(יא) כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹֽא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ (יב) לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ (יג) וְלֹֽא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲבָר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ (יד) כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃ (ס)
(11) Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. (12) It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?” (13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?” (14) No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.
“We’re trying to build the 21st-century synagogue and an expanded conversation about what the ultimate aim of a synagogue is,”“It’s not just about Jewish identity, it’s about human flourishing.”
David Ingber.
From "Romemu's Popular Rabbi and New Age Prayer Brings Growth — and Challenges"
Forward Article by Annie Cohen, from September, 20th, 2013.
https://forward.com/news/184218/romemus-popular-rabbi-and-new-age-prayer-brings-gr/
David Ingber.
From "Romemu's Popular Rabbi and New Age Prayer Brings Growth — and Challenges"
Forward Article by Annie Cohen, from September, 20th, 2013.
https://forward.com/news/184218/romemus-popular-rabbi-and-new-age-prayer-brings-gr/
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer
“The awareness that we stand in the presence of the Living God is one of the most important realizations we can install in our operative consciousness. God is always present. The question is, how present are we? We want to stand in that Presence without opacity. Our work is to penetrate, in meditation and in action, to the very heart of being nokhach penei ha-Shem (Lamentations 2:19), of being truly present before God.”
“The awareness that we stand in the presence of the Living God is one of the most important realizations we can install in our operative consciousness. God is always present. The question is, how present are we? We want to stand in that Presence without opacity. Our work is to penetrate, in meditation and in action, to the very heart of being nokhach penei ha-Shem (Lamentations 2:19), of being truly present before God.”
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer
“Many who live their lives as Jews, even many who pray every day, live on a wrapped and refrigerated version of prayer. We go to synagogue dutifully enough. We rise when we should rise, sit when we should sit. We read and sing along with the cantor and answer ‘Amen’ in all the right places. We may even rattle through the prayers with ease. We sacrifice vitality for shelf-life, and the neshomoh, the Jewish soul, can taste the difference."
“Many who live their lives as Jews, even many who pray every day, live on a wrapped and refrigerated version of prayer. We go to synagogue dutifully enough. We rise when we should rise, sit when we should sit. We read and sing along with the cantor and answer ‘Amen’ in all the right places. We may even rattle through the prayers with ease. We sacrifice vitality for shelf-life, and the neshomoh, the Jewish soul, can taste the difference."
Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, in L. Kushner and K. Olitzky; Sparks Beneath The Surface
There are so many wise men, scholars, and philosophers in the world all of them pondering, investigation and delving into the mystery of God. And why do they misuse their wisdom? They only misuse it because they are limited by their intellectual level and perceptual capacity. But the people of Israel are a holy people. They possess special instruments that elevate their perceptual capacity and enable them to transcend the level of their intellect and attain the level of ministering angels themselves. And these are the instruments: the performance of mitzvot. This is just what Israel said when they stood at Mount Sinai, "We will do and we will hear". Through the power of the mitzvot we perform, we are able to understand.
There are so many wise men, scholars, and philosophers in the world all of them pondering, investigation and delving into the mystery of God. And why do they misuse their wisdom? They only misuse it because they are limited by their intellectual level and perceptual capacity. But the people of Israel are a holy people. They possess special instruments that elevate their perceptual capacity and enable them to transcend the level of their intellect and attain the level of ministering angels themselves. And these are the instruments: the performance of mitzvot. This is just what Israel said when they stood at Mount Sinai, "We will do and we will hear". Through the power of the mitzvot we perform, we are able to understand.