The positive psychology movement has identified meditation as a key technique for increasing happiness and feelings of tranquility. But observant Jews don’t meditate, do they?

There are some excellent books and articles written by Rabbis and Jews about the traditional approach to simcha (Jewish joy). Most of them, unfortunately, ignore meditation as a tool for centering oneself and becoming happier. This seems to be part of a larger trend of marginalizing meditation, a practice that was once widespread among Jews.

In his excellent book, Jewish Meditation (published in 1982), Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan notes that early Jewish works are filled with discussions of various types of meditation, but:

…all references to meditation vanished from mainstream Jewish literature about 150 years ago (page 41). 

Why did most Rabbis and sages steer the faithful away from meditation? Historically, there have been a few reasons:

1. Meditation is seen as a gateway to other religions: to give a related example, the opening of a yoga studio in the early 2000s in Beit Shemesh (a city in Israel)  sparked controversy among Haredi residents that Jewish ideals would be violated.

Because meditation is so strongly associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, some Rabbis feared it would be a gateway to Jews joining those religions.

2. Meditation is too isolated: traditional Judaism favors communal spirituality. Praying together in a shul/beit knesset/synagogue with a minyan (prayer quorum) is considered more desirable and effective than praying (or meditating) alone in most situations.

3. Meditation is too introspective: on a related note, some Rabbis see meditation as too introspective. Judaism is a religion of doing. Jews perform the mitzvot (the commandments), pray together three times per day, do acts of charity and kindness, and actively study Torah. It is feared that some of this “doing” will necessarily fade away if some Jews become caught up in long, introspective meditation sessions.

4. The Jewish spiritual experience is mostly fixed: traditional Jews pray three times per day using a relatively fixed text, some of which is taken straight from the Torah. There is room for customizing and personalizing the experience, but some worry that if accepted as mainstream, meditation could supplant the traditional prayer experience for some Jews.

5. Rationality prevails over spirituality: some Orthodox groups prize rationality over spirituality (and indeed deem some Hassidic spiritual practices as invalid). These groups, such as the Jews descended from Lithuania, prefer an intellectual and super-rational approach to Judaism.

Moving Forward

Some of the fears/criticisms above are partially valid, but the truth is that Judaism has always possessed a strong meditative element, and I believe all Jewish groups should emphasize this practice going forward to help Jews grow spiritually and live happier lives.

It should be noted that the liberal denominations of Judaism have already increasingly embraced Jewish meditation, as have spiritually-inclined Orthodox groups, such as Chabad.

One of my upcoming blog posts will briefly examine the various types of Jewish meditation. Start clearing your head now, so you’ll be able to receive the information with a centered and balanced mind… 😉

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