I have set God
before me at all times
(King David's Psalms 16:8)
What is Meditation?
Meditation is simply a discipline to build the energy of concentration to use our minds and bodies more effectively. There are many forms of meditation that aim to do this in various ways.
Meditation gives us the ability to create harmony between our minds and bodies. It trains us in the discipline to control our minds from wandering after the flow of thoughts that enter our consciousness. Meditation is a practice of centering our concentration so that we can become more conscious about where we direct the energy of our attention. The practice of meditation reduces the stress in our life, creates better health and functioning of the mind and body. It allows us to gain greater control over our emotions and overcome bad qualities such as anger.
Is Meditation kosher? This question depends upon the kind of meditation that one practices. Meditation itself is parve (neutral). It is no different than singing or dancing in this respect. Singing and dancing are activities that are neutral. However, if one sings and dances around idols, words and movements that are part of a tradition of avoda zara (idol worship), then the activity is not kosher. The activities of singing and dancing are very powerful. They can be used to create ecstatic states of mind. The playing of music was used to induce states of prophecy. Music, singing and dancing are all very powerful activities and they can be used for either kosher or non-kosher purposes.
The Torah teaches us how to use the activities and materials of life for holy purpose. We dance at wedding celebrations to do the mitzva of bringing joy to chatan and kala. We sing at the Shabbat table to honor the Creator and the day He chose to rest from all His work. The Torah and the Sages teach us to use the discipline of meditation for holy purposes.
My colleague Rav Avraham Sutton expresses this very beautifully in this passage from one of his soon to be published manuscripts on prayer and meditation:
Although we speak of attaining higher states of consciousness, it must be clear from the start that kedushah (holiness) and taharah (purity) are the primary requisites. Once this is understood, any and all techniques we practice—from the simplest to the most sublime—are directed solely to fulfilling Hashem’s will. As we said above, ayin (no-thing-ness) and bitul (self-effacement, ego-dissolution) are not just techniques for becoming liberated from illusion, but acts of service to and love of the Beloved. We always pray and meditate in relation to the infinite One who knows us, loves us, guides us.
Meditation is essential to several mitzvot. In the shema we learn that we must not follow after our eyes and after our heart. Instead, we must remember the mitzvot. This is a mitzvot that demands the power of concentration. There are many other mitzvot as well, such as prayer, the wearing of tefillin, the sitting in a sukka, each demands that we are conscious of the mitzva while we are doing it. One of the most fundamental mitzvot is to be aware of the greatness of our Creator before us at all times. This is a meditation. As King David says, I have set God before me at all times (Psalms 16:8)
There is the mitzva to avoid anger and to fix our midot (our character). Meditation is fundamental to this process. Finally, we have the general mitzva of caring for the health of our body so that we can serve Hashem. Meditation assists us in creating the harmony of mind and body and the freedom from stress that is essential to health. Meditation also helps us to come to the realization of God's oneness, to help free us from the ego restraints so that we can see God's overflowing benevolence and wisdom in our lives.
Meditation has so many benefits that it is no wonder that many religions and traditions have made meditation the primary practice. Like any good thing, when done to access, it leads to harm. The Torah provides guidelines for creating a complete and healthy life, and reveals what the proper role meditation should play in our lives.
In the 1970's Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan did the remarkable job of reintroducing meditation to contemporary Jewish world. He brought forth a wealth of sources from the Torah and Sages about the practice of meditation. He went into great detail outlining the entire history of different traditions from the Torah, Hechalot writings, Sepher Yetzirah, the many schools of Kabbalah, and several Chassidic masters. Rabbi Kaplan died at a young age and with his students was aiming to teach these traditions to students. Although some of this work began, it never fully flourished.
The aim of our work is to reintroduce the practice of meditation and to focus on its essential role to fulfilling the basic mitzvot of the Torah. We have formed an organization to promote the practice of meditation and have begun teaching classes in Israel. The aim of these classes is provide students with the fundamental introduction into meditation practice as a discipline of mind and body that is essential for several main purposes:
1) The improving of mental concentration for the fulfillment of mitzvot
2) The improving of kavana in prayer
3) Helping the create the objectivity and clarity for the personal development and the fixing of one's character
4) The improvement of health
5) Create greater openness to receiving Hashem's presence in one's life
אשרי יושבי ביתך
Praisworthy are those who dwell in your house.
(Tehillim 84,5)
...and only then praise you." Indeed the Talmud (Tractate Berachot, 30b) relates: "The pious ones of earlier generations spent an hour in contemplation before the beginning of their prayers, and one hour after (Orot Sephardic Siddur p.341)
Meditation gives us the ability to create harmony between our minds and bodies. It trains us in the discipline to control our minds from wandering after the flow of thoughts that enter our consciousness. Meditation is a practice of centering our concentration so that we can become more conscious about where we direct the energy of our attention. The practice of meditation reduces the stress in our life, creates better health and functioning of the mind and body. It allows us to gain greater control over our emotions and overcome bad qualities such as anger.
Is Meditation kosher? This question depends upon the kind of meditation that one practices. Meditation itself is parve (neutral). It is no different than singing or dancing in this respect. Singing and dancing are activities that are neutral. However, if one sings and dances around idols, words and movements that are part of a tradition of avoda zara (idol worship), then the activity is not kosher. The activities of singing and dancing are very powerful. They can be used to create ecstatic states of mind. The playing of music was used to induce states of prophecy. Music, singing and dancing are all very powerful activities and they can be used for either kosher or non-kosher purposes.
The Torah teaches us how to use the activities and materials of life for holy purpose. We dance at wedding celebrations to do the mitzva of bringing joy to chatan and kala. We sing at the Shabbat table to honor the Creator and the day He chose to rest from all His work. The Torah and the Sages teach us to use the discipline of meditation for holy purposes.
My colleague Rav Avraham Sutton expresses this very beautifully in this passage from one of his soon to be published manuscripts on prayer and meditation:
Although we speak of attaining higher states of consciousness, it must be clear from the start that kedushah (holiness) and taharah (purity) are the primary requisites. Once this is understood, any and all techniques we practice—from the simplest to the most sublime—are directed solely to fulfilling Hashem’s will. As we said above, ayin (no-thing-ness) and bitul (self-effacement, ego-dissolution) are not just techniques for becoming liberated from illusion, but acts of service to and love of the Beloved. We always pray and meditate in relation to the infinite One who knows us, loves us, guides us.
Meditation is essential to several mitzvot. In the shema we learn that we must not follow after our eyes and after our heart. Instead, we must remember the mitzvot. This is a mitzvot that demands the power of concentration. There are many other mitzvot as well, such as prayer, the wearing of tefillin, the sitting in a sukka, each demands that we are conscious of the mitzva while we are doing it. One of the most fundamental mitzvot is to be aware of the greatness of our Creator before us at all times. This is a meditation. As King David says, I have set God before me at all times (Psalms 16:8)
There is the mitzva to avoid anger and to fix our midot (our character). Meditation is fundamental to this process. Finally, we have the general mitzva of caring for the health of our body so that we can serve Hashem. Meditation assists us in creating the harmony of mind and body and the freedom from stress that is essential to health. Meditation also helps us to come to the realization of God's oneness, to help free us from the ego restraints so that we can see God's overflowing benevolence and wisdom in our lives.
Meditation has so many benefits that it is no wonder that many religions and traditions have made meditation the primary practice. Like any good thing, when done to access, it leads to harm. The Torah provides guidelines for creating a complete and healthy life, and reveals what the proper role meditation should play in our lives.
In the 1970's Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan did the remarkable job of reintroducing meditation to contemporary Jewish world. He brought forth a wealth of sources from the Torah and Sages about the practice of meditation. He went into great detail outlining the entire history of different traditions from the Torah, Hechalot writings, Sepher Yetzirah, the many schools of Kabbalah, and several Chassidic masters. Rabbi Kaplan died at a young age and with his students was aiming to teach these traditions to students. Although some of this work began, it never fully flourished.
The aim of our work is to reintroduce the practice of meditation and to focus on its essential role to fulfilling the basic mitzvot of the Torah. We have formed an organization to promote the practice of meditation and have begun teaching classes in Israel. The aim of these classes is provide students with the fundamental introduction into meditation practice as a discipline of mind and body that is essential for several main purposes:
1) The improving of mental concentration for the fulfillment of mitzvot
2) The improving of kavana in prayer
3) Helping the create the objectivity and clarity for the personal development and the fixing of one's character
4) The improvement of health
5) Create greater openness to receiving Hashem's presence in one's life
אשרי יושבי ביתך
Praisworthy are those who dwell in your house.
(Tehillim 84,5)
...and only then praise you." Indeed the Talmud (Tractate Berachot, 30b) relates: "The pious ones of earlier generations spent an hour in contemplation before the beginning of their prayers, and one hour after (Orot Sephardic Siddur p.341)