“God’s praises are endless and any attempt to enumerate all of them are futile…. silent recognition and appreciation of God’s infinite wonders is the most eloquent of praise.”¹

Devekut (d’vey-koot) communion with, or cleaving to the Divine, is considered the goal of all Jewish mystical practice.


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In this psalm, King David says: “My soul cleaves after You.” We must first long for this state of nearness to the divine and then silence the busy mind. This can occur as the result of deep states of meditation when the thinking mind disappears and there is simply presence.

As soon as a thought appears again, there is a sense of separation. Therefore, for the soul to experience union with the Divine we must cultivate inner silence. Repetition of a sacred phrase or name is a useful practice to help the mind become one-pointed and eventually silent.

Shawl borders: Read vertically down the borders are the letters yod, hey, vav, hey, which together are called the Tetragrammaton, the 4 letter, sacred and not pronounced name of God.