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Havdalah
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Havdalah means "separation" in Hebrew. It is a song played on the Lyre with an "embedded Niggun" that I hope musically illustrates the separation of the sacred from the profrane.
piano spiritual sacred relaxing jewish peaceful meditation yoga alangoldbergmusic
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Alan Goldberg Music - Including Lyre and piano based Kabbalah music to relax the soul and prepare for Shabbat, meditation, and introspection.
The challenge of creating instrumental music that communicates a deep spiritual connection led Alan naturally to the Jewish musical tradition of the niggun the wordless tune. Instead of the traditional wordless singing of melodies, he employs the lyre, an instrument deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition and associated with holiness and spirituality from antiquity, as well as piano. “Bringing the sound of the lyre back into the consciousness of people in order to create spiritual movement is one of the driving forces behind my music,” Alan says. While the wellspring of the music is from a Jewish perspective, the sense of yearning in the music is accessible to ”seekers” of all faiths. A piano and keyboard player for many years, including a stint in Austin Pop-Rock band “The Damage Project”, Alan released his solo piano CD “Small Acts” in 2001 as music to prepare the mind and soul for the Sabbath. Music that helps to relax people and get them in touch with their spiritual side is important, especially in these tense times. "It’s not uncommon for my music to be used in ways that allow it to find it’s way into a person’s consciousness when their guard is down,“ Alan explains. “That’s the most effective time to do soul work.” So it’s not surprising that Alan’s music has been used by therapy, massage, and healing groups to help in relaxation and meditation exercises, made its way into soundtracks for student films, in radio advertisements, and onto Jewish-oriented radio stations. "A song from my first album "Fuel For the Fire" ended up as background music for some TV college basketball highlights." Alan muses. "Now that's a novel approach to spirituality." "Ultimately it's about a connection to the divine", Alan says. "Many people define their day, and their lives, by the things that distract them from what really makes them happy. If a little bit of music can help to center someone, to remind them of what their true source of meaning is, and I can contribute to that, then I've done what I'm supposed to do."
Song Info
Genre
World New Age
Charts
Peak #290
Peak in subgenre #79
Author
Alan Goldberg
Rights
2004
Uploaded
March 14, 2004
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.0 MB 128 kbps 0:00
Story behind the song
'Havdalah,' which is Hebrew for "separation", is a ceremony where a blessing is said with wine, candles and spices to mark the end of Shabbat (Sabbath) on Saturday evening. The separation highlights the distinction between Shabbat and the other days of the week. The practice of the Havdalah ceremony goes as far back as the fourth and fifth century B. C. E. Shabbat is more than a day of rest from work. It is an acknowledgement that nothing comes from my own hand, that everything comes from the Creator of all things. Without this acknowledgement, idolatry follows, creating the false belief that I am responsible for my own success, not the One who controls everything. Havdalah serves to close this special time, reaffirmng that even though I return to do what must be done to earn a living, I understand that whatever happens comes from the will of the Creator. Upon the closing of the Havdalah ceremony, a blessing is recited affirming distinctions in all part of our lives which concludes with "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who distinguishes between sacred and profane (Bayn Kodesh LeChol)." What we gain from this blessing is a reminder to separate, to draw a distinction between one thing and another. The idea here is a subtle one. A lot of what we do during the day involves figuring out the differences between things so that we can make correct choices. What Havdalah reinforces in us is to learn how to distinguish between things that may not appear to be so different unless we really consider them, and to draw a dividing line where the borders are fuzzy and the differences are not clear. Jewish law is built on a deep foundation that illuminates subtle differences and distinctions. It may not always be clear to us what is holy and what is profane, or that this thing is pure and another is impure. Much devotion and effort has been offered throughout the ages to teach us how to differentiate, how to separate clean from unclean, sacred from profane and how to choose life over death. To be able to recognize the holy in all things serves as a guide for action, and allows us to see its uniqueness and to ultimately cherish it. This song, played on the 30-string lyre,starts out with the daily 'grind'. Try the image of a hamster running on a wheel. However, there is a 'second theme' that comes in that is the thread of the spiritual infusing the mundane things of the day with a spark. Then the grind stops, and a time and melody for spritual connection only comes. Imagine that these interludes are times of prayer. Then once again the 'race' continues, and back and forth, separating, fusing, then blurring together, hopefully with the right choices being made along the way, until once again Shabbat comes......
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