“…and G!D called…(Vayikra).
There is the ‘call’… and the ‘response’. It is an act of mutuality. It is not simply G!D speaking to us…it is a call for interaction and a dance with the Divine.”

In K’riyah we chant in Call and Response form and use the breath and silence between chants to guide us. Every exhale is a practice in humility and every inhale is an act of receiving. From the silence we can know what it is to hear and respond from an authentic space in the heart.

Listening and Love are at the center of Jewish prayer. The Shema with the call to listen, and the embracing of divine oneness, followed by the V’ahavta with a declaration to love.

Devotional chant is a path of love and listening. Through chanting, the Love that is present in everyone’s heart is awakened and one can realize their innate connection to the Divine.

Devotion is the act of deep, steady affection or faithfulness and the path of devotion is one of the most direct routes to an inner experience of G-d.

Chant opens our heart for the natural flow of devotion to guide us to our true nature and deep connection to others, the Divine and ourselves. The power of devotional chant is in the simple acts of devotion, surrender and kavvanah (intention). The combination of these allows us to clear our hearts and minds to receive and transform. Ultimately, this practice simply asks you to show up with a desire to open, listen and love.

Jacqueline Westhead is a professional musician, teacher and performer who has been bringing her diverse blend of drumming, meditation, chant and embodiment teachings to Jewish communities around the country. She has studied movement and chant around the world and their relationship to awareness and was a part of the Jewish Meditation Teacher’s Certification program in Berkeley CA. She has toured and taught with Rabbi Shefa Gold and is on the most current CDs of Rabbi Gold and Rabbi Hannah Tiferet Seigel. She leads devotional chant and tours the country working with other musicians and is co-authoring a book about the relationship of body, voice and rhythm as tools for deepening with self, G-d and other. Jacqueline has studied developmental movement, dance and Authentic Movement and is certified in massage and as a Somatic educator.