On Nov 19, 2007 12:00 PM, Yonatan Kaganoff <<a href="mailto:ykaganoff@yahoo.com">ykaganoff@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br><div> </div> <div>5) R. Richard Wolpoe talking about not being distracted while involved in learning. How is this any different than being so involved in playing video games that one doesn't notice the
cold (or hunger or other people in the room with him)? Being absorbed in Torah learning is not Mindfulness.</div></blockquote><div><br>Some quick points: <br><ol><li>My understanding that lack of distraction is approximately the same as being in the present moment. It is possible that betrays my concept of mindfulness as a bit superficial but that is about where I am holding on the mindfulness scale!
</li><li>I davka was pointing out that this Mishna was NOT davka about Learning Torah per se! and I used the illustration of an absent-minded or distracted surgeon. Truee, the popular peshat of this Mishna IS with regard to Learning Torah, but persoanlyl I have FELT it was more about paying attention to what you are doing than about learning Torah per se. Again, if paying attention to what one is doing is NOT equivalent to being in the present moment then My understanding of mindfulness is somewhat flawed.
<br></li></ol> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div></div> <div> </div> <div>So I am left with my original question. Is Mindfulness or being Present in the Moment a Jewish virtue?
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</p><hr size="1"></div><br></blockquote></div>I dunno for sure! AISI it should be deemed as a valuable means to an end in Judaism, but not an end in itself. It is jsut my understanding that wheter it be Torah, Tefillah, or Shechita, one should be "mindful" of what one is doing, but re: mindfulness itself I am not so sure
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>Please Visit: <br><a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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