Abstract
Since the late 1990s, the expression “Jewish Mindfulness” has become ubiquitous in Jewish community centers (JCCs) and synagogues in America, in Israel, and in the Western diaspora. “Mindfulness”, a secular meditation technique originating from Buddhism which has been popularized in Western culture through its recontextualization within the Western therapeutic culture, has been increasingly used in Jewish Religious settings, including Modern Orthodox. How do Modern Orthodox rabbis describe their use of “Mindfulness” in their religious teachings? Why do they refer to Mindfulness Meditation rather than to Jewish Meditation? In this article, I comparatively analyze the discourses spoken—online, and in print—of American rabbis from various Modern Orthodox trends as a case to study strategies of adaptation in the current context of globalization. By identifying three types of use of Mindfulness—through, and or as Judaism—I seek to highlight the various ways in which today’s Orthodox educators use “Mindfulness”, both as a meditation technique and as a spiritual mindset, and how this is reshaping the way they teach Jewish religion. Observing contemporary Orthodox discourses on Mindfulness within Jewish religious pedagogy can help us better understand the processes of cultural appropriation and translation as well as religious change in the making, as part of a boundary maintenance work within today’s cosmopolitan cultures.
Highlights
Understanding Cultural Appropriation through the Case of Modern OrthodoxUses of Mindfulness Meditation in Jewish EducationOne may be surprised to find that upon entering the Heschel Jewish High School1 in New York at the time of morning prayers, there is an option to participate in a “Mindfulness and meditation minyan2 ”
Orthodox rabbis describe their use of “Mindfulness” in their religious teachings? Why do they refer to Mindfulness Meditation rather than to Jewish Meditation? In this article, I comparatively analyze the discourses spoken—online, and in print—of American rabbis from various Modern
The third approach I call the “biblicization” or “neo-traditional” approach: this type of strategy can be taken into two very different directions: either to deny all ideas of cultural import, or to better reappraise the Jewish tradition, by considering Jewish practice itself as a Mindfulness practice. Through this three-fold analysis, I study Modern Orthodox appropriations of Mindfulness meditation as a case to better understand Postmodern religion in the context of cultural globalization: as a religious ethos unfolding in the paradoxical tension between traditional claims on the one hand, and overt cultural borrowing on the other—the later often used in the service of the former29
Summary
One may be surprised to find that upon entering the Heschel Jewish High School in New York at the time of morning prayers, there is an option to participate in a “Mindfulness and meditation minyan2 ”. Mindfulness, known today in Western culture as a secular meditation technique consisting in “paying attention” to “the present moment3 , “is derived from. Vipassana , a Modernized form of South-East Asian Theravada Buddhism, which takes ground in a foundational Buddhist text, the Satipat..thāna Sutta. Vipassana , a Modernized form of South-East Asian Theravada Buddhism, which takes ground in a foundational Buddhist text, the Satipat..thāna Sutta5 Could these Jewish educators be suggesting the. The Heschel School: https://www.heschel.org/ (accessed on 1 December 2019). Religions 2020, 11, 11 practice of a Buddhist form of meditation instead of Jewish prayer? In Western culture, “Mindfulness” is unambiguously considered to be a secular meditation technique, thereby not competing with any religious practice. The intent is to use Mindfulness as a pedagogic tool to better access Jewish prayer (tefilah) To “prayer,” or “Mindfulness” to “Judaism.” Quite the opposite, says the description on the school’s website; it is to “develop Mindfulness skills in the context of Jewish tradition and Tefilah6 .” In other words, the intent is to use Mindfulness as a pedagogic tool to better access Jewish prayer (tefilah)
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