Ozer Bergman has written a friendly and accessible book about hitbodedut, a Hebrew word usually translated as mediation and isolation and one of the primary spiritual tools used by Breslov Hasidim. Breslovers make it a daily practice to "talk" to God, alone in a room, or more desirably, in a forest or natural setting. This technique runs against the grain of Jewish communal values, but in the Breslov sitting, it fits well with their conception of God and the community of Israel.
This is not your typical New Age Jewish meditation book. Bergman writes in a homey and quaint fashion, but he is a practicing Bresolver, and would rather see us all follow Jewish law and practice so defined. He is kind, and wants us only to take on Jewish practices we are ready for, but it is obvious in this book that he would like more. Sex seems to be Bergman's particular fascination. He would like us to curb those impulses as much as possible. There are stark dualisms in his view of things. The body is subject to sin, corruption, or at least error, while the spirit is pure. For many, this view will be a turn off. This is not "holistic" or non-dual Judaism. There is an old-fashioned cosmology here.
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