Discovering Jewish Meditation: Instruction & Guidance for Learning an Ancient Spiritual Practice (Paperback)

by Nan Fink Gefen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Gefen, cofounder of Tikkun magazine and codirector of Chochmat HaLev, a Jewish meditation center in Berkeley, Calif., declares that although we may think that meditation belongs to the Buddhists, it is authentically Jewish. Indeed, Gefen finds references to meditation in Genesis (when Jacob spent time alone before his reconciliation with Esau, for example) and the Psalms. By the Middle Ages, Jewish mediation had "gone underground," though it was practiced by some Kabbalists and later claimed by the Hasidim. But readers don't need to become black-hatted mystics to take advantage of the tradition: this book encourages Jews of all persuasions to give meditation a shot. Gefen maintains a strict view of what is, and is not, meditation. In prayer, the goal is to communicate directly with God, whereas meditation attempts "to move into a spiritually open state, and then we experience whatever is there. This may include directly sensing God's presence. Or, it may not." Gefen teaches 13 basic meditations, from the Hineni meditation to a thankfulness meditation. This book is a worthwhile addition to the Jewish library, but it will never replace Aryeh Kaplan's Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide (reprinted in 1995) as the essential reading on the subject. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Jewish meditation entails deep reflection and contemplation of God. A frequently used Hebrew term connoting this is hitbodedut (self-isolation). It refers to withdrawal from social interactions and a turning inward. The Hebrew Bible is replete with spiritual directives that form the basis of Jewish meditation. This practical guide introduces the beginner to the meditative process. Part 1 answers questions about meditation and provides background information about the practice, including its history and its relationship to other meditative traditions. Part 2 teaches 13 simple meditations and describes their connection to Judaism and Jewish mysticism. Part 3 discusses the challenges that emerge once a meditative practice has been established and suggests ways to work with them. Some knowledge of Judaism or the Hebrew language would be helpful but isn't essential. George Cohen

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Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580230679
• ISBN-13: 978-1580230674
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #738,890 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guide for the Perplexed Meditator, December 13, 1999

By	Sandra Butler (Berkeley,California) - See all my reviews

Discovering Jewish Meditation: Instruction and Guidance for Learning an Ancient Spiritual Practice by Nan Fink Gefen Jewish Lights Publishing 175 pages

Reading this guide, one has the sense that Gefen stands alongside the novice meditator, encouraging, explaining, clarifying, reassuring. Discovering Jewish Meditation is an accessible, respectful and necessary companion for all those who long to take the first tentative steps into a spiritual meditative life.

Gefen's book on Jewish meditation is a primer and an invitation, the text both expansive and specific. Each section gently moves the beginning meditator through all the fears, obstacles, confusion and exhilaration that a new practice inevitably entails. It is written in a plainspoken manner, the author clearly identifying her own history of struggles with the judgement, discipline and discouragement. With each, she offers successful strategies that allow emergence into consistent on-going meditative practice.

Each section allows the reader to find her or his own concerns, anticipate those that may emerge and come to more deeply understand the foundations of a rich and complex tradition that is thousands of years old, yet for many end of the century Americans, brand new. The Resource Guide defines the landscape of this growing movement and allows the new practictioner to study further at their own pace.

By Sandra Butler, Author of: Conspiracy of Silence; The Trauma of Incest, New Glide Publications l978 Co-Author of: Cancer in Two Voices, Spinsters Ink, l991

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nourish Your Spirit, March 21, 2000

By	spiritEd. "vickigh" (Long Beach, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I was a meditation leader on a recent retreat. Most participants were new at Jewish Meditation and also meditation in general.This is a great book to use for this type of group ( and alone too!). Our "theme" was "Kabbalah" and these meditations worked very well with "Rabbis" lectures. We all came away feeling wonderful and ready to explore a whole new dimension of our Spirituality

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Introduction to a Relaxing, Spiritual Experience, December 14, 2002

By A Customer

It's a good book; an easy read. With a bit of background and set-up, Gefen quickly and easily gets the reader into the process. Yet even here - avoiding getting bogged-down in lots of dry, background material - there is a sense that the author had to work very hard to "puff" this to make a 170ish page book, when it would have been just as effective as a tightly-edited 20-page article. The lure and prestige of a book credit is obviously great. Nonetheless, I recommend it as an excellent way to learn and cope with our crazy, imperfect, in-need-of-repair world.