Letters of Light

 

Jewish Mystical Meditation

Meditation also grew quietly within the mystical traditions of Judaism, evolving from ancient scriptural practices into the visionary pathways of Kabbalah. While the meditative thread in Jewish tradition is less widely known than its Eastern counterparts, its practices are rooted in awe, remembrance, and intimate union with the Divine.

As early as the first and second centuries CE, Jewish mystics known as the Merkavah (“chariot”) were practicing deep contemplation on visions found in the Book of Ezekiel. These early meditations sought to ascend through spiritual realms to glimpse the Divine throne. Later, around the 12th century, the mystical teachings of Kabbalah emerged in full, most famously through the Zohar, a luminous and symbolic commentary on the Torah.

In Kabbalistic meditation, the aim is not transcendence alone – it is devekut, a Hebrew word meaning “clinging” or cleaving to God. Practitioners used meditative focus on Hebrew letters, Divine names, visualisation, and sacred language. Each Hebrew letter is seen as a vessel of creative power, each Name of God as a portal to a specific Divine quality. In this way, meditation becomes an act of devotion, a sacred study, and a subtle art of alignment.

Contemplation on a Divine Name

One of the classic Kabbalistic practices involves focused meditation on a Name of God – particularly the four-letter Tetragrammaton: Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh (יהוה). In mystical tradition, this Name is not pronounced, but contemplated.

“These letters are not just sounds or signs; they are lights, energies, sacred gates.”
– Inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari)

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Type of Meditation: Jewish Mystical Meditation
Root Tradition: Judaism
Key Region: Europe
Rough Timeframe: 100 CE – Present