards is far from easy. We do our best. Anyway, that's a subject for discussion that I will be happy to have in another posting. I invite anyone to engage in discussion at any time. I hope you like this photo as much as I do! L'chayim!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Learn how to play YOMAM!

Shalom, I have received many requests to learn how to play my song, YOMAM (Psalm 42:9) from my CD, TIKKUN. Below is a teaching video clip. Please feel free to learn it, play it, share it, and mostly, help spread beautiful music around the world. However, if you perform it, please mention my name (RAHEL aka Ann Silverman-Limor), my website and where people can purchase the music. Here are the chord charts: Chord Chart #1 chords only Chord Chart #2 with lyrics Many Blessings, Rahel