Perle Epstein presents a lucid overview and appraisal of Kabbalistic teachings and sages in this reissue of her classic 1978 volume. She opens with a story about a student who went to a Jewish mystic to learn meditation. He is told to come back when he is no longer attached to worldly pain and pleasure. Epstein observes:
"A thirteenth-century Jewish mystic was approached by a disciple who wished to learn the art of hitbodedut, or meditation.
" 'Are you in a condition of perfect equilibrium?' asked the master.
" 'I think so,' said the disciple, who had prayed religiously and practiced goods deeds.
" 'When someone insults you, do you still feel injured? When you receive praise, does your heart expand with pleasure?'
"The would-be disciple thought for a moment and replied somewhat sheepishly: 'Yes, I suppose I do feel hurt when insulted and proud when praised.'
" 'Well then, go out and practice detachment from worldly pain and pleasure for a few more years. Then come back and I will teach you how to meditate.'
"That novice most surely did not pack up and move off to a cave to fast his ego into submission, for the codes and daily practices of traditional Judaism were all he needed to guide him toward egolessness. The prayer over his morning bread reminded him of the divine ground upon which his sustenance rested. He could lose his self-importance in observing the 'miracle' of ordinary acts like breathing, eating, sleeping, making love to his wife, and trading with his neighbor. With a strongly concentrated mind, right in the middle of everyday life, the Jewish novice mystic prepared himself for enlightenment by climbing a spiritual ladder which, though rooted in the earth, would inevitably lead him to God. Undistracted observation of the commandments eventually humbled his ego to the point where he actually experienced a state called 'Awe' in the continued presence of the Almighty. 'Awe' would gradually turn to 'Love,' and 'Love' to 'Cleaving.' Love the Lord thy God . . . hearken to His voice, and . . . cleave unto Him; for that is thy life and the length of thy days, says the author of Deuteronomy, a pronouncement that has been taken literally by Jewish mystics from biblical times onward."