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Shefa Gold

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Shefa Gold
Born
Sherri Katz

Shanks Village (now Orangeburg), New York, U.S.
Education
OccupationRabbi
SpouseRachmiel O'Regan
Websitewww.rabbishefagold.com

Shefa Gold (born 1954 or 1955)[1] is an American rabbi, scholar, and Director of the Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice (C-DEEP) 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, Gold has worked to cultivate a distinctly Jewish gratitude practice.[5] Her "Flavors of Gratefulness" mobile app has 109 different chants for Modeh Ani, the brief prayer traditionally recited by religious Jews upon awakening.[6] In 2024 she released "Flavors of Praise" with 61 different chants.

Prior to her rabbinical training, Gold worked as 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 her training at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, she took time off to study Zen meditation practices (including chant). During a 1993 retreat led by Thích Nhât Hanh at the Omega Institute, Gold co-led a Rosh Hashanah service as many of the participants were Jewish.[9] By the time Gold was ordained as a rabbi in 1996, she had integrated Hebrew chant into her spiritual practice and, ultimately, her rabbinate (ministry).[8] She is a leader within ALEPH: the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and received ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in addition to her Reconstructionist one.[5][10] Through a program named 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] 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[which?] prayerbooks.[15]

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

Gold's work was featured in the book Stalking Elijah: Adventures with Today's Jewish Mystical Masters by Rodger Kamenetz.[16]

In 2017, Gold was one of the rabbis who signed a statement by Jewish Veg encouraging Jews to take up a vegan lifestyle.[17][18]

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

Selected publications

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  • Gold, Shefa (2006). Torah Journeys: An Inner Path to the Promised Land. Ben Yehuda Press. ISBN 978-0-9769862-6-3.
  • Gold, Shefa (2008). In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs. Ben Yehuda Press. ISBN 978-1-934730-26-3.
  • 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.
  • Gold, Shefa (2019). Are We There Yet?: Travel as a Spiritual Practice. Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 978-1-934730-72-0.

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c Byle, Ann (May 7, 2013). "Shefa Gold: The Joy of Hebrew Chant". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  8. ^ a b 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". The 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. ^ "Rabbi Shefa Gold: Giving Voice to Sacred Texts". Spirituality & Health. 2013-07-24.
  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. ^ Kamenetz, Rodger (1997). Stalking Elijah: Adventures with Today's Jewish Mystical Masters. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-064232-7.
  17. ^ "70-Plus Rabbis Urge Transition Toward Animal-Free, Plant-Based Diets". issuu.com. Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. 2017-09-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  18. ^ "New Jewish Veg – Rabbinic Statement on Plant-based Diet". Animal Interfaith Alliance. 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
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