Jewish Meditation: A Forgotten Practice
by Monica Sager
When people think of meditation in modern western civilizations, images of women in yoga pants and a loose tank tops on the beach cross-legged with their eyes closed and their hair either flowing on their shoulders or up in a tight bun typically come to mind. In reality, that is not what the practice of mindfulness is or is meant to be. It’s not an elite practice but instead is for everyone. The act of our version of meditation started as a religious practice in the Buddhist tradition, as the story goes. It is often forgotten, though, that meditation, which is meant to purify the mind, is within the Jewish tradition. Many Jews practice these forms of mindfulness without recognizing it. In fact, there are three specific types of Jewish meditation: mantra, concentration, and nothingness.
Jewish theologians like Leo Baeck, Franz Rosenzweig, and Martin Buber all referred to Buddhist works within their philosophies and work. Jewish cultural expression manifested itself within the works of the Buddhist teachings, creating a “Zen Boom” in the 1950s. This phenomenon of people has been deemed Ju-Bus (or Judaic-Buddhists), and yet not a lot of these Jewish individuals recognize that meditation and mindfulness have a place within their own religion. There is evidence, though, that meditation was ample in presence among Jews and within Jewish history, however. “There is also evidence that during the period when the Bible was written (until approximately 400 B.C.E), meditation was practiced by a large proportion of the Israelite people” (Kaplan, 1995). The Talmud and the Midrash both state that over a million people were involved in such meditative and mindfulness disciplines. Prophets used chants to gain a closer relationship with G-d.
This vocabulary of meditation in Jewish tradition, however, has been lost especially during the last century. References to meditation vanished almost completely from mainstream Jewish literature around 150 years ago (Kaplan, 1995). Even within the Kabbalistic, or more mystical, traditions, meditative and mindfulness practices were reduced to simply an intellectual exercise, losing the deeper meaning of traditions. This is, though, until the modern rise of Kabbalah, which translates to “that which is received.” “The Kabbalah is divided into three branches: the theoretical, the meditative, and the practical” (Kaplan, 1982). The purpose is to open the self to a higher comprehension and closer connection to grasp greater reality and view the spiritual entities within each aspect of life. This raising of consciousness changes one’s perception of reality and can deepen a linkage between person and G-d. It is both beneficial to religious aspects of life but also beyond that for health purposes and introspection.
As discussed previously, there is evidence to suggest that millions of people practiced meditation during the biblical times. Schools were extremely devoted to these disciplines and faithful adherences, but, with the diaspora, the Great Assembly formed the Amidah to substitute prayer. This became this form of mantra meditation that is considered the first type of Jewish meditation and is also considered the easiest to follow dutifully in practice. Mantra meditation is when a device, specifically a word or phrase, is repeated over and over for weeks to months to even years. This is the most typical Jewish form of meditation (Kaplan, 1995). The passage is meant to be repeated three times a day from childhood onward, throughout an entire lifetime. Therefore, the Amidah can be looked at as a meditative mantra. This blessing defines the relationship between the worshipper and G-d, a fundamental principle of Kabbalistic beliefs.
This blessing, called Avot, for “ancestors,” serves as an introduction to G-d and the Jewish people’s connection to Him. A worshiper begins and ends with a formal bow at the knees and hips after stepping three steps back and then forward to recognize G-d’s presence and demonstrate the subservience to the Divine. The blessing starts with the word “blessed,” which is an expression of G-d’s immanence, making the worshiper aware of their connection and physical closeness to G-d. The next word, “you,” relates back to the I-Thou relationship that emanates throughout the Kabbalah traditions, and the “awesomeness” of Him is seen and experienced as well. Finally, the mantra-like blessing ends with the four words “King, Helper, Rescuer, and Shield,” which is “designated to bring G-d closer to the worshipper” (Kaplan, 1995). These four words are meant to create a connection that is felt throughout the prayers and throughout the day in general, especially as the Amidah is meant to be repeated three times a day for a lifetime, bringing a spiritual energy throughout the entire body and entire life altogether.
Contemplation, or concentration, is the second form of Jewish meditation. The most common word in Judaic literature for meditation is kavanah, which translates to mean “concentration,” “feeling,” or “devotion.” The root of the word kavanah, kaven means “to aim,” making the most apt translation of this particular linguistic study to be “directed consciousness.” As defined previously, mediation is a sense of controlled thinking. “Many elements of the worship service are specifically designed to be used as meditations, to reach higher states of consciousness” (Kaplan, 1995). These different forms of worship direct one’s consciousness. Kavanah can be used to find an inner understanding, a true and deeper reason for a meditative practice in general. This “self-understanding,” or hitbonenuth, was spoken to by the great Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides. Maimonides believed that solitude and self-consciousness could bring one closer to G-d and extend one’s own reflections (World Heritage Encyclopedia, n.d.).
In Kabbalah, this visualization is a “source of spiritual energy” and leads to the worshipper becoming “magically” drawn to the supernatural energy (Eifring, 2013). This visualization can come into fruition by imagining specific words or letters, such as the practice of imagining the first Hebrew letter alef (א (or on a name like the tetragrammation of G-d’s name (וה יה—( which has a symbolic presence of itself to suggest the connection between human and G-d. This tradition also translates into other religious meditative practices, including Christianity and Islam. Mixed types of practices of both recitation and visualization are also combined in Kabbalistic practices as well as Orthodox Christianity and Sufism.
Lastly, Hitbodeduth, which literally means “self-isolation” is the final form of meditation in Judaism. This term is noticed by many Jewish mysticism scholars. Maimonides’ son, Abraham, wrote of two types of isolation, external self-isolation, which involves simply being alone physically, as well as internal self-isolation, which consists of an outward sensation of loneliness, bringing a person into a meditative state. Nothingness is central to this idea of isolation. “It is a state in which the mind is isolated, standing alone, without any sensation or thought” (Kaplan, 1995). This powerful visualization technique is the purest form of the sense. The highly advanced technique comes from filling the mind without truly filling it. “If one visualizes nothingness and at the same time clears the mind of thought, the mind becomes a total blank” (Kaplan, 1995). This practice can equate the mind to the sea, where thoughts are fish-like, swimming in and out which can distract the meditator from observing the clear water and noticing the transparency from within. One way to imagine this is for the meditator in a Jewish mindfulness practice to contemplate the air in front of him or her. Another is for the meditator to visualize the space behind his or her head, as it is impossible to extend sight behind him or herself. Abraham Abulafia, one of the most influential writers on Kabbalah, suggested visualizing the nothingness inside of the meditator’s head.
These Kabbalistic traditions, however, pretty much play hand-in-hand with the same meditative practices taught by Buddhism, which are typically thought of. Each form of Jewish meditation brings this understanding into fruition in one way or another, which proves its importance at any point in history. Mantra meditation creates a deeper connection to the words and the meaning behind them, while adding to a repetition and repeated nature of the practice. Visualization creates a concentration in the practice that embeds a deeper contemplation to the thinking behind meditation and mindfulness. Lastly, the meditation on nothingness, while the hardest of the three mindfulness practices, adds an appreciation for the state of isolation internally and externally.
It is important that in this present time, Jews recognize these key meditative relations within our own religion to not only further our religious practices but to also adapt to introspection and self-care. Research on Jewish mindfulness must continue. There is a lack of insight into how each form of practice affects a person or worshipper, along with how they play out in individuals’ lives and if there truly is a “better” form of practice. This intersectionality could enable a deeper understanding into human psyche and to what extent people should commit to both religious and nonreligious meditative and mindfulness practices. Meditation and mindfulness can have many benefits in the daily lives and religious understandings of the present-day Judaic follower, but we must break from stereotypical and strict thinking to find the paybacks.
References
Eifring, H. (2013). Meditation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: cultural histories. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Press.
Kaplan, A. (1982). Meditation and Kabbalah. Jason Aronson, Inc.
Kaplan, A. (1995). Jewish meditation: a practical guide. New York: Schocken Books. World Heritage Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Moses Maimonides. Moses Maimonides. doi: WHEBN0026744492