| Kabbalah
and Education A Kabbalistic Approach to Spiritual Growth |
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| Kabbalah and Jewish Meditation |
Part
21 The
most fundamental meditation is the Shema--the quintessential
statement of monotheism--which translates into English as "Hear O Israel, God
is our God, God is One."This statement is followed by another: "Blessed
is His Name whose Glorious Kingdom is Forever and Ever." The
first verse proclaims God's transcendence--that He includes all of
creation yet is infinitely greater than that. It instructs us to hear and
know that God's ultimate and unknowable essence is identical with the life
force of the material world, even as expressed through the physical laws of
nature. (This is why in Hebrew two different names of God are used in this
verse: the unique four-letter Name, the Tetragrammaton, which we are
forbidden to pronounce; and the Name of God which appears throughout the
Genesis story of creation and whose numerical value is equal to hateva
"nature.") To
appreciate the indivisible unity between these two seemingly contradictory
aspects of God (that which is above and untouched by nature and that which
is nature) is to resolve the riddle of how the "infinite" can be contained
within the "finite." The process of growing toward God is the process of
understanding and internalizing the ultimate implications of this truth. The
second verse declares God's immanence, that He is equally present
within every point of reality. His "glorious kingdom"--meaning the
perfection that exists even now, hidden within the seeming imperfection of
physical reality--is, was, and will be constantly present. The only change
is the extent to which it is revealed by the outer layers of reality. As
creation evolves more of this inner beauty becomes apparent at the surface. The
words of the Shema are not just abstract concepts. They have real
power. When we recite this affirmation, in Hebrew, with deep understanding,
we actually transform physical reality in accordance with its truth. Through
the first verse we draw down light into the world, elevating its
physicality, and furthering its purpose as a vehicle for Godliness. Through
the second we bring about a revelation of the point of good that vitalizes
every object and every moment. As
the most complete statement of ultimate truth within the Torah, the
Shema has been a perfect source of inspiration to Jews throughout the
ages. It is recited at least twice daily and at the point of death--the
ultimate affirmation as one's last thought, the surrender of a lifetime of
accumulated wisdom focused on this one truth. Because of its maximal
conciseness, the Shema is the perfect focus for contemplation; each
word is significant and possesses the power to draw forth insight related to
its deeper meaning. Because
it provides a glimpse of what it means to experience intimacy with God, the Shema
serves as the ideal preparation for the peak experience of Jewish prayer--the
Amidah (the standing, silent prayer composed of nineteen blessings).
In the Amidah, we enter into direct communion with the innermost
essence of God. Indeed, the sages use the word prayer (tefilla) as a
synonym for the Amidah. The
Amidah integrates not only our personal requests of God but also,
simultaneously, reflects God's deepest desires for His creation, and
therefore enables our greatest possible intimacy with Him. It is this deep
communion that constitutes the very essence of prayer. This is also where
meditation is so helpful, as an aid in concentrating on the words and their
meanings; this fixed point of focus actually creates the possibility of
communion, and at its culmination, it becomes the meeting place between God
and the soul. At that moment, the relationship between supplicant and God as
"He," which characterizes meditation, shifts into an encounter with God as "You,"
which is the basic word of prayer. Thus the real focus in prayer is not upon
the words of the liturgy, but upon the "You" to whom they are addressed.
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