From Library Journal
Kaplan, Orthodox rabbi and author of Meditation and the Bible (Weiser, 1978) and Meditation and Kabbalah (Weiser, 1981), shows that meditation is consistent with traditional Jewish thought and practice. He then presents a guide to a variety of meditative techniques: mantra meditation (with suggested phrases and Bible verses to use as mantras); contemplation; visualization; experiencing nothingness (which he does not recommend for beginners); conversing with God; and prayer. His instructions are clear and explicit, and his advice is informed and sound, advocating that a simple 20-minute-a-day program can indeed help make the practitioner a better person and a better Jew, and develop a closer relationship to God and things spiritual. Recommended for general collections. Marcia G. Fuchs, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"[This is] the first book to read on the subject. It is a gentle, clear introduction and provides exercises and practices that can be used right away by any Jew who wants a deeper prayer experience."
--Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus and Stalking Elijah

"New and old davveners can learn from this sainted teacher how to deepen their holy processes. . . . One can, with the help of God and the aid of this manual, tap into the Cosmic."
--Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi

"A guide to Jewish prayer and meditation that is both grounded in the tradition and genuinely mind-expanding. For anyone seeking to connect with the spiritual side of Judaism, this book is essential."
--William Novak

"At a time when Jews are rediscovering their hunger for spirituality, Kaplan's clear and comprehensive book could well be one of the most important Jewish books or our time."
--Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"The classic text for Jews who want to experience the meditative methods of their own spiritual tradition."
--Daniel Goleman, author of The Meditative Mind


Review
"[This is] the first book to read on the subject. It is a gentle, clear introduction and provides exercises and practices that can be used right away by any Jew who wants a deeper prayer experience."
--Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus and Stalking Elijah

"New and old davveners can learn from this sainted teacher how to deepen their holy processes. . . . One can, with the help of God and the aid of this manual, tap into the Cosmic."
--Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi

"A guide to Jewish prayer and meditation that is both grounded in the tradition and genuinely mind-expanding. For anyone seeking to connect with the spiritual side of Judaism, this book is essential."
--William Novak

"At a time when Jews are rediscovering their hunger for spirituality, Kaplan's clear and comprehensive book could well be one of the most important Jewish books or our time."
--Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"The classic text for Jews who want to experience the meditative methods of their own spiritual tradition."
--Daniel Goleman, author of The Meditative Mind


Book Description
Kaplan shows that meditation is consistent with traditional Jewish thought and practice. The book presents a variety of meditative techniques to help make the reader a better person, and develop a closer relationship to God.


From the Inside Flap
Kaplan shows that meditation is consistent with traditional Jewish thought and practice. The book presents a variety of meditative techniques to help make the reader a better person, and develop a closer relationship to God.


From the Back Cover
"[This is]the first book to read on the subject. It is a gentle, clear introduction and provides exercises and practices that can be used right away by any Jew who wants a deeper prayer experience."
--Rodger Kamenetz, author of Stalking Elijah

"New and old davveners can learn from this sainted teacher how to deepen their holy processes. . . . One can, with the help of God and the aid of this manual, tap into the Cosmic."
--Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi


About the Author
Aryeh Kaplan, who died in 1983, was a well-known Orthodox rabbi and teacher of Jewish meditation. He is the author of many books, including a translation of the Torah commentary, Me'am Lo'ez.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From the Introduction to Jewish Meditation

People are often surprised to hear the term "Jewish meditation." Otherwise knowledgeable Jews, including many rabbis and scholars, are not aware that such a thing exists. When shown texts that describe Jewish meditation, they respond that it belongs to esoteric or occult corners of Judaism and has little to do with mainstream Judaism.

It is therefore not surprising that many current books on meditation give scant attention to Judaism. Although most writers seem to be aware that mystical elements exist in Judaism, their discussion is usually restricted to the Kabbalah or the Chasidic masters. Most books on meditation emphasize Eastern practices, and in some instances Christian meditation, but Jewish meditation is for all practical purposes ignored.

For students of meditation, this is a serious oversight. Judaism produced one of the more important systems of meditation, and ignoring it is bound to make any study incomplete. Furthermore, since Judaism is an Eastern religion that migrated to the West, its meditative practices may well be those most relevant to Western man. Without a knowledge of Jewish meditative practices, an important link between East and West is lost. This omission is all the more significant in light of considerable evidence that the Jewish mystical masters had dialogue with the Sufi masters and were also aware of the schools of India. . . .

Because so little on Jewish meditation was ever published, many people argued that meditation was to be found only in the backwaters of Judaic literature--in works not even worthy of publication. Actually, many works dealing with Kabbalistic methods of meditation were not published because the practices were dangerous and were not meant for the masses. Still, even these works shed considerable light on obscure passages found in published mainstream works; they are an integral part of the puzzle, without which major areas of Judaism are difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Once the puzzle began to come together, it became clear to me that some of the most important mainstream Jewish leaders of the past relied on various meditative techniques.

With the publication of [my] Meditation and the Bible, interest in Jewish meditation began to grow. Even the Lubavitcher Rebbe issued a directive that Jewish forms of meditation should be explored. Groups that taught and practiced Jewish meditation were formed in the United States and Israel. I felt privileged that my books formed the basis of many of these groups.

Unfortunately, a number of groups also involved in "Jewish meditation" were practicing something far from Judaism. Some of them attempted to adapt Eastern practices to Jewish audiences, or to Judaize Eastern teachings. Although these groups attracted a following of sorts, they were not teaching Jewish meditation.

Meanwhile, together with a group of committed Jewish psychiatrists and psychologists, I began to experiment with the techniques I had found in the literature. Together we explored the inner space of the meditative state . . . One important discovery we made was that most texts dealing with Jewish meditation assume that the reader is familiar with the general techniques, and intend only to provide additional detail. The details were fascinating, but when we tried to translate them into practice, we discovered that too much information was missing. It was like trying to use a book on advanced French cuisine without a rudimentary knowledge of cooking. The recipes were there, but a novice could not use them. In the case of Jewish meditation, the ingredients were there, but the means of mixing them together were omitted or glossed over.

To some degree, the puzzle was pieced together in my two previous meditation books. However, neither of these books was meant to be a practical guide. Many people expressed the need of a guide to Jewish meditation written in nontechnical terms for the layperson. It was out of these requests that the idea for this book was born.

This book presents the most basic forms of Jewish meditation, especially as discussed in mainstream sources. It assumes no special background on the part of the reader either in Judaism or in meditation. It is my hope that this book will at least begin to provide its readers with insight into the spiritual dimensions of the Jewish heritage.

ANNOTATION

Covers such topics as mantra meditation, contemplation, and visualization within a Jewish context.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Kaplan shows that meditation is consistent with traditional Jewish thought and practice. The book presents a variety of meditative techniques to help make the reader a better person, and develop a closer relationship to God.

SYNOPSIS

This book presents the most basic forms of meditation, especially as discussed in the mainstream sources. It is a guide to Jewish meditation written in non-technical terms for the layperson. It begins with a description of meditation in general, then focuses in on specifically Jewish meditation and finally explores the various components of meditation.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal