Good Morning Everyone,
Last night we practiced meditation at Temple Beth El. Our small group is growing. We have three new people attending and it is delightful to experience their energy. Practice within a group is a long Jewish tradition. Still, a private practice is an excellent daily obligation we should take on for ourselves. Hitbodedut means to "withdrawal" oneself and Hasidic Masters such as Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) taught this practice with great care, insight, and wisdom.
Set aside time each day to meditate and pray alone in a room or some meadow and express your innermost thoughts and feelings and personal prayers to God.
Likutey Moharan II, 25
It is a great achievement to be able to settle your mind for a period of time each day and regret what you must. Not everyone is able to attain mental calm and tranquility for a time every day. The day flies past and is gone, and a person finds that not once in all his life did he have time to settle his mind. Make every effort to set aside time to review your life calmly. Think about all your different activities and interests and how you behave. Consider carefully if this is how you should spend your days. Someone who does not meditate cannot attain wisdom. He may occasionally be able to think clearly, but not for any length of time. His power of concentration remains weak and unsustainable . He will never realize the folly of this world. But one who has a clear, settled mind can understand that everything is madness and vanity.
Sichot Haran #47
If you are interested in beginning this practice, please commit to doing so. I will be offering pieces of Rabbi Nachman's work over the next few weeks along with tips from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan to help you. Yet the work must be your own to do.
If you are in the Las Cruces area on Monday nights, please feel free to join us at Temple Beth El.
Shalom.
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