Kalsman Institute of Judaism and Health asks,
”Joy, Where
is the Jewish aspect of the crystal and Tibetan singing bowl
meditations?”
Thank
you for this opportunity to further explain the gift of vibratory sound as it
pertains to Judaism.
Sound Healing integrates with Judaism and "Wisdom and Wellness"
when I play Crystal and Tibetan Singing Bowls. Rabbis–and leaders of all
denominations–offer meditations and Torah teachings, and I accompany them by
playing the healing bowls–before, during, and/or after the meditation and
wisdom teaching. The breathwork, meditation, and reverberating sounds
assist each participant in being henayni/present to the Jewish wisdom
shared, by offering a sanctuary for creation of sacred healing space and
learning. Abraham Avinu answered "Henayni" when G*d called to
him. In the Torah, the patriarch Isaac is described as going "lasuach"
in the field; a term understood by all commentators as some type of meditative
practice. (Genesis 24:63) (Aryeh Kaplan)
The
singing bowls also offer a mode of 'prayer for healing'. Kind David soothed
King Saul with healing sounds. “I will set forth my truth to the music of the
harp.” (Psalm 49:5) Through the
ages, sacred healing sounds arose with King David’s appointment of Levitical
singers and instrumentalists. David told the leaders of the
Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound
with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. (1 Chronicles 15:16). The
Levites' sound of cymbals was reinstated with King David's construction of
Jerusalem's Second Temple (Ezra 3:10). Today, I play those cymbals and
connect with our ancestors to praise G*d and to offer healing.
Rabbis
for whom I play the singing bowls offer thoughts on the "Jewish aspect
of meditation," and I share them with you.
Rabbi
Toba August shares: "As a rabbi who has experienced Joy and her crystal
bowl and Tibetan singing bowls for many years at our retreats, please know, as
the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan taught, meditation is intrinsically Jewish
(and Joy
shares
that with us via sound). The goal of our prayers is to change
ourselves, so
we
can be the Mentchen we are meant to be.
"The
crystal bowl, played by Joy, takes us deeper…into a meditative prayer.
We invite a oneness with Shechinah...with Reality and the Source of All
Life. The calm peacefulness opens the way to experience the One, the Holy
One, in the most intimate and meaningful way. This ritual is an integral part
to our spirited, reflective and meaningful Shabbat morning davening."
Rabbi
Laura Owens writes: "The watchword of our faith is the Sh'ma prayer, a
prayer from G*d to us, a prayer that comes directly out of the Torah. The
first word of this prayer is SH'MA–which means "LISTEN," to
"HEAR". It is one of the most important things we are
commanded/directed to do – to listen to our hearts, our souls, our conscience;
to listen to the messages from our bodies; to listen to the pain and suffering
of others; and through listening and hearing we can begin the important work of
healing ourselves, our relationships, our communities, and the world.
"LISTENING
to the sounds of the bowls, HEARING the singing that arises from them, puts our
bodies and minds in a place of "kabbalah," of receiving and
accepting that which is to come next. One of the foundations of Jewish healing
is the ability to connect to the Greater One, and One-ness, and the sounds that
emanate from Joy's playing of these beautiful bowls are a language of
connection without words."
"Being
Jewish means being present in each moment. That is what makes each moment
sacred–when one is present. The singing bowls help one move into a state
of present-ness, and being able to say, 'Henayni' / I am here."
- Rabbi Stan Levy
As
a member of Rabbi Stan Levy's B'nai Horin Comfort Group (since 1991, I share
various healing methods. I use the singing bowls as part of my Bikur Cholim
avodah–for those physically ill with acute and chronic illness, for
caregivers, for those in pain, for those at end-of-life and in need of
spiritual healing/r'fuat hanefesh, and for those grieving a loss. Holy
moments occur when I hand the singing bowl and wand to the friend in bed on
hospice, and they are pleased to 'play' the singing bowl. I also share
with visiting guests a gift of meditation. As shomer, I have
served souls with sounds in shalom.
Over
two dozen years ago, I began my Jewish meditation studies with Rabbi Jonathan
Omer-Man, and Metivta, A Center for Contemplative Judaism; I served also on
Metivta's Bikur Cholim committee. Rabbi Omer-Man, in leading weekly
meditations, played for us the Tibetan singing bowl that the Dalai Lama had
personally given to him. To bring sound into my Jewish prayer practice, I then
studied sound with the Dalai Lama's monks. (I do not know of any other
Jewish people in Los Angeles publicly playing Tibetan singing bowls. For over two
dozen years, I also have been the only Jewish female percussionist playing
regularly for synagogues
in LA.)
At
the 1997 Jewish Meditation Conference ~ Opening the Heart, I was inspired as
the Chochmat HaLev rebbetzin-cantor played the Tibetan singing bowls while we
gathered and meditated inside the Byzantine-designed Congregation Emanu-El in
San Francisco.
To
assist congregants to be grounded, present, and to 'open to' and receive
"wisdom" of Torah, I play singing bowls and gongs. Jewish Renewal
movement's founder, and Chabadnic, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z"l,
taught us to leave outside thoughts outside the Temple doors, as we enter for
services. Hearing the singing bowls helps with this kavanah. (For many years
on High Holidays I played singing bowls for Reb Zalman at Makom Ohr Shalom.)
For two dozen years as a Neo-Chasid and Renewal Jew, I “Ivdu Et Hashem
B’Simcha/Serve G*d in Joy". In meditation, I play for individuals,
congregations, retreats, classes, and diverse gatherings for healing of Jewish
people, and for D'vekut/cleaving to G*d. I help people to find a
Jewish place of healing in the universal sounds. People feel good about
receiving the Sounds of Joy, and receiving MiSheberach chanted to רופא חולה, Healer of the Sick. Sound
is universal, a bridge to cultures, and for crossing narrow places.
"Kol haolam kulo gesher tzar meod
V'ha ikar lo l'fahed klal."
The
whole world is a very narrow bridge
And
the essential thing is not to fear.
(Rebbe
Nachman of Bratslav, Likutei Moharan 2:28)
"El Na ReFa Na La" לה נא רפא נא אל / G*d, Please Heal
Her, Please (Numbers, 12:13) is an ancient Jewish healing prayer that
Moses spontaneously cried to Hashem to heal his percussionist sister, Miriam
HaNeviah, when Miriam was stricken with tzara'at, a
biblical disease. Eleven letters compose this prayer. The Source of
Healing, Whose Name was given to Moshe at the burning bush, also has eleven
letters, אהיה אשר אהיה, "Ehyeh Asher
Ehyeh"/I will be who I will be. To heal our
loved ones, when we chant this first healing prayer in Torah, we call out
to the ever-present G*d, using G*d's Name that speaks to us in our need (Source
of All BlesSings, Creator, Shaddai, Shechinah, Holy One). We tell G*d our name
and invite G*d in.
At
the onset of the chants, individuals may offer up to Hashem the names of those
loved ones, including themselves, that need healing, serenity, courage,
strengthening, restoring, reJewvenation, hope, and enlivening of body and/or
soul.
Chants
I use in healing, with crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, include El
Na ReFa Na La, Ruach, Ribono Shel Olam and Shalom. Hebrew sounds are elongated,
and have importance. "Ah" in ShAlom, is a universal
sound for healing, as is AhOhm. Following the chants, we enter space of
verbal silence, hearing and receiving the vibration sounds of the healing
singing bowls.
Spiritually,
I offer Mi Sheberach (by Debbie Friedman, z"l) and
blesSings for Refuah Shleimah, healing of soul and body (refuaf
haNefesh, u'refuah haGuf). Sound healing offers an opportunity for prayer
other than using Hebrew and expressions of the heart. At times, people want to
commune with the Holy One for comfort by themselves being quiet, and going more
deeply inside. Having played alongside with Debbie, I personally know her Kavanah/intention
in her offering healing prayers.
Traditionally,
Chasidim can be quiet in their environment, and listen to surrounding sounds.
As a Chabadnik since 1970 when I met The Rebbe, I know Chasidim appreciate niggunim/wordless
melodies, and can repeat sounds over and over again in their hearts and aloud,
and hear sounds like the vibrations of the singing bowls. There is the
story of the young shepherd flutist outside of shul who could not use
traditional words for prayer, but could play his flute and deeply connect to
HaShem. Sound is a medium, a language for making contact with the Divine.
My
Crystal Singing Bowl is tuned to 'F', the heart chakra, and helps to
open hearts. While hopelessness, despair, and anger may become obstacles to
verbal prayer, the vibrations of the bowls are then desired for their welcome
serenity. They vibrate in the Sephirah Hod, in reverberation
of splendor.
I
intuitively play crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, chimes, ocean drums,
rain sticks, and bells for 'Sound Spa' and 'Gong Bath' meditation and
relaxation. I offer participants the opportunity to immerse in a symphony of
meditational, vibrational healing soothing sounds. For meditative and
reclining listening comfort, participants may bring a mat and
pillow.
The
Sounds of Joy Singing Bowls (which I carried back from Tibet) are known for
their harmonic, lingering resonance and soothing sounds. The
singing bowls' sound and vibration balance the brain's right and left
hemispheres, and help center our chakras. Sound waves reverberate through
one's body for relaxation and stillness, and create harmony within the body as
they resonate higher healing emotions of gratitude and compassion.
Vibrations open energy channels for flowing, allowing for access to more
joy, heart, love, unity, peace, Oneness connections with soul and Source, and
higher enhanced, expanded states of consciousness in our universe.
Although
classically musically trained in piano, violin, and clarinet, and later in
percussion including drum set–by dozens of world-music masters (and in music
schools), and with renowned sound healers, I attribute my
playing and "being played", to Hashgachah Pratit/Divine
Providence.
My
need, my avodah/my work, is knowing that if my presence, my Sounds
of Joy, my gift of Light that The Source of All BlesSings gave to me–can help
another neshamah to lift their prayers/tehilim to G*d, as a
dance going up, for a shefa/abunDance to come down through the Four
Worlds of Spirit, Mind, Heart and Body; then I am grateful that I can be of
service in joy to G*d and to community.
Conscious
connection of wholeness, healing and Oneness, in the Kabbalistic Four Worlds of
Spirit, Mind, Heart and Body, is my musical kavannah /
intention. I am inspired by the call to Serve G*d in Joy/"Ivdu Et
Hashem B'Simcha" (Psalm 100:2), and believe with Emuna v'Bitachon/faith
and trust, that especially with music, "Joy breaks through all
barriers," as shared by the Baal Shem Tov.
