Concentration

Every man should devote time to judge himself and determine if his actions are correct, and if they are appropriate before the Lord who has granted him life.

If he finds that he has acted properly, he should fear no one-official, robbers or beasts –except the Lord. When he learns this, he will attain perfection in the study of the Holy Scriptures and worship.

It is impossible to be a good person without devoting each day to commune with the Lord in solitude, and to have conversation from the heart with him. Even though a man may feel he cannot concentrate adequately upon the theme of his meditation, he should nevertheless continue to express his thoughts in words. 

Words are like water, which fall continuously upon a rock until it breaks it. Similarly, words will break though a man’s heart. In the meditation a man cries to the Lord just like a child does when his father is about to go on a journey. There is no sadness in this weeping, only longing and yearning.

Words are the shell, meditation the kernel. Words are the body of the prayer, and meditation its spirit, we do not even know how we are supposed to pray. All we do is call for help because of the need of the moment. But the soul’s need is spiritual. if only we are were able to express what the soul wants!

Nothing in this world can be thoroughly accomplished without concentration. Once concentration is fully acquired, it is easy for a person to meditate. Mystical inspiration will automatically flow, once the power of concentration is acquired,

The Bible speaks of self-denial. People think it means not eating, or drinking and giving up all that is beautiful and good in life. But that is a wrong interpretation of a true teaching. Self denial comes from self forgetting. If one studies one’s surroundings one finds that those who are happy are so because they think less of one’s self. If they are unhappy it is because they think of themselves too much.

A person is more bearable when he thinks less of himself, and a person is unbearable when he always thinking about himself. The greatest misery in life is self-pity. Meditation has nothing to do with the mind. Rather, it is about diving deep within oneself. And only through this experience, one attains bliss.

Meditation in Jewish experience represents a rich treasure of wisdom; Meditative wisdom focuses on the inner man, the spiritual dimension of his nature and deeper hungers of his spirit which cannot be satisfied on the material or sociological planes alone.

Listen, and in thin heart engrave my words;

keep closed both eye and ear ‘gains  prejudice;