Mindful Judaism – Jewish Meditation and Contemplative Judaism
A Living, Breathing Judaism for Today and Tomorrow
Over the past few months, I have been reflecting very much about prayer. Especially since beginning Rabbinic study and founding Mindful Judaism, I have been exploring the following questions: What is prayer? How do I pray? And can prayer be meaningful?
There is a Rabbi Jonathan Sacks quote in the introductory essays to the Koren-Sacks siddur (Jewish prayer book) that I absolutely love: Continue reading “What is Prayer?: How Do I Pray? And Can Prayer Be Meaningful?”
The other week, I was listening to a podcast on Jewish Mindfulness. It was an interesting and foundational interview and really made me think about the future of Judaism, more specifically, the future and direction of Jewish Mindfulness, what an engaged Judaism looks like, and to even ask the question if God is a liberal or a conservative? Continue reading ““Engaged” Judaism: Is God a Liberal? Or a Conservative?”
Happy New Year! We would like to wish you a wonderful and healthy 2018 filled with blessings, joy, and satisfaction!
Thank you all for your support and encouragement since the development and launch of Mindful Judaism! We are off to an excellent start and look forward to more to come!
Some exciting news for the upcoming year include Continue reading “Happy New Year 2018 from Mindful Judaism!!”
As the nights darken and grow longer and colder, I notice myself growing a bit more introspective. The New Year is soon approaching, and it is a natural period of contemplation and looking back and ahead. This is the time of Chanukah. This is a time of reflection, embracing the dark and light, and a period of rededication. But a rededication to what? Continue reading “What is Chanukah “Really”?: Rededicating the Temple and Sanctuary for Today”
One of the most important spiritual questions of our day and ages past is, “Where is God?” Following catastrophes, holocausts, and the traumas of ordinary life, there is no perfect answer. Yet I have slowly come to realize that God is right here! Just here! Wherever you are! Continue reading “Where is God?: The Gate of Heaven is Here”
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”
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”