Was Itzhak the first Breslover?
ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה לפנות ערב וישא עיניו וירא והנה גמלים באים׃
Genesis 24:63
So Itzhak went to the field to meditate.
It is interesting that Yitzhak trait is Gevurah — strength.
His name means laughing and we read of him having fun with his wife.
So, we have 3 clues to a more spiritual, meaningful life:
· Meditation / Mindfulness
· Joy
· Strength
Indeed, this is the basis of Rebbe Nachman's teachings.
Let’s start with strength. Why is this important? We need strength to control our desires, go on a path that is more meaningful, and not get sucked in the world of social media.
In my search for a more meaningful life, I embraced Orthodox Judaism and became a Halachic Jew. I ticked many boxes and placed Halacha before common sense and compassion for my kids.
In hindsight, I could say I was too demanding on my kids. When events unraveled and my son chose not to be observant it challenged me. It challenged me to revaluate my uncompromising approach, be more sensitive and have empathy for his situation.
Fast forward till today, I am still learning to deal with life’s curveballs. It is a challenge.
During this time I got hooked on to Reb Shlomo Carlebach's music, stories, teachings, and message. Very simply, I gained a higher lens, perspective, and longing for Shabbat, Jerusalem, and a more spiritual and joyful Judaism.
The challenge that we all face is how to pass on a more meaningful impactful Judaism in an age of the distractions of social media.
I have now entered the 3rd cycle of my life and looking for amongst other things a more spiritual approach to life and Judaism. One that is beyond the happy-clappy approach, or tick box prayer, but a more meditative, thoughtful, or mindful approach.
On a practical basis, this includes the use of a Niggunim in my Davening (use of a melody in prayer). And the focus on a few phrases to nigun (melody) to meditate over. There are many options and I use different parts of prayer to focus on.
I am not alone and there is growing movement to bring a more mindful approach.
The Power to change — the power to influence — the power to grow
On Reb Shlomo’s Yahrzeit, my creativity reaches new heights.
I can not get over the fact that his legacy inspires so many people and his influence beyond the grows stronger every year.
I want to share a few thoughts which I had on the 27th Yahrtzeit of Reb Shlomo
Let's look at Mindfulness and Judaism's relationship with Eastern Mysticism.
Reb Shlomo understood the attraction of Eastern Mysticism to Jews in the post Holocaust period when Judaism was basically closed and offered no answers or support. It was not a simple situation and I heard that Reb Shlomo went to many of the Gurus and Ashrams to rescue these Jews and bring them back to Judaism. This led to Reb Shlomo starting the House of Love of Prayer. (This requires more research and would make a fascinating book and movie)
This was an underlying factor in Reb Shlomo's approach. The Holocaust propelled Shlomo to reach out to every Jew, to connect to every Jew, and eventually seek a more universalistic approach.
So, there is an obvious tension as to which is the correct approach and what to emphasize in Judaism after the Holocaust.
The Hareidi response was to focus on Halacha as a way of not dealing with the question of — Where was God in the Holocaust? It goes deeper than this — their world view is defined by its name Hareidi which means fear — They have a big emphasis on reward and punishment.
Reb Shlomo was influenced by Rebbe Nachman's teachings which went to a more meditative, spiritual Judaism where our lives are broken, we make mistakes, we learn from our mistakes, and try to say be a better person.
The emphasis is very different from Reward and Punishment. The emphasis is not on punishment but on learning and growing as individuals. In other a more mindful approach.
One of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach central messages is to learn how to get up to learn how to fall | רבי שלמה קרליבך עלייה וירידה
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJWOC-MjyEU
Let’s look at some examples of the Jewish Spiritual Renewal today.
One example is Elhanan Shkolnik. He wrote about a book of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach teachings — called the Shepard of the Souls. Here he explains in his own words how he came to bring out this book.
“5 years ago I started writing notes for myself about the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo, after a yahrzeit held in his memory at the yeshiva.
The teachings were so sublime that an idea came to my mind to share with anyone who wanted to. Gradually the circle expanded, and today the circulation stands at about a thousand people.
In view of this great success, I combined the teachings and annotations of the book and published it.
The book is called “The Shepherd of the Souls”, and embodies the character of Rabbi Carlebach, as someone who was the soul shepherd of tens of thousands of people.
The book contains a unique interpretation of the rabbi’s words, which are aimed at the world of youth, who are looking for a rabbinical and friendly figure.
The purpose of the book is to make it accessible to everyone, Rabbi Shlomo, his teachings and ways so that he can open a book with the flick of a book, strengthen himself mentally, be filled with spirituality, and learn how to love ourselves and our environment anew.
I recognized a great awakening among the Israeli public in general and youth in particular, for a longing for faith, love, and a desire to be better.
I promise that whoever reads the book carefully, will become a better version of himself, and will receive a new spirit and soul.”
In another example, this article in Hebrew traces how Shlomo is influencing the Yeshiva World more spiritually — https://www.kikar.co.il/403595.html
Another teacher (spiritual master) that I am learning from is Rabbi Dov Singer.
In Israel, Rabbi Singer, an innovative educator and a leader of the modern Israeli revival of Chassidut, the body of Chasidic philosophy, is well known for his teachings about tefilla, or prayer. His best-selling book, “Prepare My Prayer: Recipes to Awaken the Soul” (Maggid), is newly translated into English from the original Hebrew.
This book is now my go-to book when I try to have a more meaningful prayer experience.
https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/dov-singer-knocking-on-heavens-door/
I am sharing this recording of a beautiful evening of Soul Music with Rabbi Shlomo Katz with the students of Rav Dov Singer at his Yeshiva Makor Hachaim.
One final thought to wrap it by Susha Frumin
“The last few days have come to mind how strange Rabbi Shlomo’s Yahrzeit has become a day of rejoicing.
Every year, I marvel at the power of the day. Every year more and more people celebrate the day of revelry. All over the world, there are literally encounters and joy. This year I realized that one day Rabbi Shlomo’s celebration will be even greater than Rabbi Shimon’s. Rabbi Shimon celebrates with fire. And burning fire can also hurt. But with Rabbi Shlomo, they celebrate everywhere with guitar and dancing. And it’s just joy.”