JUDAIC WISDOM

2008-04-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Unexpected Miracles: Meditations on the Red Sea Splitting

The Splitting of the Red Sea is one of the more fantastic of Biblical miracles. We can imagine the dramatic scenes: The Israelites... a vast slave nation escaping from Egyptian oppressors... Moses raising his staff over the sea... two tidal waves split in opposite directions... the nation rushes across the parting of the sea with the Pharaoh's army charging... the Israelites cross over to dry land... the Egyptians rush towards the Israelites... the sea returns with great ferocity destroying almost the entire army... the children of Israel sing a spontaneous song of praise. The Exodus from Egypt is commemorated every Friday evening during the kiddush service. The Israelites' song of praise is honored in daily traditional prayers, and it holds an important place in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people.

When I visit with people in my role as a hospital chaplain, I realize that every patient recovering from major medical procedures is going through their own personal and intimate miracle of the splitting of the reed sea-and passing through on dry land. I have been with patients who have no religious background, and yet who experience this moment as an unexpected miracle in their lives; they utter words of gratitude, thanking God or thanking the Divine for giving the attending physicians the healing wisdom that resulted in their recovery. I am amazed, just as they are, in suddenly seeing the Divine as having a part in their personal miracle.

Jewish tradition draws our attention from the miraculous parting of the sea to the Israelites' spontaneous and collective "singing a new song to the Divine." After living through a "parting of the sea" in our own lives, we too may be moved to speak out or to "sing a song", acknowledgment of the good in this special moment.

My reflection leads me to a meditative prayer inspired by my courageous patients and this week's Torah reading of the miracle of the parting of the sea:

Let us see each and every moment of our life
as an unexpected miracle.
Let us not wait for catastrophes
to open our hearts to You, Creator of all Healing.
Let us look at all moments as holding the possibility of a miracle.

Sometimes a spontaneous prayer from the heart is a miracle.
Sometimes listening to another person is a miracle.
Sometimes even a tear or a smile from a sad person is a miracle.

Let the Creator of healing inspire us to see in many moments
throughout the days of our lives
a possibility for the miraculous:
unexpected and intimate.

© Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Rabbi Eliahu J. Klein. This article is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program, for information call 952-542-4840.

2008-04-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

Torah Reflections on Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1 - 6:1)
“May the Source of Strength who blessed the ones before us help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing.” (Debbie Friedman)

In the Book of Exodus we follow the narrative of the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt, and the early chapters of Moses’ struggle for their liberation.
Sometimes, our lives as individuals may parallel the collective experience of the People Israel. For instance, in Exodus’ introductory verses, we read the household names of the 70-strong family of Jacob, who came to live in Egypt; we read of the death of Joseph and his generation; we read how the descendants of Jacob-the Children of Israel-“were fruitful, and increased abundantly…, and grew exceedingly mighty”. Our life stories may similarly include relocation, the death of elders and loved ones, and our own growth, adaptation, and achievement. And then a new force arises in our lives-an unwelcome development which leaves us feeling enslaved where once we had been flourishing: “Then a new king arose over Egypt…”. It may be an oppressive pharaoh, an invasive disease, an unhealthy dynamic at work or home-and suddenly, or perhaps slowly over time, we find our lives pressured and squeezed and redefined in troubling, painful ways.

Within the broader context of increasing darkness and oppression, we are introduced to Shifra and Puah: “The Egyptian king spoke to the Hebrew midwives-the first whose name was Shifra, and the second whose name was Puah-saying, ‘When you support the Hebrew women in giving birth, look upon the birthstones; if it is a son, you shall put it to death….’ But the midwives revered God, and they did not do as the king of Egypt told them; rather, they let the children live”.

Shifra and Puah were but two apparently powerless individuals facing a grim and seemingly hopeless situation. Yet, in their own way, they resisted the tyranny of Pharaoh’s decree; and in so doing restored a measure of hope and strength to the rest of the Israelite community.

Indeed Moses was born out of these most trying times, and rescued by such life-affirming acts of bravery, love, and faith. In defiance of Pharaoh’s decree, a fragile infant, Moses, is nurtured and placed in a tiny ark along the banks of the Nile River. In an otherwise bleak moment of peril, loss, and near-final destruction, that life-sheltering act holds out hope for the future, for liberation, and for redemption.

So too, in our own lives: the parts of ourselves which are like Shifra and Puah sometimes shine in the face of adversity; the helping hands and the determined hearts of fellow human beings sometimes restore our sense of optimism and our very life energy. When we call on our sources of strength, and find-perhaps anew-expressions of inner courage, those are indeed times of blessing and redemption that have the power to sustain us as they sustained the People Israel in earlier times.

This article was reprinted with permission of its author and is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program, 952-542-4840.

2008-04-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Our Own Red Seas

O God, there are times when I come to the Red Sea in my life.

Old doubts and fears pursue me;
I am confronted by new and difficult challenges;
The vast unknown looms before me.

Sometimes I am afraid;
Sometimes I lose faith in my own abilities and my own strengths;
Sometimes I even lose faith in You.

But in Your goodness,
You have given me the courage to face every obstacle
And the capacity not merely to endure but to prevail.

Be with me, O God, as You were with Your children at the sea.

Grant me a full measure of Your all-wise care
And Your loving guidance so that I can emerge
On the other side of my Red Seas healthy and whole.

By Rabbi Rafael Goldstein, “Jewish Healing Center Prayerbook for people living with illness, their caregivers and loved ones.” Compiled by Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein

This article was reprinted with permission of its author and is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Using the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to individuals experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. The Healing Program provides trained volunteers to visit Jews who request a visit in hospitals, nursing homes and in hospice care. The Healing Program’s Francine and Neil Feinberg Healing Resource Library located at Jewish Family and Children‘s Service of Minneapolis has articles, books, audiotapes, and audiovisual tapes available for loan. For information about The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program, its services, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities, call 952-542-4840.

2008-04-16T09:13:00.001-07:00

Passover

Passover is probably the best known of the Jewish holidays. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Passover are related to the Exodus from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15.

The name "Passover" refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In Hebrew, it is known as Pesach (that "ch" is pronounced as in the Scottish "loch"), which is based on the Hebrew root meaning "pass over". The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzoth (the Festival of Matzahs), and Zeman Herutenu (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).

Probably the most significant observance related to Passover involves the removal of chametz (leaven; sounds like "hum it's" with that Scottish ch) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls.

Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after coming into contact with water. Traditional Jews of Ashkenazic background also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, and legumes (beans) as if they were chametz. All of these items have been used to make bread, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion. All chametz, including utensils used to cook chametz, must either be disposed of or sold.After the the house is cleaned to remove all chametz, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and any remaining chametz is burned the next morning.

The grain product we eat during Passover is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah.
The day before Passover is the fast of the firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague.

On the first two nights of Passover we have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder, from a Hebrew root word meaning "order." It is the same root from which we derive the word "siddur" (prayer book). There is a specific set of information that must be covered in a specific order. This is the seder. Passover lasts eight days.

This article is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program.

Reflections on Passover

Imagine you are an Israelite standing on the shores of the Red Sea, after crossing through the miraculously parted waters, and you hear the sound of timbrels and joyous singing of women’s voices. You look up in wonder and see Miriam and the women rejoicing in ecstasy before the Holy One of Blessing:

Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the Eternal One, for God has triumphed gloriously.
Miriam’s charismatic appeal draws you in. You yearn to join in the joyful celebration.

Miriam, the prophetess, served as both a spiritual leader and as a healer of her people. According to a midrash, God honored Miriam’s righteous devotion to the Jewish people and had mercy on the people by providing a well of living waters (“mayim hayim”) which followed the Israelites on their journey through the desert. This water source, which came to be known as Miriam’s Well, represents the essence of life, healing and spiritual renewal.

Many Jews today include a “Miriam’s Cup” filled with water in their Passover Seder. We are all so much in need of Miriam’s healing waters, especially during this time of war and uncertainty. One custom is for everyone at the seder table to fill Miriam’s cup with water from their own glasses at the beginning of the seder. As each person pours water into Miriam’s cup, one might offer a prayer of healing for a loved one, for a family member, for certain individuals or groups that are hurting or in need of hope here in America, in the Middle East, in Israel, or anywhere else in the world that comes to mind. The full cup can then be set in the middle of the table alongside the Cup of Elijah where all can see it.

We all yearn for spiritual healing and comfort in our lives. If you have lost loved ones during this last year, may you be blessed with tender words and healing hugs from family and friends. If you have suffered from physical or emotional pain and suffering this last year, may you be blessed also with the healing hands and compassion of skilled physicians, therapists, or other healing professionals. If you feel lonely and isolated due to a chronic illness or a physical disability, may you also be blessed with new or renewed connections with kindred spirits and with the Source of Life. If you find yourself lost in a spiritual wilderness, feeling cut off from your spiritual wellspring, may the Holy One of Blessing open up your heart so that you become aware of your own body as a vessel for Divine light and inspiration.
May we all feel a shower of divine blessing fill our spirits with love and hope. May Miriam’s living waters soothe our souls as they are weary, comfort our bodies where they are ailing, and heal our hearts when they are broken. May each of us learn to be ever-stronger channels for goodness and peace. By our acts of loving kindness, may we once again merit to drink from the living waters of Miriam’s well.
© Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Rabbi Aliza Berk
This article is provided to you by The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program, 952-542-4840.

2008-01-26T06:52:00.001-08:00

Introduction to Jewish Meditation by Rabbi Goldie Milgram
Questions & Answers

Judaism has many important facets which work together synergistically
for our wellness, happiness, and evolution:
*Holy days to make us aware of our joys and foibles
*Life Cycle events to surround us with community for the celebration of transitions
*Torah study to focus our attention on how we treat one another
*Prayer to enhance our sense of blessings and to find the prayer of our heart

Jewish meditation offers a way to infuse each of these facets of Judaism with deeper meaning,
greater connection to the Source of Life and more meaningful human interactions. It is not
an end in itself...it is a beginning.

Can meditation be an authentically Jewish experience?

Yes. Jewish mystics of all generations have used meditation practices as spiritual tools for expanding awareness, happiness and holiness. The ancient kabbalist, Eleazar Azikri, distinguishes study as the practice for the intellect and describes a Jewish meditation practice known as "hitbodedut" as seven fold more helpful to the soul.
In the Talmud our sages are described as meditating for an hour before and after services. In the Torah we are told of Jacob who went out into the field to meditate. Rabbi Akiva is described as spinning in circles and deflecting off the corners of his room while praying. (This meditation practice is reminiscent of the Sufi whirling dervishes.) Even yoga-like sensibilities are depicted in the Talmud, such as the recommendation that when bowing in prayer one should "hyper-extend the spine until one can read the words on a coin set in front of your feet on the ground."
While the practices of mindfulness or movement-based meditations, like yoga, are delightful to do in a Jewish setting, these are not the ancient arts of Jewish meditation. Some of these ancient forms are described further on in this document.

What is the purpose of Jewish meditation?

Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our "soul stream." Meditation can transform Judaism from the purely intellectual process most of us grew up with into a spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Meditation gets under our intellectual defenses and helps us to feel at one with creation and to experience an expanded life rich in conscious awe and joy.
Each holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation can help us shift into these holidays cycles, deepening our connection to them.

Should meditation be done in a group or alone?

Both. Recent bio-medical studies in the field of psycho-neuroimmunology indicate that group meditation enhances the benefits of solitary meditation. When a minyan of Jews meditates together, there is a reciprocity of caring, support and spiritual energy.
Meditating alone has its advantages too. Solitary meditators can experience a wonderful closeness to God, the flow of what Kabbalists call "the river of light" (which may in fact correlate with what scientists have identified as the electro-magnetic fields of the body) can add energy and delight to your day.

Are there different kinds of Jewish meditation?

Yes! An exciting variety of approaches exist. Depending upon your emotional make-up, the circumstances and the effect you desire to create, one might suit you better than another. But whatever technique you choose, the benefits of a regular program of Jewish meditation will intensify with daily practice and delicious nuances of experience and awareness will emerge over time.

Most types of Jewish meditation are simple to learn under the auspices of a good teacher. Some are more complex and require careful preparation and guidance. It is important to experiment and find the technique and teacher(s) that works best for you.

Major methods of Jewish meditation include:
(Explanatory learning pages are being added for each method, watch for hyperlinks)

Chanting of verses from psalms, Torah and prayers.
Focusing upon a Shviti - a special Jewish graphic which helps induct a mystical state of consciousness. [Beautiful example can be found on last page of Art Scroll Tehillim.]
Meditation on the names of God or on the letters of God's name.
Guided visualizations.
Walking, dancing and movement meditations.
Focusing upon the levels of an external or inner flame.
Working with the "Tree of Life"/Sephirot, (A model based on personality characteristic polarities,
which correlate in some ways with the chakra/meridian system and are designed as a holographic paradigm.)
Attaining a state of "Eyin", the "no-state" which is all. Often through attention to breath and silence.
Guided sounding of vowels or letters.
Study of ancient sacred Jewish texts, specially designed to induce mystical encounter.
Becoming attuned to the power of special blessings in connecting us to what mystics experience as "the river of light."

Can I try a sample meditation?

Absolutely. Click here for a meditation you can try when lighting Friday night candles.

Is Jewish meditation for everyone?

No. For those with borderline personality and/or schizophrenia, meditation of any kind can be unsettling, even dangerous.
Meditation may also be problematic for those with addictive tendencies.

Further, some forms of meditation will not work for everyone. Research shows that perhaps as many as 10% of humans do not have the "hard wiring" to benefit from guided visualizations.

Can Jewish meditation be practiced as a substitute for the rest of Judaism?

No. In small, sweet doses Jewish meditation can deeply enhance one's experience of Judaism. However, I do not recommend an extensive pracice of meditation alone without Torah study, prayer, and the celebration of holy days and life cycle events. The goal of Judaism is to give us a variety of tools for living the fullest expression of life possible, including the grounding, inspiration and moral strength to work on making the world a better place. Meditation without the natural balances inherent in Judaism can lead us out of the joys of physical and communal life and decrease our ability to make the most of living in the here and now.

How do I find a good teacher?

Look for courses taught by the following Jewish master teachers of meditation: Mindy Ribner, and Rabbis David Cooper, Shefa Gold, Rami Shapiro, Jeff Roth, Nan Fink, Sheila Weinberg, Jonathan Omer-man, Shohama Wiener and Avram Davis. There are certainly others, as well, who are also very capable. However, not all those who call themselves teachers of Kabbalah and meditation are legitimate. I have attended sessions offered at major centers by so-called Jewish meditation teachers who seemed to be making it up as they went along.

Are there some good books about Jewish meditation?

Yes, there is a growing literature on this subject. Click here for a bibliography.

Click here for a listing of upcoming retreats.
We wish you a wonderful, satisfying journey into Jewish meditation and Jewish spirituality!

Nurturing Jewish Spirituality

2007-09-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Beth Keil of Green Acres is glad there is a time of the year when Judaism asks people if they are living with integrity.

During Yom Kippur, she says, it takes courage to look within and ask: Am I kind? Can people count on me? Am I who I want to be in the world?

In seeking spiritual connection beyond a single day, she's found a practice -- Seventh Path Self-Hypnosis -- that connects her to a sense of unity and love.

"It's like drawing water from an inner well or being able to have the feeling of being embraced by God," Keil says.

Her spiritual practice extends the themes of Yom Kippur -- self-examination, repentance and forgiveness -- through the year, says Keil, who teaches the Seventh Path practice in the Wilmington area.

A day of atonement for sin, Yom Kippur is the sabbath of returning (shabbat shuvah) and is commonly regarded as the most spiritual day on the Jewish calendar.

Explicitly and implicitly, Jews will say that "Life is more than the drama of my life, for the world is full of God's glory, and we see it when we pay attention to the awesome things happening around us," says Rabbi Rachel Cowan.

Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in Manhattan, Cowan says many will leave a synagogue today hoping to feel a connection to an inner sense of beauty and meaning. It's such a common desire that the institute was founded in 2000 to help Jewish people experience the sacred in everyday life.

Study of the Torah, prayer, meditation, yoga and spiritual direction make spirituality more real for rabbis, cantors, educators and lay leaders who attend institute retreats.

"People are looking for ways to experience the still, quiet voice of God," Cowan says.

The search for ways to nourish the inner life has become a vibrant theme in 21st-century Judaism, says Rabbi Marc Lee Raphael, professor of religion at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

In the 1980s, this trend was known as renewal. In recent years, it's been called an exploration of spirituality. And it's pursued through a host of practices from yoga to the search for the sacred in nature, Raphael writes in his 2003 book "Judaism in American."

Daily spiritual practices assist in the pursuit of beauty, purpose, peace and wisdom -- quests found, not just in Judaism, but in other American faiths.

At the moment, there is an interesting give and take with Judaism and the broader American culture, says Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Delaware.

In addition to Jewish people sampling techniques from other paths, a mystical approach to Judaism known as the Kabbalah has caused Americans to want to know more about Jewish thought. Madonna's fascination with the Kabbalah has sparked much of this interest, Sneiderman says.

The Kabbalah is traditionally reserved for students with a firm grasp of Judaism's basics, since it involves contemplating the hidden meanings of Hebrew words and letters in the Torah. Still, Sneiderman has taught the Kabbalah at the University of Delaware and Gratz Jewish Community High School in Brandywine Hundred.

He tells students the mystical teachings speak of the world as a concealment of God. One of the tasks given to people is to pierce the veil of matter to know more of the hidden realities of God's mystery, he says.

Cowan agrees. The Kabbalah is an incredible language of imagery and insight told through story and it opens people to the deeper roots of Jewish faith, she says.

Of course, other teachings can make God real, too. Meditation serves that role for Cowan. It helps her slow down and feel the beauty of life.

"Mindfulness meditation helps you be aware of what is true in any moment," she says.

At times, she is able to connect to a profound feeling of peace and see scripture with fresh insight.

For Keil, hypnosis has played that role -- a centering force in her life.

As a teen, she was introduced to focused breathing and relaxation by her mother. It was to help Keil with migraines so devastating that she would throw up. The practice quieted the migraines, though her mother never called it hypnosis.

Later, when Keil became an attending nurse at the Birth Center of Wilmington she trained in hypnotic breathing to help mothers in delivery. That's when she realized her mother had taught a form of hypnosis.

More intrigued, she found her way to a process called Seventh Path Self-Hypnosis, which combines relaxation with meditation and prayer. It works through stages of awareness.

The first stage is a kind of deprogramming that removes limiting beliefs. Keil calls this "emptying the cup." She next uses a state of relaxed attention to open to new possibilities.

"For me it's like cleaning the slate," Keil says. "And I get to attend to the wonder and joy that God breathed into life."

Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in Manhattan, Cowan says many will leave a synagogue today hoping to feel a connection to an inner sense of beauty and meaning. It's such a common desire that the institute was founded in 2000 to help Jewish people experience the sacred in everyday life.

Study of the Torah, prayer, meditation, yoga and spiritual direction make spirituality more real for rabbis, cantors, educators and lay leaders who attend institute retreats.

"People are looking for ways to experience the still, quiet voice of God," Cowan says.

The search for ways to nourish the inner life has become a vibrant theme in 21st-century Judaism, says Rabbi Marc Lee Raphael, professor of religion at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

In the 1980s, this trend was known as renewal. In recent years, it's been called an exploration of spirituality. And it's pursued through a host of practices from yoga to the search for the sacred in nature, Raphael writes in his 2003 book "Judaism in American."

Daily spiritual practices assist in the pursuit of beauty, purpose, peace and wisdom -- quests found, not just in Judaism, but in other American faiths.

At the moment, there is an interesting give and take with Judaism and the broader American culture, says Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Delaware.

In addition to Jewish people sampling techniques from other paths, a mystical approach to Judaism known as the Kabbalah has caused Americans to want to know more about Jewish thought. Madonna's fascination with the Kabbalah has sparked much of this interest, Sneiderman says.

The Kabbalah is traditionally reserved for students with a firm grasp of Judaism's basics, since it involves contemplating the hidden meanings of Hebrew words and letters in the Torah. Still, Sneiderman has taught the Kabbalah at the University of Delaware and Gratz Jewish Community High School in Brandywine Hundred.

He tells students the mystical teachings speak of the world as a concealment of God. One of the tasks given to people is to pierce the veil of matter to know more of the hidden realities of God's mystery, he says.

Cowan agrees. The Kabbalah is an incredible language of imagery and insight told through story and it opens people to the deeper roots of Jewish faith, she says.

Of course, other teachings can make God real, too. Meditation serves that role for Cowan. It helps her slow down and feel the beauty of life.

"Mindfulness meditation helps you be aware of what is true in any moment," she says.

At times, she is able to connect to a profound feeling of peace and see scripture with fresh insight.

For Keil, hypnosis has played that role -- a centering force in her life.

As a teen, she was introduced to focused breathing and relaxation by her mother. It was to help Keil with migraines so devastating that she would throw up. The practice quieted the migraines, though her mother never called it hypnosis.

Later, when Keil became an attending nurse at the Birth Center of Wilmington she trained in hypnotic breathing to help mothers in delivery. That's when she realized her mother had taught a form of hypnosis.

More intrigued, she found her way to a process called Seventh Path Self-Hypnosis, which combines relaxation with meditation and prayer. It works through stages of awareness.

The first stage is a kind of deprogramming that removes limiting beliefs. Keil calls this "emptying the cup." She next uses a state of relaxed attention to open to new possibilities.

"For me it's like cleaning the slate," Keil says. "And I get to attend to the wonder and joy that God breathed into life."

Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality in Manhattan, Cowan says many will leave a synagogue today hoping to feel a connection to an inner sense of beauty and meaning. It's such a common desire that the institute was founded in 2000 to help Jewish people experience the sacred in everyday life.

Study of the Torah, prayer, meditation, yoga and spiritual direction make spirituality more real for rabbis, cantors, educators and lay leaders who attend institute retreats.

"People are looking for ways to experience the still, quiet voice of God," Cowan says.

The search for ways to nourish the inner life has become a vibrant theme in 21st-century Judaism, says Rabbi Marc Lee Raphael, professor of religion at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

In the 1980s, this trend was known as renewal. In recent years, it's been called an exploration of spirituality. And it's pursued through a host of practices from yoga to the search for the sacred in nature, Raphael writes in his 2003 book "Judaism in American."

Daily spiritual practices assist in the pursuit of beauty, purpose, peace and wisdom -- quests found, not just in Judaism, but in other American faiths.

At the moment, there is an interesting give and take with Judaism and the broader American culture, says Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Delaware.

In addition to Jewish people sampling techniques from other paths, a mystical approach to Judaism known as the Kabbalah has caused Americans to want to know more about Jewish thought. Madonna's fascination with the Kabbalah has sparked much of this interest, Sneiderman says.

The Kabbalah is traditionally reserved for students with a firm grasp of Judaism's basics, since it involves contemplating the hidden meanings of Hebrew words and letters in the Torah. Still, Sneiderman has taught the Kabbalah at the University of Delaware and Gratz Jewish Community High School in Brandywine Hundred.

He tells students the mystical teachings speak of the world as a concealment of God. One of the tasks given to people is to pierce the veil of matter to know more of the hidden realities of God's mystery, he says.

Cowan agrees. The Kabbalah is an incredible language of imagery and insight told through story and it opens people to the deeper roots of Jewish faith, she says.

Of course, other teachings can make God real, too. Meditation serves that role for Cowan. It helps her slow down and feel the beauty of life.

"Mindfulness meditation helps you be aware of what is true in any moment," she says.

At times, she is able to connect to a profound feeling of peace and see scripture with fresh insight.

For Keil, hypnosis has played that role -- a centering force in her life.

As a teen, she was introduced to focused breathing and relaxation by her mother. It was to help Keil with migraines so devastating that she would throw up. The practice quieted the migraines, though her mother never called it hypnosis.

Later, when Keil became an attending nurse at the Birth Center of Wilmington she trained in hypnotic breathing to help mothers in delivery. That's when she realized her mother had taught a form of hypnosis.

More intrigued, she found her way to a process called Seventh Path Self-Hypnosis, which combines relaxation with meditation and prayer. It works through stages of awareness.

The first stage is a kind of deprogramming that removes limiting beliefs. Keil calls this "emptying the cup." She next uses a state of relaxed attention to open to new possibilities.

"For me it's like cleaning the slate," Keil says. "And I get to attend to the wonder and joy that God breathed into life."

TO LEARN MORE

The Institute for Jewish Spirituality (www. ijs-online.org)

Beth Keil will give a class on Seventh Path Self-Hypnosis from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at the offices of Delaware Hypnosis Partners, 504 S. Maryland Ave., Wilmington. The cost is $110. Call 999-1400.

LOVE IS HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY

The Jewish year begins with 10 days of introspection and repentance, starting with Rosh Hashanah and culminating in Yom Kippur.

It began Friday at sundown and it's called "the sabbath of sabbaths"" the most sacred day of the year. It's also a "festival without food," a time of prayer and fasting because one's fate hangs in the balance with God.

It's also a day when Jewish people want to be at one with their heavenly judge, as well as family, friends and neighbors. And there is a feeling of hope that all will be well, for God is primarily a God of love and mercy for all.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism

Jewish Calendar

2007-08-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

ROSH HASHANAH is the Jewish New Year. Its liturgy
reflects self-examination, punctuated by the harkening
call of the ram’s horn (shofar) blown during services.
Apples and honey are eaten to wish celebrants sweetness
and fulfillment in the coming year.

YOM KIPPUR is Hebrew for “Day of Atonement,” and
is observed with fasting and prayer. (Those who are ill
are exempt from fasting.)

SUKKOT (pronounced “soo-coat”) means “booths,”
referring to the desert huts in which the Israelites
dwelled after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Agricultural symbols are used ritually throughout this
eight-day holiday.

SIMCHAT TORAH (pronounced “sim-khat torah”)
joyfully celebrates the completion of the year-long
Torah-reading (Old Testament) cycle and the end of
the Jewish Fall Holidays.

CHANUKAH commemorates the military and religious
miracles of a second century BCE Jewish community in
Jerusalem. Rituals include lighting an eight-branched
candelabra (called a menorah) eating oil-fried foods and
playing a game called dreydel.

PURIM (pronounced “poo-rim”) celebrates the strength
of a fifth century BCE Jewish community facing destruction.
Holiday customs include dressing in costume,
reading from the Book of Esther and eating triangular
pastries called hamantashen.

PASSOVER recalls the Israelite’s redemption from
slavery in Egypt. It is marked with ceremonial meals
and by refraining from eating leavened foods. (Those
who are ill are exempt from this observance.)

SHAVUOT (pronounced “shah-voo-oat”) means
“weeks,” as the holiday falls seven weeks after Passover.
Dairy products are eaten to symbolize the nourishment
received when—traditional tells us— God gave the
Torah (Old Testament) on this day.

Jewish Holiday Reflections

2007-08-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sukkot: Feeling God’s Presence

"And God said [to Moses] 'See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock and, as my presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with my hand until I have passed you'" (Exodus 33:21-22). God’s love and protection embrace Moses as he is about to encounter God’s presence. To be shielded by the hand of God, to be protected in a place of safety, is to feel God all around us.

Today, God’s presence is often so well hidden in our lives that we’re certain it doesn’t exist. But it does. The smile from a stranger, the outreach from community, the kiss of a memory, the hope for the future – all these sustain us during difficult times and help us realize that we are not alone.

As Yom Kippur focuses on our connection to God and on our spiritual lives, Sukkot takes us into the physical world. North, south, east, west, above and below are the directions we shake the lulav and etrog showing that God’s presence is everywhere. Sukkot reminds us that with the fragility of our material world, there is great joy and blessings to be found even in the simplest of structures.

The truth of this was made more profound last year in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Families and homes were torn from their roots. The delicate balance of our lives and all that we find comforting were brought into clear focus. Sukkot is here to say – we are vulnerable, yet in those moments of vulnerability God is with us, near us, and protecting us if we can find a way to station ourselves in the cleft of the rock and allow the hand of God to be our shield.

From the survivors of natural disasters to the survivors of personal struggles, we learn that rebirth is possible, that rebuilding is possible and that God’s presence, even in times of devastation, is indeed with us. God asks Moses to take the first step. "Station yourself on the rock" – we need to take that step everyday and with every encounter no matter how small it may seem. There is a place near God, if only we move toward it.

© Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Temple Chai, Cantor Sharona Feller

This Torah Reflection was written by Sharona Feller, retired cantor from Temple Chai in Phoenix and facilitator of the Deutsch Family Shalom Center at Temple Chai. It is brought to you by the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center (a program of the Institute on Aging, and a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties) in collaboration with Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Phoenix, AZ and the Deutsch Family Shalom Center, Temple Chai of Phoenix, AZ.

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

PRAYER

2007-08-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yom Kippur for One who Cannot Fast

Ribbono shel Olam/Master of the Universe;
Creator of All, Source of All Life,
Who Knows What is Deep in Human Hearts,
Who Nurtures Every Living Being:

As You know, dear God,
Yom Kippur is fast approaching, and because of my condition,
I am not able to keep the traditional fast -
I cannot abstain totally from eating.

On this Day of Atonement, this Sabbath of Sabbaths,
this year and every year, it is so central to join the people of Israel in denying ourselves food and drink for one day so that we focus on correcting our misdeeds, on knowing our mortality; on reaching for a life of Torah, mitzvot,
and loving kindness; on You.

You know, dear God, that it is not my intent
to be apart from our people and our tradition.
My current state of health makes it unsuitable for me to fast.

So, dear God, I turn to You now in sincerity and openness:
Help me in the coming year to do my best in
guarding my health.
Help us, Your children, learn how to protect our
bodies from harm.
Help us support others in caring for their tzelem Elokim,
their Image of God.
Teach us to help one another grow and thrive in
Body, Mind, and Spirit.
Guide caring family and health care professionals in their partnering with you to bring healing if not cure, support and strength if not an end to symptoms.
And if there is an opportunity for me to help others who suffer by doing something they need or by being attentive company -
Grant me the ability to do this mitzvah with love and devotion.

Rofeh khol basar/Healer of all living creatures:
I thank You for the breath that is in me
for the community of Israel that lives
for the possibilities of today and tomorrow.

May my eating be as a fast;
May it be dedicated to You, to T’shuvah -
to the Renewal and Restoration of my Relationship
to You, to Others, and to Myself.

© Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW, 2005

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

Chasidic Stories

2007-08-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yom Kippur

One of my favorite Chasidic stories is a tale about a young boy who attended Yom Kippur services one year with his father. Having grown up far from town on a farm, the boy was illiterate in the words of the siddur (prayer book) and Torah. Although he could not understand the words of prayer being chanted in the synagogue, the boy was deeply moved by the experience and wanted to lend his own expressions of faith.

In his pocket, the boy carried a whistle that he had lovingly carved himself. He frequently played it at home to soothe the farm animals when they became anxious or restless. Throughout that day in shul (synagogue), the boy fingered the whistle in his pocket, wishing to pull it out and offer his own song to God. Yet his father, sensing his son’s desire, always took hold of his hand, insisting that the whistle remain in the boy’s pocket.

Finally, during the Neilah service that marked the culmination of the holiday, the boy could resist no longer. During a silent moment of meditation, he whipped out his whistle and blew a glorious note. The room was hushed as the boy’s father looked at him in annoyance and shame, rushing him towards the door to leave.

Just then, the rabbi’s voice called out: God had opened the gates! The prayers of the entire congregation had ascended to heaven on the pure note of the boy’s whistle. The members of the shul, with all their learned prayer, could not prevail upon God as the young boy was able to by his simple desire to communicate through his heart with God.

In my work, I often meet people who are afraid that they need to know “the right words” to offer in prayer. They turn to me asking for the words from our tradition that are correct for this or that occasion. Yet as this Chassidic tale, and the Torah portion, Beha’aloteha, teach us, the words of our hearts carry a powerful force.

In this Torah portion, we read of Moses’ sister Miriam being stricken with leprosy. Although she had spoken out against her brother Moses, it is Moses who offers one of the most impassioned and certainly the shortest prayer in the Torah. “El na refa na la: Please God, please heal her” (Numbers 12:13).

Moses’ prayer was one of deeply felt emotion. For one thing, we are told that Moses cried out (va-yitzak) his prayer to God. As Ellen Frankel notes in The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary On The Torah (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1996, pg. 213), “For when those we love are stricken suddenly, the most we can sometimes do is cry out. And sometimes even that cry is wordless.”

When Moses cried out to God, it may very well have triggered healing; both between Moses and Miriam, and between Miriam and God. Indeed, emotional and spiritual healing occurs when we connect with each other in these most elemental and cathartic ways.

Our tradition has always recognized the interplay between keva, the “fixed” or structured aspects of prayer, and kavanah, the intention that we bring with us to prayer. As we complete our recitation of the amidah prayer, we intone the words “Yi-h’yu l’ra-tzon im’rei fi v’heg-yon li-bi l’fa-neh-ha, Adonai tzu-ri v’go-a-li: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Adonai, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Sometimes it is the soulful shout, the short but impassioned prayer that leads most directly to the ears of God. At our times of deepest need it is important to remember that the impulsive cries from our heart, the spontaneous words that leap from our mouth may carry the most meaning and offer the most comfort, both for us and those we love.

Excerpts from © Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Rabbi Janet Offel

This Torah Reflection was written by Rabbi Janet Offel, Jewish Chaplain for Kaiser Permanente Hospice Valley Service Area, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is brought to you by the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center (a program of the Institute on Aging, and a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties).

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

PRAYER

2007-08-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashanah

Make us newborn as the year, our Creator,
Move us from womb darkness to light;
Take the muffled sounds of our gestation,
Transform them to nigguns of joy.

Before our birth, even before we came to be,
You fashioned the plain of our existence.
You nurtured us with tales of faithfulness;
You prepared us for deeds of kindness.

We are not delivered mindless and senseless.
We enter the world marked by Your touch;
Sustain Your hand's hold upon us,
Let it be our Source of strength.

Raise us up to know and to serve You,
Each day shall be an offering;
As You gave us life, we shall choose life,
By our mindfulness we honor You.

© Debbie Perlman, Flames to Heaven: New Psalms for Healing and Praise. Rad Publisher. Reprinted with permission.

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

Jewish Holiday Reflections

2007-08-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Viewing The Days of Awe

Illness and disability lend an altered flavor to the Days of Awe. We taste the honey, but before we can savor it on our tongue, our teeth crush the apple’s tartness and we are left with the endless duality that is our life. When everyday activities are a struggle, when necessary routines and medications threaten to become a focus and center of our lives, it is hard to pay attention to the still, small voice.

One year, as I listened to the Rosh Hashanah liturgy from my bed in the Intensive Care Unit, I wept. “Who shall live, and who shall die?” was a very urgent and real question for me. In my passion to find that place of acceptance and wholeness – the peace, the shalom – that will allow me to continue despite – despite everything, I am constantly turning back to God. It is the only choice I have that I am free to make regardless of disability. In making that choice, I am eternally equal with everyone else; I am whole.

© Debbie Perlman, Flames to Heaven: New Psalms for Healing and Praise. Rad Publisher. Reprinted with permission.

Reprinted from The Outstretched Arm: Volume 3, Issue 1, Fall 2000 with permission from its publisher The National Center for Jewish Healing. www.ncjh.org

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program.
Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

Jewish Holiday Reflections

2007-08-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: Shofar Blowing

In the Torah portion we read that we are to observe a sacred occasion that “shall be a day of shofar-sounding for you.” We all know the momentous stirring that somehow, in a wordless way, opens something deep inside us as soon as we hear the sound of the shofar. It is as if, without any words, we know that we are called to some great personal self-reflection in the midst of community. And we all know that we are called to a self-reflection that hopes for change.

There really is nothing like the literal blast of the shofar. But, like all the ways in which our tradition also invites us to understand the metaphors in Jewish life, we also experience other “shofar-sounds” that heighten our attention, stimulate our thoughts, and bring us to a place of great tenderness.

How many times when we are ill do we find ourselves reflecting on our lives in a way we did not when we were well? And how well we know that when we are ill, our reflections take on a different cast. Somehow the vulnerability of illness brings its own lens with which we see the world and ourselves. We may suddenly find ourselves praying in a different way. We may even find ourselves praying for the first time. We find ourselves speaking differently, feeling differently, or even acting differently. All because illness has sounded a kind of shofar-sounding to pay attention differently.

What are the ways in which the shofar’s sound has come into your life? And what are the ways in which the reflection it stimulated brought you to a place of deeper relationship, broader awareness, or determined action?

There are many ways in which one can understand the spiritual experience in illness. One way is to consider that illness itself is not necessarily spiritual, rather how one reacts to illness can be. In this way, our acts of self-reflection – something that belongs to us all no matter our station in life -- can become an important daily discipline which continues to move us more deeply into our God-created selves, and in relationship to others around us.

The shofar may sound literally or metaphorically, taking us to a place of tenderness - but what we do once we get there is the stuff of spiritual life.

© Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Rabbi Eric Weiss

This Torah Reflection was written by Rabbi Eric Weiss, Executive Director of the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. It is brought to you by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego and the Jewish Healing Center, a program of Jewish Family Service.

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

Jewish Holiday Reflections

2007-08-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Tempering Life’s Harshness

Many people are troubled by the High Holy Day liturgy that describes a celestial book in which it is written “who shall live and who shall die” in the coming year.

No matter what our theology or belief, this passage reminds us that we don’t really know what the next year holds for us. Despite our best efforts (or perhaps despite no special efforts) to live long and healthy lives, we simply cannot know or guarantee that good fortune will come (or continue to come) our way. Neither can we predict or assure that illness or tragedy will stay away from us or from the ones we love.

Having raised such awesome questions-of what we may deserve or of what we remains truly uncertain for us-what does our tradition offer to guide or comfort us?

The passage concludes, “U-teshuvah u-tefillah u-tzedakah ma’avirin et ro’a ha-gezeirah - Yet return (or ‘repentance’), prayer, and just action temper the harshness of the decree.”

Some people understand this to mean that we can change what has been “penciled in” for us in the Divine calendar of the coming year-that we can become more deserving of good and less deserving of a harsh corrective or punishing decree. Some people take this as a statement less about changing what comes down the pike for us, and more about how our intentions and our actions can significantly alter our outlook. In the second view, the state of our hearts affects our experience (i.e. “the harshness”) of whatever life brings.

How can this recipe help avert or temper the harshness of suffering or of life-and-death uncertainty in our lives?

Let us look at each ingredient, and what it may bring.

Teshuvah - returning to what has been most important, most meaningful, most sacred in our lives and in the world. Think about reconnecting (or connecting more strongly and cleanly) with the highest part of ourselves and with God, with what the Divine asks of us. How can that change what we do, what we say, what we think about the world and ourselves, how we experience the vicissitudes of life?

Tefillah - heartfelt prayer and reflection. Tefillah can draw on the words of praise, yearning, and thanksgiving in the prayer book, or the internal promptings of our hearts. What happens when we dedicate time for our spirit; when we honor the sacred; when we are reminded of what is truly eternal and we strive to be in greater alignment with our deepest hopes and beliefs?

Tzedakah - giving of our resources, helping others in need, acting justly. In Jewish tradition, anyone, no matter how impoverished, has something to offer to another person in the world. What happens when we are giving?

Think about how any of these ingredients-or better yet all of them together-may, if stirred in your heart or incorporated into your actions, give you strength, perspective, or comfort when you are suffering or facing uncertainty.

Wherever you find yourself during these Days of Awe, you can reflect on the ways your engagement with teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah may affect your life and the lives of those around you.

No matter what we may face in the coming year, may our heartfelt efforts bring relief, comfort, and healing in our own lives and in the lives of others.

© Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Rabbi Natan Fenner

This Torah Reflection was written by Rabbi Natan Fenner of the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center. It is brought to you by the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center (a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties), in collaboration with the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, and the Jewish Healing Center, a program of the San Diego Jewish Family Service.

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.

Jewish Holiday Reflections

2007-08-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Rebuilding Shattered Dreams

Many of us once owned a set of sacred tablets that at some point in our life were destroyed.

It may have been the death of a mother or father at a young age, bringing to an abrupt end the nurturing and security a child so desperately needs from parents. It may have been any other form of pain, abuse or loss that you experienced during your life which denied you the love, joy and optimism you once called your own. It may be fear, shame, insecurity, guilt, resentment, disappointment, mistrust or other forms of emotional trauma that began to afflict you at some point in your life, shattering your inner sacred and divine “tablets.”

Many of us create for ourselves a second pair of "tablets" in order to substitute for the first ones that were lost. But they are not quite the same. The second set of "tablets" lack the magic and the innocence of the original "tablets" that no longer exist. In the depth of our hearts we crave to reclaim something of the wonder of the old tablets. But it is to no avail: The clock of life never turns back.

Here lay the empowering message of Moses to his beloved people before his own demise: There is a secret world in which your first tablets were never broken. Notwithstanding the abuse and pain you experienced, each of you possesses a tiny corner in your soul which forever remains invincible, pure and sacred, filled with confidence, love, joy and hope.

What is more, when your perception expands, you might discover how your shattered dreams may be part of your individual path to wholesomeness. Wholesomeness does not come in one shape; for some it comes in the form of a broken heart. What is broken in one level of perception may be wholesome in another.

The Power of Elul
Elul is the month of preparation coming before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Herein lies the unique power of this month in the Jewish calendar, the final one of the year, the name of which spells out the words “The Ark containing the whole Tablets and the broken Tablets.”

This is the month that allows you to build in your personal life an “ark” which will contain not only your second complete tablets, but will also embrace the broken pieces of your first tablets. This is the time when you are empowered and can pick up the broken pieces of your life and discover that there is a part of yourself that was never really broken.

What is more, during this month you may go back and, with tender love, lift up every broken piece of your life, learning how each of them constitutes another rosebud in your soul's wholesome orchard.

By Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson
http://www.meaningfullife.com/personal/pain/Rising_from_the_Ashes.php

This article is provided to you by the Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program. Through the wisdom and traditions of Judaism, The Twin Cities Jewish Healing Program offers comfort, hope and strength to people experiencing loss, life challenges, illness, dying and grief. For information about our resources and volunteer visitors, please call 952-542-4840.