Shabbat Gathering: Jewish meditation?
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Here we go.
Hi. Lately I’ve been studying several books on Jewish meditation and I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned. Ok?
What makes Jewish meditation Jewish? While it shares some of the techniques of other meditation practices, Jewish meditation is focused on Jewish practices and imagery. It avoids imagery from other faiths and Jewish meditation is based on the theory and practices found throughout Torah, Talmud, and Kabbalah.
Recommended books.
These are the books I’ve been reading:
Discovering Jewish Meditation: A Beginner’s Guide to an Ancient Spiritual Practice, by Nan Fink Gefen. Gefen was a meditation teacher at Chochmat HaLev and the co-founder of Tikkun magazine. She is the founding editor and publisher of Persimmon Tree: An Online Magazine of the Arts by Women Over Sixty. Discovering Jewish Meditation is a beginner’s guide that’s light on theory and heavy on practice. Highly recommended.
Jewish Meditation by Aryeh Kaplan. Kaplan was a rabbi and physicist (!). He wrote twenty-five books before he died at 48-years-old. He wrote Meditation and Kabbalah which is very heavy on theory and history and light on practice. Jewish Meditation is more accessible and more focused on practice. Recommended.
Meditation From the Heart of Judaism, edited by Avrum Davis. This book is an anthology containing of essays by “rock stars” of Judaism, Kabbalah, and meditation. Contributors include Sylvia Boorstein, David Cooper, Shefa Gold, Lawrence Kushner, Alan Lew, Shaul Magid, and Daniel Matt among others. This is not a beginner’s guide as much as an overview of how meditation belongs in Jewish practice.
The Way of the Flame, by Avrum Davis. Rabbi Davis is one of the founders of Chochmat HaLev, one of the first Renewal synagogues in America and a Jewish meditation center (I've met and studied with Rabbi Davis). This book is more focused on theory and history than practice but is brief and an essential book in the genre.
The practical books agree on the same three types of practices:
Focused meditation. An image or “mantra” is repeated over and over again for the duration of the meditation. When other thoughts pass through the mind, as they inevitably will, we acknowledge them and give them to Hashem.
Awareness meditation. The idea here is to just watch the thoughts pass through the mind and note them to better learn how our minds work. The idea is that we become the one observing our thoughts rather than the one thinking our thoughts.
Emptiness meditation. Here, we try to empty our mind completely of all thoughts. This is a difficult way meditation and Rabbi Kaplan recommends not trying this technique right away.
All three of these meditations can lead to a more direct connection with Hashem.
I have a daily practice now and have only put together 48 consecutive days. I meditate from ten to thirty minutes. So far it’s been rewarding. Already, my mind is calmer and I feel balanced. I’m starting with a meditation recommended by Gefen. It is a focus meditation. I chant the words, “Hineini, Here I am, Hashem.” This helps me focus on the idea behind the chant and put out of my mind other thoughts. I’ll let you know how it all works out.
And may it be for all of us a blessing.
See you tonight!
Gut Shabbes!
All my love,
brian.
PS
Laurel Brett
Julia Gergely
Beth Harpaz
Rob Eshman
Nehama Stampfer Glogower
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