Customer Reviews

Meditation and the Bible

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, author of this book, was an orthodox Jew with a rare gift for explaining Jewish mysticism in clear, accurate layperson's terms. When this book first came out, it was a major theological breakthrough, in that it presented an authentically JEWISH view of meditative practices that are hinted at in the Bible. In my opinion, it is required reading for anybody -- Jew or gentile -- who wants to understand how Jews meditate, with authentic references to prove that meditation is kosher.

I highly recommend it!

The lore is that Rabbi Kaplan, the author, died at the tender age of forty-six because G-d felt Kaplan had exposed enough of His secrets and decided it was time to recall this particular soldier. This book does nothing to undermine that hypothesis. Rabbi Kaplan, arguably the most prolific, cogent, and accessible of writers on Jewish esoterica and mysticism, explores how the Torah's Prophets used meditation as a tool to foster their prescience. The book also serves as an incisive gloss on aspects of the Torah, explicating the esoteric meaning underlying various elements of it. The section on Psalm 119 alone is worth the price of the book. Kaplan's objective in all of his works is to get at the heart of Judaism, to use the form to understand the substance. Meditation and The Bible is an important part of his oeuvre. Irrespective of one's religion, this book instils the sense that the reader is being let in on secrets of The Bible previously unknown to all except true Initiates, whoever they might be. Add it to your Kaplan collection. If you don't have a collection of his other books, this should inspire you to start one.

This is an interesting book. Within its pages contains knowledge of true Biblical Meditation. This book teaches you how to meditate by showing you the mysterious secrets of meditation used by the Holy Prophets of God!! If you have ever wondered what the Prophets did in the Bible to attain the states of consciousness needed to see into the future or just to receive Divine Guidance in their everyday lives you will find answers in this book. Aryeh Kaplan does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the whole spectrum of meditation including history, word studies, and countless examples of meditation in the Bible. Chapters include: Internal Isolation, Enlightenment, Spiritual Power, Ezekiels Vision, Prophetic Methods, The Prophetic Position, Floating Distractions, Explosive Emotions and much more. I recommend this book to Christians who are seeking a deeper walk of Faith and to those of all faiths who desire to enrich their minds and inner most being by having a working knowledge of Meditation. This is a good book to have around the house when you are trying to prepare a Bible Study or are getting ready to teach a workshop on New Age Meditation and need some quick, solid reference notes. The mysterious Urim and Thumim are also disscussed in this book along with all the other things in the Bible that contemporary religion has no really good answers for. Lots of Scripture references for the student of the Bible. You will enjoy this book, very informative.

Revised review- Nov. 28 2009

*Introduction
**Overview
***Things needed
****Conclusion


*This book, Meditation And The Bible, is still one of the most important books I own. After so many years, I still refer to this book when wanting to have an academic view of a verse or a word, refresh my memory on the importance of meditation or just wanting to revisit his conversation on the behavior and spiritual habits of the prophets.

**The book is broken down into many sub-topic of meditation:

1. The Tradition-- the behavioral habits of the prophets
2. The Prophets-- A look at historicity, philology and the Divine Names
3. Verbal Archeology-- The expanded use of and the interconnection of the Psalms, prophetic passages, and psychological preparation.

If there is one thing you'd find consistent throughout this book, it's this: this book is essentially the study of and the use of words: the Divine words, in particular. Rabbi Kaplan uses and extensive bibliography to support his thesis of the meaning of words as it pertains to passages ("parsha").

*** This is an academic book. It can be read as a stand-alone book or as a reference for a bible study. I suggest that a separate notebook be kept just for this book as it is very in-depth and there are exhaustive conversation regarding root words, and passages.

**** I can't over emphasize this book. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, of Blessed Memory, produced one of the most important scholarly works to the Bible, since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Meditation is a largely misunderstood subject and often dismissed as a relic of Oriental mysticism, or worse, as an introduction to the occult as stated by the conservative Christian wing. What it is, however, is an invaluable tool for spiritual growth.

As with all things that help us to grow, wisdom and self-discipline are the keys. Meditation and the Bible, provides the foundation and Rabbi Kaplan's book, Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide provides the exercises.

The late Aryeh Kaplan was a Rabbi, scholar, and Kabbalist. In addition to his valuable and readable commentaries on Sefer Yetzirah and Sefer Bahir, he wrote three books on meditation. The other two are: "Meditation and Kabbalah" and "Jewish Meditation." From a practical perspective, "Jewish Meditation" is far and away the best, however, reading the other two provides one with a more inclusive, theoretical background and context within which to practice. This volume is quite valuable and a contribution to both meditation per se and to Bible study. I'd put it in the middle of the 3 in value, if forced to choose. It's rare to find an author who is both scholar and practitioner, so Kaplan's books on meditation and on Kabbalah are particularly valuable and accessible to the reader. Of course, they are not introductory books--of which there are innumerable versions in bookstores. It helps to have a solid background in the basics before tackling Kaplan's texts. But it isn't essential." Kaplan's texts are appropriate to both the serious student and the serious practitioner of meditation and of Kabbalah.

This book is full of gems and exposition on some hard to explain versus of the Bible. While most people read the prophets with confusion, Mr. Kaplan sheds some light on some common ground between them with his understanding of Hebraic idioms and command of the language finding links where otherwise there were none. His knowledge of extrabiblical sources is invaluable to understanding the concept and practice of meditation within the Bible. For the complexity inherently contained in this subject, Mr. Kaplan writes in a manner that is easy to follow and understand, yet doesn't leave the reader incomplete. This book is a necessary compliment to his work "Jewish Meditation" and a primer to "Meditation and Kabbalah."

This book should be read by anyone interested in meditation. Kaplan explores several key Hebrew ideas concering meditation and enterting God's presence. As a Christian, I found his ideas helpful and inspiring.

After pastoring for 20 years and being very familiar with the prophetic ministry outlined in the New Testament, most writers from the Christian venue look at Old Testament prophets as exeptional men and women who were one of a kind. They almost seem like the prophetic ministry was only obtainable by a select few. This book, fortunately not written by modern Christian theologians, but written by Rabbi Kaplin looks at the prophets and how they obtained their ministry by breaking down the Hebrew scripture and points us toward the prophetic life and the meditation of the prophetic school. I would highly recommend this book to both my Jewish and Christian brother's and sisters, because it sheds new light on a topic that many hunger to understand.

I started reading this book this morning and literally did not put it down until I had read the whole thing. This is an educational read for anyone looking to learn more about the meaning of Biblical texts in the Judeo-Christian religions. If you are looking to expand your understanding of contemplative spiritual practice, this book will give you a lot to think about. This will be meaningful to you if you are Jewish, Christian, studying Kabbalah, a Vajrayana Buddhist, or a student of the Advaita Vedanta. Also, a student of the Sopia Perennis will find this book meaningful. On top of all that it is extremely enjoyable as a read.

If you have an interest in the Profits of the Old Testament and the way the prayed, meditated and had visions. You will find this book quite insightfull. Aryeh Kaplans way of writing is easy to understand, and full of long forgotton knowledge. With all the sources he used to write this book listed after each chapter. Every page will leave you waiting for the next! I found this book to be very interesting and it answered many questions I had on both medatation and the bible. I highly recommend this book to everyone and esspecially those looking for a deeper spiritual understanding of GOD.