Hitbodedut: How Do the Prophets of the Bible Meditate to Attain Prophecy?

In this video I discuss meditation in the Bible and hitbodedut which is the method whereby the prophets attain their states of divine inspiration and prophecy to communicate with God.

On the first introductory page of Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan writes, “One of the greatest mysteries of the Bible involves the methods used by the prophets to attain their unique states of consciousness.”

Meditative techniques have not been discussed or practiced since the Hasidic Renaissance around two centuries ago. Hebraic sources discussed meditation in great detail however much of the original terminology has been lost with more modern translations and the abandoning of such practices in the Jewish faith.

Hitbodedut means ‘to meditate’ in the original Hebrew. It’s derived from the root baded which means ‘to be alone.’ Hitbodedut literally translated is ‘self isolation.’ In Kabbala, hitbodedut has a more complex meaning. It refers to a state of internal isolation, a separation from not only the external world but also one’s own thoughts and emotions.

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