Connecting to HaShem Through Meditation

Vanessa Waldman

 

In our day to day lives, how often do we get stressed and overwhelmed? Whether it is cramming for an exam the night before or facing a big-life decision, life presents us with moments that challenge us in ways that can feel impossible to overcome. 

 

Personally, when I encounter such a roadblock, I turn to hitbodedut, Jewish meditation. From the root word bidud (alone), hitbodedut is the practice of secluding oneself from others and speaking to God in your own words. This seclusion allows us to physically create a space for us and Hashem and speak to Him from the heart. By doing this we are not only validating our worries but allowing ourselves feel a sense of comfort knowing that God is listening and watching out for us. 

 

Hitbodedut, however, is not meant to take the place of the set liturgy in the siddur. Moreover, we can’t compare or replace Tefillah with hitbodedut because they serve completely different purposes. When we pray from our siddur we connect to our mesorah and the words contained in it. Even when we struggle to connect to the prayers, we still try to say them with as much kavanah (concentration) as possible. Hitbodedut is different since you are not including your heart within the set paths of Tefillah, but are connecting yourself to God in a way that nobody in the world can do but you. 

 

My Chassidut teacher from seminary once shared an insight that I think connects beautifully to the concept of hitbodedut. In parshat Lech Lecha Hashem says to Avraham, “לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֥.”

One interpretation of this is that it means “to go into yourself.” Only when Avraham left behind all of the things that made him someone else and connected to his inner, truer self (his home, family, culture and society) was he able to encounter God. Ultimately, Avraham became the father of a people who weren’t influenced by the laws of nature because they refused to be defined by them. 

 

Today, it is easy to get caught up in the world around us, to be pressured by our peers, or to succumb to the cultural norms we live in. However, when we take the time to put away our phone, enter a quiet space, and speak to Hashem from our hearts, we embark on our own Lecha Lecha journey and go “into ourselves.” I bless us all that we have moments in our lives, through hitbodedut, to connect to our inner selves, and through that, to Hashem.