Meditation: The Jewish Heritage
Monday, October 19, 2015
Modern Judaism suffers from a lack of inspiration and I would assert that this is based on the negligence of our tremendous spiritual heritage and the insistence of keeping continuity with our fore-fathers methodology of doing Judaism. Judaism of today is evolving but ever so slowly away from the rigid foundations of religiosity which were developed within the context of the Middle Ages. An awakening is happening that is based upon the revelation of sacred texts and teachings from the ascended masters of our own tradition. Many Jews who have left Judaism in search of spirituality are now realizing that a great spiritual heritage exists within their own ancestral community. A major component of this awakening is in the realm of meditation. Meditation is the obvious venture of Eastern spiritual traditions but a not so obvious aspect of Judaism. Truthfully Jews are still largely ignorant of meditation and don't make the association between meditative or contemplative practice and the tradition of Judaism as they have been raised to view it.
Meditation is a common Kabbalistic practice and therefore an indispensable part of Judaism. As Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz states in the introduction of his book 'The Thirteen Petalled Rose' the Kabbalah can be defined precisely as Jewish theology. Unlike other religious theologies though the Kabbalah transcends intellectual and philosophical musings and aspires to connect the Jew to the Creator in a direct experiential way. Many Kabbalists such as Abraham Abulafia, Joseph Gitkatilla, Azriel of Gerona, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, Moses Cordovero, the Arizal, etc. have all described meditative techniques. In fact, meditation was seen as the primary tool of devekut and establishing kavanah without which the performance of mitzvoth would be performed without the benefit of connection and that is the primary purpose of the mitzvoth. Further, prayer was seen as important but not without kavanah.
Many Chasidic leaders and Mekubalim (Kabbalists) advises one not to pray with a minyan if there wasn't kavanah therein- needless to say most Jews would not be going to synagogue if this rule were applied today. It was Abraham Abulafia who stated that meditation is more powerful than prayer and even takes precedence over it. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov later stated:
"The days pass and are gone, and one finds that he never once had time to really think… One who does not meditate cannot have wisdom."
Spiritual advancement requires meditation and in the Introduction to his work: 'Torah as a Guide to Enlightenment,' Rabbi Gabriel Cousens M.D. recounts meeting with a famous Kabbalist in Israel who knew the ends and outs of the theoretical aspects of Kabbalah but when questioned about whether he was a meditator the esteemed Kabbalist lamented that he has not gotten around to it. Of course this "Gadol" of Kabbalah was not a Kabbalist at all as no one who studies Kabbalah who does not apply the Kabbalah can be considered anything more than a novice a purely academic discipline. The mere study of Kabbalah is akin to an observer looking from the outside in but the one who applies Kabbalah via meditation is akin to a participant in the actual process of the Kabbalah.
Within the context of Jewish meditation there are MANY methodologies. There are mantra meditations and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov recommends using the phrase "Ribbono Shel Olam" as a mantra in order to fulfill the words of the Psalmist "I have set HaShem continually before me" (Psalm 16:8). The 72 Divine Names may also be used as mantra type meditations, more advanced meditation called Yichidum and Tzeruf are also proscribed. The intent here is not to describe the particulars of Jewish meditation but to open the eyes to the need of incorporating meditation into one's daily life for in so doing we will improve our spiritual state both individually and collectively.
When starting a practice of meditation it is important to establish a fixed time every day (Pirkei Avot 1:15) and this period of time can start off as a simple quieting of the mind and practice of focused breathing that lasts for 10 minutes. Eventually the time will increase and you will find yourself able to easily meditate without effort. Try and incorporate stillness and mindfulness as you perform the prayers in the Siddur, use the Tehillim (Psalms) as a mantra, and/or visualize (internally fixate) upon the Hebrew letters in your mind's eye so that all other thoughts become excluded. Don't worry if thoughts creep in and you struggle with meditating because with consistent practice you will soon develop the ability to focus the mind with ease.
In closing let me quote from the Zohar which speaks beautifully of meditation and the task of attempting to engage with the Light thereby:
"Thought reveals itself only through contemplating sheer Spirit. The contemplation is imperfect. First, you understand, then you lose what you have understood. Like pondering a thought: The Light of that thought suddenly darkens and vanishes. Then it returns and shines and vanishes again. No one can understand the content of that Light. It is like the Light that appears when water ripples in a bowl. Shining here, then suddenly disappearing, then reappearing somewhere else. You think you have grasped the Light when suddenly it escapes, radiating elsewhere. You pursue it, hoping to catch it but you cannot. Yet you cannot bring yourself to leave. You keep pursuing it. It is the same with the beginning of emanation. As you begin to contemplate it, it vanishes, then reappears. You understand, then it disappears. Even though you do not grasp it, do not despair. The Source is still emanating, spreading."
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