[Avodah] Hisbonenus

[Micha Berger]

The use of visual imagery used to be a central part of many derakhim in
Yahadus. Such meditation was one of the core elements of Chassidus. In
Novarhadok, it was used to shape middos. An emotional experience is more
powerful at changing the self than words; and thus generating one internally
is a useful skill.

>From RYGB's talk on "shevisi Hashem..." it seems evident that many (most?)
understood this in terms of actually visualizing the four letters before you
"tamid".

As for today, it's socially stigmatized as "weird" and not much practiced
AFAIK in the frum world. Breslov perhaps.

Here's one that I find helps my kavanah with berakhos, when the NhC's kavanah
is in tune with my current mood. (As opposed to a Hirschian, Soloveitchikian,
or some other peshat.)

Picture light coming from infinitely far off. While RYGB cited someone (forgot
who) who allowed one to be someich on the Ra'avad that one may imagine the
Source of the light, I don't. It's infinitely far off -- it doesn't enter the
mental picture. This light is the Berekhah as the Cause of my existence. It is
personal, the beam is entering me in particular. Thus I can say "Barukh atah
H'", taking sheim havayah as the causative conjugation of "hayah". Take some
time to fully develop the picture. To feel the "chiyus" coming in with this
shefa.

Once there, then realize that in truth, the light does fill -- and in fact
*is* -- everything around you as well. E-lokeinu, Melekh ha'Olam.

In the case of birkhas avos, the one berakhah I am most likely to say at a
pace slow enough to have such kavanos (thanks to R' Aryeh Kaplan), the
progression of the berakhah is from that personal light, to the light that
fills all ("E-lokeinu") to the realization that the light that fills all fills
each item personally. And that a person must aspire to the madreiga where he
doesn't live his life by natural law, having G-d as E-lokeinu, but by moral
law -- E-lokei avoseinu.

How does one do that? By blending the archetypes of Avraham, Yitzchaq and
Ya'aqov...

Another, more mussar-dik example.

Picture a drop of water. You're out in nature, and water drips over a
precipice. It falls onto a rock. Don't just learn about Rabbi Akiva's
experience, spend time imagining the scene exactly. Try not to let any
extraneous thoughts enter, but if they do -- don't actively fight them or get%