JEWISH MEDITATION

I’m Victor Herzfeld, the leader of the Mindfulness Meditation group at Temple Beth David. This group, ongoing for over twenty years, has become a bit of a tradition at TBD.

MIndfulness Meditation teaches us to be present in this moment, watchful, and insightful with focus on our breath as an anchor. Meditation in Judaism has a rich history and deep roots, and is very much a part of Jewish spiritual practice. 
Meditation is beneficial in many ways. It’s a way to get in touch with our spirituality, offers a means of stress management, helps to quiet our minds and grounds our spirit in this busy world. 

If you’d like to learn how to meditate, then this group is for you. We meet on Zoom, Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10 am. Women are welcome, but currently we’re all men. We’re older, but anyone over age 18 is welcome. For more information contact Victor Herzfeld at [email protected]
My own spiritual journey began with a deep need to connect with something bigger than myself. Through Mindfulness Meditation I’ve established that connection to something, while undefinable, it’s spiritual, wondrous and perhaps divine.

As a student at UCLA, I met a Zen monk who taught me meditation, and began my lifelong journey through all things spiritual. At that time, In the late ‘70s there was a vibrant spiritual revival sparked by the popularity of Transcendental Meditation and Eastern Philosophies of all kinds. I tried them all, but the simplicity of Zen resonated with me the most.

Having settled into Zen, I met Rabbi Don Ani Shalom Singer at the Los Angeles Zen Center. He was a rare, fully ordained Zen Master. I spent several years with Rabbi Singer, learning about Jewish Spirituality. With his guidance and encouragement, I decided to become a Meditation teacher, and started this.

Mindfulness Meditation Group. 

Recently, our own Rabbi Ira Rosenfeld has attended the meditation group, and it’s always a pleasure as he is an accomplished meditator with deep humorous…uh…spiritual understanding and connection.