Susan* came to the Jewish meditation group because of difficulty sleeping in the year since her spouse died. Neil came to group while struggling to maintain his sobriety after being laid off from his job. Stephen was looking for a way to find peace while dealing with a long-term illness.

Each had experienced a traumatic change in life circumstances and was asking what their purpose might be moving forward. Each sought help through meditation within the Jewish context, hoping Jewish meditation practice might offer support and direction.

In meditation, the mind or consciousness is intentionally developed for a particular purpose. There are many types of meditation that have been shown to have a wide variety of positive effects. Jewish meditation, which is as ancient as Isaac going out into the field to meditate (Genesis 24:63), was deeply developed in the Kabbalistic and Hasidic traditions, and has found a resurgence of interest in modern times.

Jewish meditation’s traditional focus has been on recognizing the sacred in everything and understanding God’s will for us. Moses’ initial encounter with the burning bush demonstrates how being curious and noticing miracles in our lives can lead to understanding our divine purpose (Exodus 3:2-5):

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said: “I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here am I.” And He said: “Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

By noticing and stopping with the kavvanah (intention) to examine a “great sight,” Moses demonstrated readiness for divine revelation and receiving his life’s sacred purpose . Some Torah commentators note that Moses was chosen for the holy duty of returning to Egypt to free the Hebrew slaves because he was the only person who noticed and stopped to examine the mystery of the burning bush.

We also can choose to stop and notice with the intention to look deeply at any moment or object in our lives, curious to understand a miracle that others may not see. And in that stopping and looking, we may become ready to receive our own divine purpose. We can hear and choose to take up the mantle God has intended for us.

If we allow it, we can look deeply into each moment to uncover the sacred core. We sit quietly with an open curiosity, observing “where is the sacred in this?” We may miss our lives and our callings if we carry on with life-as-usual. Sit with the intention of finding holiness in everything; make this a formal practice each day so that it becomes the default setting in your life.

In quiet moments, silently repeat ” Shivti b’veit Adonai kol yemei chayai /I shall dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” or ” Shiviti Adonai l’negdi Tamid /I place God before me always” or “Y ehi Ratzon Milfanecha /May it be Your Will.”

When the mind wanders, as minds inevitably do, gently escort your awareness back to the desire to find the holiness in the moment: “S hivti b’veit Adonai kol yemei chayai ” and watch your life unfold in the light of the Sacred.

*names changed for confidentiality

Beth Fishman, Ph.D. is Program Manager of Addiction Services for JCFS Chicago.