Enlightenment - Mindful Judaism - Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism

May 18, 2018June 7, 2018

What is Jewish Enlightenment? Kan VeAchshav! Here and Now!

You may have heard or read stories about enlightenment in Buddhism. Much like Jewish midrash, these stories are filled with wonder, miracles, and awe. Is there such a thing as Jewish enlightenment? And what is our enlightenment story?

This upcoming Saturday, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot (what is celebrated in Christianity as Pentecost). On Shavuot, we celebrate the giving and receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Shavuot is also called Zman Matan Torateinu – or the Time of Giving our Torah – and is a commemoration of the gift of receiving the entire Torah. Yet what does this have to do with enlightenment? Continue reading “What is Jewish Enlightenment? Kan VeAchshav! Here and Now!”

May 1, 2018May 4, 2018

A Jewish Heart Sutra: The Great Wisdom-Heart Prayer – Tefilat Chochmat Lev Hanorah

I have been playing a lot recently with the roots of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation in Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and traditional Buddhist meditation. As a Zen practitioner, I am familiar with the Heart Sutra, a liturgy that is chanted daily throughout the Buddhist world. I began to play around with what a Jewish Heart Sutra would sound like. Take a look below!
Continue reading “A Jewish Heart Sutra: The Great Wisdom-Heart Prayer – Tefilat Chochmat Lev Hanorah”

April 23, 2018April 27, 2018

All Alone Together With God: Passover, Shavuot, and the Path from Enslavement to Freedom

Over three millennia ago, our Israelite forefathers and foremothers wrestled with their Gods and risked the perilous desert journey from enslavement to freedom. Seven Sabbaths later, God revealed himself, and on that day – as on this day – God spoke, and speaks, to each one of us and All that is Israel. Continue reading “All Alone Together With God: Passover, Shavuot, and the Path from Enslavement to Freedom”