Thought of the Day
When we awaken a Divine attribute in ourselves, we are drawing on the energy from its source in the world of the sephirot, which then flows down into us and out into the world.
Category: Meditation and Prayer
Weekly Teachings - Every Friday a teaching is posted on the site as a subject for study and contemplation during the coming week. The teaching guide the reader in using the teachings and practices of Judaism as a spiritual path that leads to God knowledge. They combine the wisdom of the Kabbalah, Hasidic Masters, and the Rabbis with the knowledge of the mystical and esoteric traditions of other faiths. The teachings provide a path that is both solidly anchored in the Jewish tradition and fully universal in its vision and understanding of the spiritual life. Here you will find all the past teachings under the category of Meditation and Prayer.
Willpower
4 May 2012 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
“What is the purpose of spiritual disciplines? To develop free will. The more one strengthens one’s willpower, the more one moves toward God. The Master used to say, ‘Awaken your inner power.’ Success does not come to souls who are weak-minded. “The more one’s mind becomes pure, the more one’s willpower increases. Look at Buddha. [...]
Stillness
30 Dec 2011 | 1 Comment | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
The Zohar states that one of the names of God is minuchah – rest. The Baal Shem Tov teaches that God is called minuchah or rest because movement does not apply to Him, because movement is only relevant with regard to something that is in time and space, but God is infinite and not shifted [...]
First Light
27 Oct 2011 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
“A person can test if his soul and spirit are truly and completely bound to God by this sign: if as soon as he awakens from sleep there falls into his mind holy and pure thoughts of God’s greatness, while his physical needs and worldly desires are forgotten from his heart. Then, he knows for [...]
The Path of Silence and the Path of Words
5 Jun 2009 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
“In silence one can contemplate the greatness of God and bind oneself to God more than one can bind oneself through speech.” - The Baal Shem Tov There is a spiritual path of silence. It is a path that has tremendous power. Silence leads us to God consciousness. Silence is central to meditation. It is only [...]
The Presence of God
24 Apr 2009 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
“When I am on the Heights, I say ‘I am He,’ and when I have a stomachache, I say ‘Mother, have mercy on me.” Swami Vivekananda [1] “Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; when You concealed Your countenance, I was afraid.” - Psalm 30:8 Acknowledgements (↵ returns to text) Swami Chetanananda, [...]
Spiritual Companionship
27 Feb 2009 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
“I find it hard to describe the joy that we experienced in those days… “Day after day, as though overpowered by a strange, spiritual fervour, we kept on doing our meditation and experiencing intense joy…day and night we had no talk between us other than about spiritual life – about renunciation, devotion and how to [...]
Longing
20 Feb 2009 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
As the hart pants after the water brooks, So my soul pants after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:2-4 The natural state of the soul is an intense longing to return to God. This yearning deepens when the soul [...]
I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is Mine
29 Aug 2008 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
My head is bursting with the joy of the unknown. My heart is expanding a thousand fold. Every cell, taking wings, flies about the world. All seek separately the many faces of my Beloved. Jalaludin Rumi [1] Acknowledgements (↵ returns to text) Shahram Shiva, Hush Don’t Say Anything to God: Passionate Poems of Rumi, (Jain [...]
Beyond Words
4 Jul 2008 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer, Spiritual Wisdom
In the Midrash, we are told that when God was instructing Moses how to build the vessels for the Mishkan (Tabernacle), Moses has difficulty imagining the appearance of the menorah. Then God showed him the image of a menorah made out of fire and Moses understood. The Baal Shem asks: Of all the vessels in [...]
Beneath the Surface
4 Jan 2008 | No Comments | posted by Rabbi Yoel Glick | in Meditation and Prayer
Once a young monk called Kyosho went to study under the Zen Master Gensha. When Kyosho arrived at Gensha’s monastery, he went straight to see the Master. ‘I have come over here seeking the Truth’, he told him. ‘Where can I start to get into Zen?’ Master Gensha immediately turned to him and said: ‘Can [...]
