Gate to the Heart: A Manual of Contemplative Jewish Practice by Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi with editors Netanel Miles-Yépez and Robert Micha’el Esformes, Albion-Andalus, Boulder, Colorado; ISBN 978-0-61594-456-2 ©2013, $13.00, p. 118, plus Recommendations for Further Reading
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California — Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, co-author of more than a dozen books on various Jewish topics, is one of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders. His principles on Jewish practice are now being supported by the Boulder, Colorado, Yesod Foundation and ALEPH, The Alliance for Jewish Renewal in Philadelphia, PA.
In addition to being raised as a Belzer Hasid and ordained as a Chabad Hasid, Schachter-Shalomi graduated from Hebrew Union College, which is governed by the Reform Jewish Movement, with a doctorate in Hebrew letters. Later, he founded the Jewish Renewal Movement, a Jewish trans-denominational group anchored to the prophetic and mystical traditions. Schachter-Shalomi’s wide-range of experiences with divergent and discordant dogmas and practices within Judaism gives him a perspective shared by few, allowing him to find common-core beliefs in divergent theological positions.
For those who want to learn to davven, meaning “to pray contemplatively with intention and insight,” Schachter-Shalomi points the reader toward Jewish mysticism as the correct path in his newest work Gate to the Heart. He begins with an introduction to the mystical ideas of the soul’s five levels and the four worlds, which represent the four layers of reality articulated by the Chabad.
In Gates to the Heart, Schachter-Shalomi connects each of the five levels of the soul, respectively, to an individual’s energy, feelings, intellect, experience, and intuition. He then ties each of the four worlds to physical actions that heighten individual piety and associates each with a part of the prayer service. The lowest world, the World of Assiyah, the “World of Action,” is coupled with the opening section of the morning service. The World of Yetzirah, the “World of Formation,” is linked to the Hymns of Praise section of prayer book, known as pesukei d”zimra. The World of Beriyah, the “World of Creation,” begins with the words Yotzeir Or, “forming light,” and the final and top-most world is the World of Atzilut, the “World of Emanation,” which commences with the recitation of the Shema prayer.
He also presents many ways in which readers can increase their ability to meditate and contemplate prior to and during prayers, such as hashkatah, stilling the mind; hitbonenut, self-reflection; and kavvanah, intention. Additionally, Gate to the Heart presents side-bar Reflections, Meditations, Explanations and Guidance meant to move the reader along the path of greater communion with God.
Praying in a synagogue is a shared experience and Schachter-Shalomi offers advice on how to incorporate the music, chanting, ritual, and the holy objects, such as tallit, tefillin, and mezuzah, which surround the worshipers as “a path to the heart.” Mysticism is by and large experiential. To this end Schachter-Shalomi discusses the preparation for and the immersion in Shabbat by asking the reader to focus on two aspects of the Sabbath: the outer aspect—refraining from work and the inner portion, which means placing “great effort in the direction of God, in Torah and prayer…. The Shabbat becomes a day of enjoying God.”
Schachter-Shalomi’s presentation is warm, personal, and inspiring, making Gates to the Heart a valuable tool for those desiring to make the initial commitment toward becoming more deliberate and contemplative about God in prayer and their daily lives.
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Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. He is the author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars; Ancient Secrets of Creation: Sepher Yetzira, the Book that Started Kabbalah, Revealed; and a fiction book, Reclaiming the Messiah. The author can be reached via fred.reiss@sdjewishworld.com.