“I know of a story where a 12 year old boy secretly studied the Kabbalah and meditation under a rabbi. So do not worry, you are in like company (Wallace).”Mystical traditions hold a secret that not everyone can experience. Stories can be read, pictures can be seen, and accounts of mystics (those who practice these traditions) can be professed, but nothing will compare to emotion and passion in the experience itself. The mind of a mystic can be viewed as one gone mad. Or is that merely the title one gives the unexplained and not experienced? Many of today’s so-called mystical experiences can be practiced in a single day. Sleep deprivation, raves, repetitive monotonous sounds, and so on can change a person. But for how long and how does a person feel? Quite a different question is asked of Jewish mystical tradition and meditation. That question can very well be what are the stages, what is to be risked, and what is to be received? What a turn this topic takes with the application of the Jewish model. “The West might be said to emphasize action. The East concentrates on perfection of the spirit. Judaism seeks to unite both ideals (Weiner 111).Jewish meditation is a spiritual insight with G-d. This process of getting close to G-d is called “devekut”. Devekut is not only getting close, but also actually melting into G-d. This requires much training and rules. It is said that one cannot even look at the Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical text) unless one is male and over forty years of age. A girl the age of twenty was afraid to touch the text let alone talk about it (Warner). The Kabbalah is both fear and love (“Kabbala” 271). Devekut is an actual metamorphosis of the self. Practicing individuals are receiving from G-d. There is no selfish goal for meditation but to be a chariot to carry the will of G-d. With this fastening, a presence is felt. Jewish meditation and the stud...
