Mindful Judaism – Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism
A Living, Breathing Judaism for Today and Tomorrow
In the Book of Genesis (chapter 1), it is told that upon each day of creation, God looked after all of creation and said, “It is good,” and on the Sabbath day, God sat down, took a breath, returned again to creation, and now said, “It is very good” (Genesis 1:31).
On Shabbat, as on every day, there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be. “Every day is a good day” (Blue Cliff Record, Case 6). Continue reading “Sabbath Rest: Each Breath is a New Sabbath”
You have probably heard the old adage that there are dog people and cat people. Is this true? I don’t know! However, there very well might be dog Jews and cat Jews!
Contemporary Judaism is very dog like and extraverted. Moreover, synagogues are very dog places! But what about Jewish introverts? Is there a place for Jewish introverts, those who love or live with them, and others who just want to slow down and take a breath? Continue reading ““Dog” Jews and “Cat” Jews: Contemporary Judaism, the Synagogue, and Jewish Innovation”
The Hebrew Bible – called the Torah by Jews – is the most important book in the Jewish tradition. It is also one of the most important books in the Christian tradition and has impacted the history and unfolding of Western civilization, the Islamic worlds, and global history in countless ways. But what meaning and importance does the Bible have for us today? And how can we read it with 21st century eyes? Continue reading “How to Read the Bible: A Contemplative Jewish Approach to Torah Study”
Our lives are filled with both so much goodness and joy as well as struggle and pain. No matter how hard we try – and try we do – life is simply unpredictable. At times, it may even feel like we go from one celebration and horror after another only to not know what comes next.
In mindfulness meditation, we learn to respect all of our feelings and experience, no matter how much we like or try to control them. Likewise, the holiday of Sukkot teaches us to find sanctuary wherever we are and to embrace the refuge of vulnerability. Continue reading “Sukkot: Mindfulness, Sanctuary, and the Refuge of Vulnerability”
While Yom Kippur is a holy day set aside for atonement, each and every day can be a day of atonement. When we sit in meditation, we practice atonement. We practice returning to who we really are.
When I first started practicing meditation, I was blessed to spend time with and learn from Rabbi Don Ani Shalom Singer Sensei. To the best of my knowledge, Rabbi Singer is the only ordained Rabbi and empowered Zen teacher. He often taught that meditation itself is a practice of at-one-ment. Continue reading “Yom Kippur: The Practice of Meditation and Atonement”
Lately, I have been thinking about the Jewish New Year and High Holiday season akin to a mindfulness meditation intensive. In the Zen and other Buddhist traditions, monks and nuns training in monasteries spend summers and winters in intensive meditation practice periods lasting about three months long each. In the Zen tradition, this is called an ango. The Jewish tradition doesn’t really have an ango or something similar, though we can and should. Continue reading “From Ashes to Atonement: An Annual High Holiday Mindfulness Intensive”
Rosh Hashanah is one of the most special and sacred holidays in the Jewish liturgical calendar. It is the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Jewish High Holidays, but what is it really about? And how do mindful Jews understand this special and most sacred new beginning?
Rosh Hashanah is a holiday of waking up. We awaken from the deep slumber of selfishness, conceit, and putting ourselves above others – perhaps one way of understanding traditional notions of sin – and awaken to something different.
On Rosh Hashanah, the Divine calls out to wake us up from the darkness of ignorance Continue reading “Rosh Hashanah: A Jewish Mindfulness Holiday of Waking Up”
Life is not always easy. In fact, it rarely is! Truth can feel like the hardest thing to accept, but to realize that things are the way they are does not mean that they will always be so.
If you ever feel like things aren’t quite going the way you want, you are not alone!
Everyone at some point experiences anxiety, upset, overwhelm, and feelings of being alone and disconnected from what is most important to them or even knowing what this is for them. This is expected. It is part of being alive. If you’ve experienced this, you are not alone! Welcome to humanity! Continue reading “What is Jewish Mindfulness Meditation? Part 2 of 2”
What is Jewish Mindfulness Meditation and how can Mindful Judaism help you experience a deep and meaningful spirituality? How can Jewish meditation help you create a contemplative, personalized Judaism?
You can hardly go anywhere without hearing a friend talk about mindfulness or hear someone on the news or in the community talk about mindfulness. There are over 20,000,000 hits on mindfulness on Google and over 150,000 hits for mindfulness on just Amazon alone. I checked! But what is “mindfulness?” And can it be “Jewish?!” Continue reading “What is Jewish Mindfulness Meditation? Part 1 of 2”