[Avodah] Hisbonenus

[Micha Berger]

[I see the bottom of my email didn't make it through the first time.
Take II.   -mi]

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 in the frum world as as "weird"
and not practiced much AFAIK. 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 frustrated, just return to the image. Then, once you can smell
the fresh mountain spring water and feel that rock realize -- you're
the rock, and the water -- Torah. It can make an emotional impression.
Enough impressions, and your emotional, preconscious, relationship to
Torah is changed. And what could be more valuable than being more able
to be shaped by the Torah one learns?

At the most recent Shabbaton, RYGB discussed shitos that understand
"shevisi Hashem..." in terms of visualizing the letters of the sheim
havayah or other sheimos.

Does anyone have first-hand experience in this area that they would like
to share? Anyone have knowledge of the mesorah on this subject? Want
to learn?

Tir'u beTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where
micha at aishdas.org        you are,  or what you are doing,  that makes you
http://www.aishdas.org   happy or unhappy. It's what you think about.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                        - Dale Carnegie