Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/09-05.html

www.scjfaq.org/faq

Question 9.5:
Is there a distinctly Jewish form of meditation?

Yes. Meditation has long been a part of Judaism. Today, there is a revival that is discovering the richness of the Jewish meditative tradition. Part of this comes from regularity of practice (think of this like the repeating of a "mantra" in other cultures, although there is much more). Meditation and reconnecting yourself to G-d occurs through daily and regular Jewish observances such as daily prayer, kashrut (keeping kosher), Shabbat and holydays. The silent "shemoneh esrei" prayer is also a form of meditation.

There is much information on Jewish Meditation available on the web:

• Kavannah. The Kavannah site (www.kavannah.org or http://www.crosswinds.net/~kavannah/) provides a collection of resources for Jewish Meditation.

• Jewish Mystical Traditions. Zos Imos has a page on Jewish Mystical Traditions at http://www.mnsmc.edu/merton/zos/jewish.html

• Chocomat Halev. This organization has an online bibliography specifically about Jewish Meditation at http://www.chochmat.org/biblio.htm

Readers might also consult Section 4.10 of this FAQ, which contains a discussion of [KQ]abbalah. You might also look at some of the books in the "mysticism" portion of the reading list.

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at maintainer@scjfaq.org.

© (c) 1993-2004 Daniel P. Faigin <maintainer@scjfaq.org>