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1102 East Lasalle Avenue
South Bend, IN, 46617
United States

(574) 234-8584

Sinai Synagogue – an integral part of the South Bend community since 1932.

Sinai Synagogue is a proud part of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement, a dynamic blend of our inclusive, egalitarian approach and a commitment to Jewish tradition.

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Meditation

"A good number of the most influential classical Judaic philosophers and Kabbalists clearly stated that meditation was the most important of all disciplines required to attain enlightenment and prophecy."

--from Meditation and the Bible, by Aryeh Kaplan

 
 

For several years a small group has been meditating together for about 30 minutes on Shabbat at Sinai Synagogue.  We invite you to join our community of contemplation and experience the benefits of meditation.

We meet in the Sinai library around 10:30 on the 2nd and 4th Shabbat of each month.
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Our practice has three components:

Heart Centering
Just as the physical heart has 4 chambers, the Spiritual Heart has 4 attributes: Compassion, Innate Harmony, Healing Presence, Unconditional Divine Love. In preparation for our meditation, we deepen our attention at our Hearts as the Leader guides us to contemplate these qualities.

Chanting Yod-­-Hay-­-Waw-­-Hay
Mantra like chant of letters of G-­-d’s name, the tetragammetron, to ask for G-­-d to be present with us and to open ourselves to experience that presence.

Angel Meditation
A guided meditation to experience the Archangels: Michael who brings compassion, Gabriel who brings courage, Uriel who brings knowing, and Raphael who brings healing.
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Research studies show numerous benefits to meditation:

•    Increased brain areas responsible for emotional self-­-regulation
•    Decreased brain size of the amygdala, the area responsible for fear and anxiety
•    Quieting the mind  -­-  the wandering “monkey mind”
•    Reduced symptoms of depression and pain
•    Improved concentration

Three purposes of meditation (from Lawrence LeShan in his book “How to Meditate”):

•    To train the mind to have discipline
•    To work on our relationship with our self, to accept that we will get distracted and then be gentle
•    To experience a connection with something bigger than ourselves

We meet in the Sinai library around 10:30 on the 2nd and 4th Shabbat of each month.

 
The sanctuary at Sinai Synagogue illuminated by the glow of sunlight through the stained glass windows.

The sanctuary at Sinai Synagogue illuminated by the glow of sunlight through the stained glass windows.