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According to the teachings of Breslov Chassidus, it is recommended to spend some time alone in a quiet place engaged in personal prayer and self-introspection (hitbodedut).

Are there any opinions that are against this practice? Are there any possible issues when engaging in hitbodedut?

One thing that comes to mind is Bitul Torah, taking away from time that could be spent learning, but the same can be said about prayer in general. (The usual answer given is that the longer your prayer is, the longer is your life.)

Yaacov Deane
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Ani Yodea
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  • There was a cute quote in one of the Jewish magazines lately. I think it was from R' Nachman. It went something like 'the mistake people make about hisbodidus is they think it should be done alone'. – user6591 Nov 30 '15 at 14:58
  • @user6591, wikipedia translates hitbodedut as "self seclusion". – Ani Yodea Nov 30 '15 at 16:35
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    That's true. That's why this line was eye catching. You can be alone with yourself, but still not by yourself. – user6591 Nov 30 '15 at 16:36
  • Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam encourages the practice in his HaMaspik L'ovdey Hashem. (he has a chapter devoted to it). He is emphatic (elsewhere) that no sorts of "Avodah" that is attempts to further and deepen one's Servive of God, and one's connection to Him, take precedence over Halacha. Halacha is the most basic and fundamental component of serving God. – mevaqesh Jan 12 '16 at 20:08
  • A minor point of correction: we don't stop learning to pray on the assumption that we will then live longer and learn more, we stop learning to pray because every mitzvah that cannot be performed by others, supersedes Torah study. – mevaqesh Jan 12 '16 at 20:10

2 Answers2

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A "Litvish" approach would be concerned that excessive navel-gazing could be detrimental when fundamentally, we have obligations to perform.

The famous R' Yozel Horowitz of Novardok spent a lengthy period of seclusion and did not attend shul that Rosh Hashana. In some versions of the story (e.g. Haaretz 3/14/2007) he blew shofar privately, in others he missed it altogether "because I can't do good until I've first purged myself of evil." (That's the version Rabbi Rakeffet tells in his lecture on Novardok.)

The Netziv's commentary to Shir HaShirim (similar to his comments on the mitzva of Tzitzis*) discusses those who are so obsessed with the love of God that they fail to take care of their mundane obligations, whether it's praying at the right time or taking care of their wife and kids. He also commented: "The Essenes meant well, but because they kept themselves too secluded, they were separated from the mainstream Pharisees and thus they failed."

I'm not saying it doesn't have its place; but in Litvish thought the focus would be first and foremost on doing what we are commanded.

* Here's Netziv on Numbers 15:39:

וזכרתם את כל מצות וגו׳ ולא תתורו וגו׳. ואח״כ כתיב עוד הפעם למען תזכרו ועשיתם את כל מצותי וגו׳. הענין דשתי זכירות הללו לבן ותכלת באות לשני אופני הנהגת האדם מישראל. האחד מי שחייו בדרך הכבושה לרבים עוסק בעניני פרנסה ומכ״מ עליו לשמור לעשות מצוה בזמנה. השני מי שמופרש לעבודת ה׳ ומתבודד ושוקע עצמו לאהבת ה׳. וגם עליו לשמור מצוה בזמנו ולא לקפח מעשה המצוה בשביל דביקות ח״ו. וכבר אמרו חז״ל במסכת שבת גדולה הכנסת אורחים יותר מהקבלת פני שכינה שכן מצינו בא״א שאמר להקדוש ברוך הוא אל נא תעבור וגו׳ ולא כוונו חז״ל שהמכניס אורח גדול במעלה ממי שזכה להקבלת פ״ש. שזה אינו מוכח מזה המקרא כלל. אלא גדול לפני ה׳ לעשות זה המצוה של ה״א יותר מהקבלת פ״ש. ומי שהגיע לאהבת ה׳ והקבלת פ״ש והגיע לפניו מצוה של ה״א עליו להפסיק דביקותו ולהזדקק למצוה שבאה לידו. כמו שעשה א״א. וכש״כ מצוה שבינו לשמים שאין אפשר לעשות ע״י אחרים. ועל אלו שני אופני חיי הישראלי צוה ה׳ לעשות חוטים לזכרון. ובשביל אופן הראשון צוה לעשות חוטי הכנף מין כנף. ועליו כתיב וזכרתם את כל מצות ה׳ ועשיתם אותם. שלא יהא העסק משכחו ממצוה בזמנו:

The Torah twice writes "remember"; the white and blue strings correspond to two types of Jewish leaders. One is someone whose life is overwhelmed by helping the community financially, yet he still must ensure to do the mitzvos in the right time. The other is someone who is set aside for the service of God, and secludes himself to be immersed in the love of God. He too, must keep each mitzva in the right time, and not cut any act of mitzva short because of his intense devotion, God forbid! The Talmud already said that ... it was appropriate of Abraham to interrupt his session with God to take care of some guests ... [Thus, the blue string reminds those involved in the community's mundane needs that they have spiritual obligations too; and the white string reminds the spiritual leaders that they have obligations in this world.]

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No, there is nothing inherently wrong with hitbodedut.

Hitbodedut (התבודדות) is a particular type of meditation which is part of the path of learning prophecy. It comes from the root of 'badad' (בדד) which is to be alone or solitary. This type of meditation is closely associated with the idea that the Avot, Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaacov tended their flocks in relative isolation. David HaMelech too, when he was young, was involved in the same type of activity. It is also in keeping with the same practice outlined in Sefer Mesillat Yesharim. One of the classics discussing this subject at length is by Rabbeinu Avraham ben HaRambam called "HaMaspik l'Ovdei HaShem". The final chapter of what remains of this text is called "Perek al HaHitbodedut" and deals with this subject exclusively.

The primary occupation during this part of the activity is making yichudim, which are a special type of kavannah. It is not considered "bitul Torah" and is actually a more complete way of praying or performing any of the mitzvot together with their blessings. The expression often quoted from the Sages about this is that 'prayer without kavannah is like a body without a soul.'

Another part of this 'hitbodedut' can also involve a personal kind of spiritual accounting, called 'cheshbon hanefesh'. This is often described as what a diligent person does when trying to improve upon their activities. It is often compared to good business practice, like reviewing where one profits, where one has deficiencies and experiences losses and how to maximize the return on ones investment. It is a very small part of the process of hitbodedut and should never leave one feeling sad. This is because the conclusion of this part of hitbodedut is in knowing that HaShem is absolutely forgiving and will help all who truly reach out for assistance.

There are some teachings that discuss the idea of reflecting upon what one sees as the influence of their 'yetzer hara' in order to overcome it. Depending upon the individual, that can result in deleterious effects. That is why, for that specific type of activity, it is often recommended to have a 'mashpiah' or spiritual mentor who can help an individual to stay on a good path. The "Yetzer HaRah" can bring one to have doubts, or sadness or simply to be distracted. It has been compared to the idea of someone coming up and talking to you while you are in the middle of saying the Amidah prayer. The best course of action is often to ignore it and stay focused on the task at hand. For specifics on this subject, see Tanya, Section 1, Chapters 28 and 29.

Like with anything in the Torah, it is a "Tree of Life" to those who take hold of it. Hitbodedut is a part of that tree.

There are countless seforim which deal with the subject of hitbodedut in Hebrew along with all kabbalistic siddurim. If you are looking for a couple of excellent English sources on the subject, the three books by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan are a good place to start.

1) Meditation and the Bible,

2) Meditation and Kabbalah, and

3) Jewish Meditation

Yaacov Deane
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    "Are there any opinions that are against this practice?" is the question you were supposed to be answering, not "What is hitbodedut, what does it accomplish, and where can I learn more about it?". – Double AA Nov 30 '15 at 17:39
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    @DoubleAA: "There are some teachings that discuss the idea of reflecting upon what one sees as the influence of their 'yetzer hara' in order to overcome it. Depending upon the individual, that can result in deleterious effects. That is why, for that specific type of activity, it is often recommended to have a 'mashpiah' or spiritual mentor who can help an individual to stay on a good path. The 'Yetzer HaRah' can bring one to have doubts, or sadness or simply to be distracted." – msh210 Nov 30 '15 at 17:43
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    @DoubleAA: It was already commented on in the answer about reflecting upon the yetzer hara. – Yaacov Deane Nov 30 '15 at 17:43
  • I don't understand how either of the above responses to me address my issue with this post. – Double AA Nov 30 '15 at 22:05
  • @DoubleAA: the question in the subject line is clarified by what the OPs conception of hitbodedut is in their explanation. The sources provided in the answer better define what it is and clearly illustrate that there is nothing prohibiting the practice and in fact it is a goal one should strive for. Rabbeinu Avraham lists extensive sources showing the practice is at the backbone of serving HaShem. The only possible negative issue is illustrated in what msh210 brought to your attention. The answer is complete and informative. – Yaacov Deane Nov 30 '15 at 23:57
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    @DoubleAA, your comment seems to be that this doesn't answer the question. My quotation was of the part of this that does answer the question, saying hisbod'dus is dangerous, which answers the question ("Are there any opinions that are against this practice? Are there any possible issues when engaging in hitbodedut?") with Yes. If I'm mistaken and your comment actually intended not that this doesn't answer the question but that part of it doesn't, then I wholly agree (as to the version of the answer then; I haven't yet read the version now) (and your original comment coulda been clearer). – msh210 Dec 01 '15 at 00:01
  • @msh210: The OP asked, "Is there anything wrong with hitbodedut?", "Are there opinions against the practice?", and "Are there any possible (negative consequences) issues?" Like with anything, if misused, it could have negative consequences. For example, are there any opinions against wearing tefillin? Well, yes, if you're planning on wearing them while using the toilet. Would that be a danger to you spiritually? Yes. So does that mean Jewish men over Bar Mitzvah should avoid wearing tefillin? Clearly that is not the proper conclusion. – Yaacov Deane Dec 01 '15 at 00:48
  • Hi Yaacov - I was camping on the tchum waiting to upvote your answer. Although this was two years ago, I am disappointed (euphemism) that picayune comments still persist to today. This site isn't MathSE (where I had participated for seven years) with its implied rigors. Just a bunch of yids interested in yiddishkeit. –  Dec 09 '18 at 18:35
  • @user18223 I appreciate your voice of reason and hope you are having a happy Chanukah. – Yaacov Deane Dec 09 '18 at 18:59
  • @YaacovDeane how does one do yichudim? – FalseMessiah Sep 07 '20 at 22:00
  • @FalseMessiah You should acquire and learn the 3 Aryeh Kaplan books I list at the end of my answer. – Yaacov Deane Sep 07 '20 at 23:42
  • Is there a copy online? – FalseMessiah Sep 08 '20 at 00:36
  • @FalseMessiah My suggestion would be to look on Amazon. I just checked and they are all available both in paperback and Kindle. – Yaacov Deane Sep 08 '20 at 01:36