Meditation In The Torah: Ancient Jewish Wisdom

Jewish meditation has a rich history, with references to the practice found in the Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish sacred texts. The Torah, for instance, mentions Isaac going out into a field to meditate, which led to him discovering his future life partner. Jewish meditation techniques include settling the mind, introspection, visualisation, emotional insight, contemplation of divine names, and concentration on philosophical, ethical, or mystical ideas. It can be practised alone or in groups, and it is meant to infuse each facet of Judaism with deeper meaning and nourish the soul.

The Torah and other Jewish sacred texts refer to meditation

Meditation is also mentioned in the Talmud, where the sages are described as meditating for an hour before and after services, and where Rabbi Akiva is depicted bowing and prostrating himself while praying at home.

The book of Psalms, part of the Hebrew Bible, also contains numerous references to meditation. For example, Psalm 65:2 states, "l'cha dumia tehillah," which translates to "to You silence is praise." Additionally, the Talmud interprets the Rambam's commentary on Mishnah Berachot 5:1 as recommending silent motionlessness to "settle their minds and quiet their thoughts."

Furthermore, the first chapter of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible includes one of the first mentions of meditation in the Bible: "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Meditation is also discussed in the writings of Jewish philosophers and theologians, such as Moses Maimonides, who suggested that intellectual meditation is a higher form of worship than sacrifice or prayer. His grandson, Abraham Maimonides, elaborated on this idea, writing that the biblical prophets focused their minds and meditated joyfully and contentedly.

Meditation has been a part of various Jewish movements, including Kabbalah, where it is seen as a means to spiritual liberation and a way to attain enlightenment and connect with the Divine. The Jewish meditation tradition goes back thousands of years, with early literature describing techniques such as permuting Hebrew letters, visualizing otherworldly realms, and communing with the Deity.

Jewish meditation is a spiritual practice

Jewish meditation encompasses a variety of techniques, including permuting Hebrew letters, visualizing otherworldly realms, and communing with the divine. Medieval Kabbalah expanded on these practices, offering a symbolic map of the divine realm for visualization.

Today, Jewish meditation continues to be a diverse field with several approaches. Some techniques include focusing on a Shiviti, a special Jewish artwork style that includes the Tetragrammaton; walking, dancing, and movement meditations; and chanting verses from psalms, Torah, and prayers.

Jewish meditation is not an end in itself but a partner process for healthy Jewish living. It offers a way to infuse each facet of Judaism with deeper meaning and transform it into a spiritual practice that links one to Judaism in a profound way. By going beyond intellectual understanding, meditation helps individuals experience healing and ethical alignment by feeling at one with creation.

Group meditation, particularly with a minyan (10) of Jews, is considered beneficial, fostering reciprocity, awareness, caring, and support. However, solitary meditation also has its advantages, allowing individuals to experience a closeness to God and the flow of what Kabbalists call "The River of Light."

Jewish meditation is a practice that nourishes the soul, enhancing one's connection to Judaism and providing a path to spiritual awakening and clarity.

Jewish mystics view meditation as a path to devekut (union with God)

Jewish meditation practices have been developed over the centuries by various movements, including Kabbalists, Hasidic rabbis, and Musar movement rabbis. These practices may include settling the mind, introspection, visualization, emotional insight, contemplation of divine names, or concentration on philosophical, ethical, or mystical ideas.

One notable figure in Jewish mysticism is the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism. He emphasized the importance of emotional devekut and encouraged his disciples to find devekut through seclusion and meditation on kabbalistic unifications. Another influential figure is Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who taught an unstructured, spontaneous, and individualized form of prayer and meditation called "hitbodedut".

Through meditation, Jewish mystics seek to attain a deep, trance-like state of union with God, which may be experienced during Jewish prayer, Torah study, or the performance of commandments. This state of devekut is described as a revelry, where one's longing for God is prolonged and celebrated, even above one's desire to meet the divine flame.

In conclusion, Jewish mystics view meditation as a means to attain devekut, or union with God. By practicing various meditation techniques, they strive to achieve a profound connection with the divine, characterized by love, reverence, and devotion.

Jewish meditation can be practised in a group or alone

Meditation may accompany unstructured, personal Jewish prayer, be part of structured Jewish services, or be separate from prayer practices. Jewish mystics have viewed meditation as leading to devekut, or cleaving to God. Hebrew terms for meditation include hitbodedut (self-seclusion) and hitbonenut (contemplation). Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, in his book *Meditation and Kabbalah*, suggests that meditation is a practice meant to bring spiritual liberation, allowing practitioners to reach the transcendental, spiritual realm and attain enlightenment.

Jewish meditation can be practised alone, as a form of self-seclusion or introspection. Rabbi Israel Salanter, the founder of the Musar movement, encouraged meditative practices of introspection and visualisation to improve moral character. Similarly, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov used the term hitbodedut to refer to an unstructured, spontaneous, and individualised form of prayer and meditation, which may involve speaking to God in one's own words.

Jewish meditation can also be practised in a group, as part of structured Jewish services or communal worship. At the congregation Shirat HaNefesh, meditation is an integral part of Shabbat morning services and High Holy Day services. Guided meditations are often used in group settings, with the goal of creating a meaningful and accessible experience for participants, especially those who are new to meditation.

Whether practised alone or in a group, Jewish meditation aims to deepen one's relationship with God and gain spiritual insight.

Jewish meditation can take many forms

Jewish mystics have viewed meditation as leading to devekut, or cleaving to God. Hebrew terms for meditation include hitbodedut (or hisbodedus, literally "self-seclusion") and hitbonenut/hisbonenus ("contemplation").

Through the centuries, meditation practices have been developed in many movements, including among Maimonideans, Kabbalists, Hasidic rabbis, Musar movement rabbis, Conservative movement rabbis, Reform movement rabbis, and Reconstructionist movement rabbis.

Meditation practices may include techniques for permuting Hebrew letters in the mind’s eye, visualizing otherworldly celestial realms, and communing with the Deity. Medieval Kabbalah continued to build on these practices, providing a symbolic map of the divine realm as the terrain for visualization.

In recent times, a number of teachers have been offering mindfulness meditation in a Jewish framework to forward decidedly Jewish goals, such as loving your neighbor, cultivating compassion, sensing God’s loving presence, and experiencing our own personal exodus by finding a greater degree of inner spaciousness and freedom from habit.

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