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Shefa Gold

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]

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  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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