Book-Reviews
"Eye to the Infinite’(revised edition) is a very welcome
addition to the new and burgeoning genre of Jewish meditation books, but is to
be particularly noted and celebrated for its firm-rootedness within the Jewish
tradition and sources.
Whereas a great many contemporary forms of meditation are
quite openly adapting (secularising or psychologising) Buddhist or Hindu
techniques, Rabbi Rubin is keen to demonstrate that there are a great many
indigenous forms of contemplative practice within the ancient and well-stocked
storehouses of Jewish spiritual/mystical traditions.
For Rabbi Rubin, Jewish meditation is primarily a way to deepen one’s Torah life; to experience a more semiotically charged existence; connecting more consciously and fully to the Divine; in this way ‘stress relief’ or ‘alleviating depressive symptoms’ are understood as being a fortunate by-product as opposed to being the main purpose of practice.
The new sections concerning the Jewish festivals (recognising sacred space and time) and the ‘signs of success’ within one’s practice are very useful additions, significantly enhancing and elaborating upon the original publication. I particularly enjoyed the sections on ‘Layers of Consciousness' and 'The Two Inclinations', which are reminiscent of MacLean's triune brain model. The sword imagery in Eden reminded me of Aldous Huxley's work concerning 'mind at large', the fact that our cognitions are not only based on what we choose to attend to, but what we filter, or 'cut out' (which is most of reality). The distinction between Mochin d'katnut and mochin d'gadlut brought to mind the Transpersonal Psychologist Roberto Assagioli's (an Italian Jew) work in Psychosynthesis, who contrasted between the 'I' (ordinary self) and the 'higher self'.
Rabbi Rubin’s work not only continues in the trailblazing path of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's ZT"L work, but actually and practically builds upon it."
Dr Elliot Cohen – Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Transpersonal Psychotherapist, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University, Director of the Ohr Menorah centre for Jewish Meditation.
"Eye to The Infinite is an excellent condensation of Judaism's contemplative traditions. The author shows an exceptional grasp of the key sources, a keen eye for detail and expertly binds practice to theory with the accompanying meditations. His methods, particularly ‘the Chariot’, ‘Omnipresence’ and ‘Complete Unification’, are similar to those I might use and are particularly useful for generating a quiescent mind."
Daniel Gigi - Teacher of Kabbalah meditation, Author of 28 Jewelled Crown: A Comprehensive System of Jewish Meditation and Mysticism
"The meditations in Eye to The Infinite are simple and inspiring and help us remember that the Light of G-d surrounds us and is available to us, at all times."
Dr. Yedidah Cohen, Compiler of A Tapestry for the Soul & In the Shadow of the Ladder: Introductions to the Kabbalah by Rabbi Yehudah Lev Ashlag
"An excellent work on Jewish meditation and focusing on G-d for everyone! A great step-by-step walk-through of key concepts, with an easy to understand non-technical approach. Beautiful work. “
Reb Akiva, editor of Mystical Paths
Review: Eye to the Infinite
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
by Reb Akiva @ Mystical Paths
אשא עיני אל ההרים, מאין יבא עזרי "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from AYiN shall come my help." Psalms 121
A review of Ayn el HoEin, Eye to the Infinite – a Practical Guide to Jewish Meditation or How to Increase Divine Awareness by Aharon Rubin. 128 pages, English.
If you’re interested in the mystical and meditative, in actively and directly increase your connection with HaKodosh Boruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He), there are many books on the theoretical and theological in a Jewish approach to doing so. You can learn tens of seforim (holy books) on the topic and become well familiar with the concepts of building your mystical connection to G-d.
But when it comes time to put something into practice, to translate the knowledge to practical actions…you’re out of luck. There are few publications on what to do and how to do it, and almost none of them are in English.
Aryeh Kaplan’s “Jewish Meditation” may have been the sole book out there in English with any practical instructions for actual techniques in (mentally) reaching toward Hashem. Until today.
Eye to the Infinite bills itself as “A Compendium of Jewish Meditations and techniques adapted from the writings and teachings of the Masters of Kabbalah and Jewish theology”. It includes approbations from leading rabbis in Jerusalem and England, meaning the book is solidly kosher – no wishy-washy new-agey stuff, nor (G-d forbid) Kabbalah cult insta-divine-light crap, this book is the real deal. It’s a short book (129 pages) with a lofty goal. Let’s see if it succeeds…
The author sets the tone right in the Foreword… (Who reads the Foreword in a book? In this case even the Foreword itself is a treasure!)
An essential component of the path that leads to G-d, meditation exercises have been taught for aeons by the saintly masters of Jewish thought and mysticism, hidden within their writings and teachings…
The spiritual path combines the mind with the heart, purposeful thought with conscious feeling; guided and urged by the the still, inner voice of the Divine soul…
Before we take off for the Divine, first the author solidly grounds us in Torah and Jewish thought. In a few brief chapters the author gives us a mystical perspective of the soul and the Divine, the I and the Ayin (the Infinite). As a proper sefer (Jewish holy teaching book), each concept is footnoted with it’s source, which run the range of Midrash, Malbim, the Ari z”l, Nefesh Hachaim, Tanya, Zohar, Nevi’im, Gemora, psalms, Chumash, and many many more.
Next the author gives us a concise understanding of Jewish meditation. How does meditation relate to Judaism? Is it a traditional practice? What are the goals and what is the impact? And how do we understand this practice from traditional Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah)? Don’t worry, this is not a theoretical sefer, the author delves briefly there for those interested and quickly moves on.
Then it’s time to get practical. The grounding was necessary because now some secrets are revealed. First are some direct instructions. If you’re going to practice Jewish meditation and be successful, here is the how. But this is NOT the author’s how, these are direct quotes from major traditional Jewish sources, but quotes you’ve never heard before! From the Rambam, from Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, from Rabbi Chaim Vital, from the Ari z”l, from Rebbe Elimelech of Lizenskm, each guideline is carefully gleaned from a holy source (which is documented in the footnotes) and presented as an easy to understand instruction.
Then the author gets even more direct and practical. Step by step instructions directly from the masters of kabbalah, which continue to include grounding instructions along the way. This is no silly kabbalah-cult “plug in and receive the light”, these are direct instructions for the path to connect with the Divine.
So far in under 70 pages the author has taken us on a journey of what, what is the soul, what is the proper concept of the Divine (from a meditative perspective), what is meditative connection. Then how, how to think about it and step by step how to properly begin Jewish meditation.
Next comes a shocker. The author presents 13 actual directed Jewish meditations, including some serious kabbalistic meditations.
The first 4 are Jewish letter meditations, excellent foundational meditations with the fourth (the vowel meditation) beginning to really reach beyond. As with everything in this sefer (yes this book qualifies as a holy book), each idea presented is sourced and explained in the footnotes.
Meditation Chapter 8 sets the stage for what’s really coming. “Meditation in Prayer – Entering the Palace”. It begins to explain how to use the meditations as a step in Jewish daily prayer, and how to use Jewish daily prayer as a part of one’s meditations. It ends with this statement, which could also be considered a warning “the following chapters are ideal as meditations before prayer to enhance the awareness of G-d, the Divine Presence, the soul and the angelic (upper) realms.”
The author then presents serious directed kabbalistic meditations with meditations 9, 10 and 11. The author and I had some correspondence over this, as I was astounded to find this level of kosher Jewish mystical material in English with easy use instructions available for the general public! If people rush to these meditations, if they ignore the proper grounding the author offers in Torah as well as practical grounding in mitzvot, then these meditations carry risks. Both risks of misuse and misunderstanding.
The author includes some notes on this, both in the content and in the footnotes to mitigate these concerns. But even more, when it’s so easy to fall away, the way of creating deeper and real connections to HaKodesh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He) must be shared with this generation.
The author ends with an “instant soup” meditation, a quick meditation on complete unification that can be used as a short “start of the day or spare moment” mental and spiritual improvement.
Aryeh Kaplan’s “Jewish Meditation” is the basic how-to starter book on Jewish meditation. It teaches the basic (kosher) techniques…and stops there. Because it teaches techniques but doesn’t provide direction, many people experiment with it a bit and then stop as there’s nowhere further to go.
Eye to the Infinite solves this problem and takes the reader much further. It provides the background and grounding needed to move much further in Jewish meditation and then walks you through, step by step, exactly how to do so, to Whom you are connecting, and the tools to achieve specific provided goals. This is an EXCELLENT achievement for the English speaking Jewish public.
I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Jewish meditation and/or kabbalah! This is the real thing, in English, presented in a step by step fashion. It is NOT “easy” or “simple”, but it is presented as easily and simply as it can be.
Eye to the Infinite is available as an e-book at Amazon.com (for the Kindle, iPod/iPad, PC or Mac) at a special introductory price of $4.95.
It’s also available in PDF format for £5.95 here, readable on any computer or portable device.
And oh yeah, a regular old paper bound sefer is avaiable here for £9.97 plus shipping.
Eye to the Infinite gets our strong recommendation.
Disclosure – None. Mystical Paths has no financial relationship with the author of any sort. We received 1 e-book edition for review.*
To see this review, go to http://mysticalpaths.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-eye-to-infinite.html
For Rabbi Rubin, Jewish meditation is primarily a way to deepen one’s Torah life; to experience a more semiotically charged existence; connecting more consciously and fully to the Divine; in this way ‘stress relief’ or ‘alleviating depressive symptoms’ are understood as being a fortunate by-product as opposed to being the main purpose of practice.
The new sections concerning the Jewish festivals (recognising sacred space and time) and the ‘signs of success’ within one’s practice are very useful additions, significantly enhancing and elaborating upon the original publication. I particularly enjoyed the sections on ‘Layers of Consciousness' and 'The Two Inclinations', which are reminiscent of MacLean's triune brain model. The sword imagery in Eden reminded me of Aldous Huxley's work concerning 'mind at large', the fact that our cognitions are not only based on what we choose to attend to, but what we filter, or 'cut out' (which is most of reality). The distinction between Mochin d'katnut and mochin d'gadlut brought to mind the Transpersonal Psychologist Roberto Assagioli's (an Italian Jew) work in Psychosynthesis, who contrasted between the 'I' (ordinary self) and the 'higher self'.
Rabbi Rubin’s work not only continues in the trailblazing path of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's ZT"L work, but actually and practically builds upon it."
Dr Elliot Cohen – Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Transpersonal Psychotherapist, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University, Director of the Ohr Menorah centre for Jewish Meditation.
"Eye to The Infinite is an excellent condensation of Judaism's contemplative traditions. The author shows an exceptional grasp of the key sources, a keen eye for detail and expertly binds practice to theory with the accompanying meditations. His methods, particularly ‘the Chariot’, ‘Omnipresence’ and ‘Complete Unification’, are similar to those I might use and are particularly useful for generating a quiescent mind."
Daniel Gigi - Teacher of Kabbalah meditation, Author of 28 Jewelled Crown: A Comprehensive System of Jewish Meditation and Mysticism
"The meditations in Eye to The Infinite are simple and inspiring and help us remember that the Light of G-d surrounds us and is available to us, at all times."
Dr. Yedidah Cohen, Compiler of A Tapestry for the Soul & In the Shadow of the Ladder: Introductions to the Kabbalah by Rabbi Yehudah Lev Ashlag
"An excellent work on Jewish meditation and focusing on G-d for everyone! A great step-by-step walk-through of key concepts, with an easy to understand non-technical approach. Beautiful work. “
Reb Akiva, editor of Mystical Paths
Review: Eye to the Infinite
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
by Reb Akiva @ Mystical Paths
אשא עיני אל ההרים, מאין יבא עזרי "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from AYiN shall come my help." Psalms 121
A review of Ayn el HoEin, Eye to the Infinite – a Practical Guide to Jewish Meditation or How to Increase Divine Awareness by Aharon Rubin. 128 pages, English.
If you’re interested in the mystical and meditative, in actively and directly increase your connection with HaKodosh Boruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He), there are many books on the theoretical and theological in a Jewish approach to doing so. You can learn tens of seforim (holy books) on the topic and become well familiar with the concepts of building your mystical connection to G-d.
But when it comes time to put something into practice, to translate the knowledge to practical actions…you’re out of luck. There are few publications on what to do and how to do it, and almost none of them are in English.
Aryeh Kaplan’s “Jewish Meditation” may have been the sole book out there in English with any practical instructions for actual techniques in (mentally) reaching toward Hashem. Until today.
Eye to the Infinite bills itself as “A Compendium of Jewish Meditations and techniques adapted from the writings and teachings of the Masters of Kabbalah and Jewish theology”. It includes approbations from leading rabbis in Jerusalem and England, meaning the book is solidly kosher – no wishy-washy new-agey stuff, nor (G-d forbid) Kabbalah cult insta-divine-light crap, this book is the real deal. It’s a short book (129 pages) with a lofty goal. Let’s see if it succeeds…
The author sets the tone right in the Foreword… (Who reads the Foreword in a book? In this case even the Foreword itself is a treasure!)
An essential component of the path that leads to G-d, meditation exercises have been taught for aeons by the saintly masters of Jewish thought and mysticism, hidden within their writings and teachings…
The spiritual path combines the mind with the heart, purposeful thought with conscious feeling; guided and urged by the the still, inner voice of the Divine soul…
Before we take off for the Divine, first the author solidly grounds us in Torah and Jewish thought. In a few brief chapters the author gives us a mystical perspective of the soul and the Divine, the I and the Ayin (the Infinite). As a proper sefer (Jewish holy teaching book), each concept is footnoted with it’s source, which run the range of Midrash, Malbim, the Ari z”l, Nefesh Hachaim, Tanya, Zohar, Nevi’im, Gemora, psalms, Chumash, and many many more.
Next the author gives us a concise understanding of Jewish meditation. How does meditation relate to Judaism? Is it a traditional practice? What are the goals and what is the impact? And how do we understand this practice from traditional Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah)? Don’t worry, this is not a theoretical sefer, the author delves briefly there for those interested and quickly moves on.
Then it’s time to get practical. The grounding was necessary because now some secrets are revealed. First are some direct instructions. If you’re going to practice Jewish meditation and be successful, here is the how. But this is NOT the author’s how, these are direct quotes from major traditional Jewish sources, but quotes you’ve never heard before! From the Rambam, from Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, from Rabbi Chaim Vital, from the Ari z”l, from Rebbe Elimelech of Lizenskm, each guideline is carefully gleaned from a holy source (which is documented in the footnotes) and presented as an easy to understand instruction.
Then the author gets even more direct and practical. Step by step instructions directly from the masters of kabbalah, which continue to include grounding instructions along the way. This is no silly kabbalah-cult “plug in and receive the light”, these are direct instructions for the path to connect with the Divine.
So far in under 70 pages the author has taken us on a journey of what, what is the soul, what is the proper concept of the Divine (from a meditative perspective), what is meditative connection. Then how, how to think about it and step by step how to properly begin Jewish meditation.
Next comes a shocker. The author presents 13 actual directed Jewish meditations, including some serious kabbalistic meditations.
The first 4 are Jewish letter meditations, excellent foundational meditations with the fourth (the vowel meditation) beginning to really reach beyond. As with everything in this sefer (yes this book qualifies as a holy book), each idea presented is sourced and explained in the footnotes.
Meditation Chapter 8 sets the stage for what’s really coming. “Meditation in Prayer – Entering the Palace”. It begins to explain how to use the meditations as a step in Jewish daily prayer, and how to use Jewish daily prayer as a part of one’s meditations. It ends with this statement, which could also be considered a warning “the following chapters are ideal as meditations before prayer to enhance the awareness of G-d, the Divine Presence, the soul and the angelic (upper) realms.”
The author then presents serious directed kabbalistic meditations with meditations 9, 10 and 11. The author and I had some correspondence over this, as I was astounded to find this level of kosher Jewish mystical material in English with easy use instructions available for the general public! If people rush to these meditations, if they ignore the proper grounding the author offers in Torah as well as practical grounding in mitzvot, then these meditations carry risks. Both risks of misuse and misunderstanding.
The author includes some notes on this, both in the content and in the footnotes to mitigate these concerns. But even more, when it’s so easy to fall away, the way of creating deeper and real connections to HaKodesh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, Blessed Be He) must be shared with this generation.
The author ends with an “instant soup” meditation, a quick meditation on complete unification that can be used as a short “start of the day or spare moment” mental and spiritual improvement.
Aryeh Kaplan’s “Jewish Meditation” is the basic how-to starter book on Jewish meditation. It teaches the basic (kosher) techniques…and stops there. Because it teaches techniques but doesn’t provide direction, many people experiment with it a bit and then stop as there’s nowhere further to go.
Eye to the Infinite solves this problem and takes the reader much further. It provides the background and grounding needed to move much further in Jewish meditation and then walks you through, step by step, exactly how to do so, to Whom you are connecting, and the tools to achieve specific provided goals. This is an EXCELLENT achievement for the English speaking Jewish public.
I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Jewish meditation and/or kabbalah! This is the real thing, in English, presented in a step by step fashion. It is NOT “easy” or “simple”, but it is presented as easily and simply as it can be.
Eye to the Infinite is available as an e-book at Amazon.com (for the Kindle, iPod/iPad, PC or Mac) at a special introductory price of $4.95.
It’s also available in PDF format for £5.95 here, readable on any computer or portable device.
And oh yeah, a regular old paper bound sefer is avaiable here for £9.97 plus shipping.
Eye to the Infinite gets our strong recommendation.
Disclosure – None. Mystical Paths has no financial relationship with the author of any sort. We received 1 e-book edition for review.*
To see this review, go to http://mysticalpaths.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-eye-to-infinite.html