Most yoga classes are full of asana, touch on philosophy and ignore God. When I teach, I don't want to offend anyone. When I take class, I don't want to be preached to.
We do yoga to become steadier, expand our comfort zones and practice falling gracefully. We coordinate movement with breath and body with mind. Yoga helps us cope with life and even thrive.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras instruct us on how to achieve yoga, or union, between the soul and the Infinite. So try as we might to ignore God, eventually we have to talk about it.
I first felt the presence of God when I was 26 and traveling in Israel. A nonprofit organization sponsored a free trip for Jews who had never before visited.
They showed me what happens when God is the motive of actions. As it turns out, yoga happens.
When the plane landed in Tel Aviv, the tour guides said “welcome home”. Because my ancestors were Jewish, they considered Israel my spiritual homeland.
The guides were Orthodox Jews in their 20s. For two weeks they surrounded us with practicing Orthodox men and women from all aspects of the community. Collectively, they showed me what happens when God is the motive of actions. As it turns out, yoga happens.
Ishvara Pranidhana – Surrender to God
It was easy to believe in God in Jerusalem because even mundane events are given ritual status. I was taught to touch the mezuzah (containing a scroll with Torah verses) when passing through a doorway. The Orthodox also pray upon waking up, eating, washing hands, seeing a rainbow.
God was everywhere. When we told Seth he has a beautiful smile, he said, “If so, Thank God.” He wouldn’t take credit.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2.45 says that the way to achieve Samadhi (union with the Divine) is, "Ishvara Pranidhana". That translates to "Surrender to the Highest" or "Dedication to the Highest". In Israel, regardless of time or circumstance, people were dedicating their actions to God. It was inspiring to be mindful of the little things and plug into something bigger than individual ambition.
Yoga teachers may cue us to “let go” of tension, expectation or self-doubt. That really means “Surrender yourself. Stop fighting for control.”
Vidya – Clarity
There’s never really a “safe” time to visit Israel. After the two week program ended, some of us stayed longer to explore on our own. While we waited at a rural bus stop in the mountains, three rockets landed on the hill behind us.
We scrambled for a few minutes, then got whisked away by a taxi. We returned to our hostel in Tsfat where the locals said, “Don’t worry. The rockets can’t reach this far south from the border. The closest they ever came was 13 miles.”
The Israelis didn't get wrapped up in the drama of war. I assumed it was because they were used to bouts of violence. But really they just weren't wrapped up in the material world. They were following a basic yogic message to turn away from this transient, joyless world and take delight in God instead. They were calm because they recognized God as more important than the physical world.
The building shook each time a rocket landed and we Americans were feeling tense and anxious. We went to the rooftop for a night yoga session. That was, to date, one of my favorite yoga sessions and marked a turning point in my practice.
Avidya, ignorance, is described in Yoga Sutra 2.5 as “mistaking the impermanent for the permanent.” Avidya had always plagued my asana practice because I’d let myself get distracted by the whiny complaints of the physical body.
On the roof that night I found vidya, clarity. The physical body and pose alignment became less important as I absorbed the concept of impermanence. I found a calm steadiness that would not have been possible without examples from the Orthodox around me.
In yoga classes we might practice how to hold plank pose for a minute. The practice is more than strong wrists, arms and legs. The practice is silencing the complaints of the temporary body and sourcing our power from something higher. When we can do this we have a chance at being steady in our lives off the yoga mat, like Israelis in the face of war.
Brahmacharya – Walking with God
We switched our home base to Jerusalem because it seemed safer and is beautiful. The next time we saw our tour guide friends was at the wedding for the youngest guide.
Maya was 19. In the weeks leading up to her wedding she asked, “What does it feel like to hold hands with a boy?” As is custom, she had never flirted or dated.
On her wedding night, we danced furiously in a circle of hundreds of women. Maya didn’t care about sweating in her wedding dress. Her husband-to-be approached with a parade of men behind him. He was shaking with nerves and needed to be supported by both of his elbows.
Abstinence seemed berserk until I saw Maya’s confidence and healthy self-image.
Under the chuppah (wedding canopy) they went through many rituals and prayers. Their wedding signified all their past mistakes being forgiven and two souls becoming one.
After the ceremony, the couple was escorted to a private room and left alone for about 20 minutes. Their lifetimes of celibacy made these moments exponentially more special.
Abstinence seemed berserk until I saw Maya’s confidence and healthy self-image. Most women I know have at some point used their body to manipulate a relationship. We often make poor choices. In these ways, we harm ourselves. Maya instead practices ahimsa, non-harming, toward herself.
It isn’t hard for Maya to practice ahimsa because she also practices Brahmacharya or “Walking with God”. Yoga Sutra 2.38 says, “When walking in the awareness of God, the yogi gains great strength and vitality.” If we give our focus to God, our actions are more likely to be noble.
In the Orthodox Jewish community everyone is supported and encouraged to live with God in all moments. While that looks different for each person, collectively they showed me that it can be done. Thank God.
This article originally appeared on a popular yoga blog.
(24) Shmerel, March 9, 2015 8:23 PM
Any Clear Article from Rav?
Hi,
I'm searching for a clear article or Teshuvah on this and related topics (such as energy healing/Reiki, Meditation, etc) written by a Rav who is truly knowledgeable in the metzius as well as Hilchos AZ and Kishuf etc.
Anybody know? (Could be in Eng, Hebrew or other languages)
tnx and lok tuv!
(23) Wendy, June 18, 2014 8:34 PM
Spiritual or not spiritual
I see yoga as a spiritual practice as UNION between MIND, BODY, SPIRIT and HEART. It is up to the yogi doing yoga to determine what it means for them. The different sanskrit names have nothing to do with any form of religion. As you do your own yoga, you signify your own connection to the divine . The way I see it, Its all about doing good for others as well as yourself. The word AUM can simply mean a universal sound. going up to the universe.
(22) What the Torah says?, February 6, 2014 12:44 AM
???
Yoga stems from the Vedas - the Indian holy texts that were composed from around 1900BC. Besides yoga, three major religions came from those texts - Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Around 200-400AD, a sage called Patanjali composed the Yoga Sutras. His "eight limbs" of yoga still inform practice today and discuss posture, breathing, meditation and correct living.
If you practising Yoga .. you are YOGI - In Hinduism the term yogi refers to an adherent of yoga. Traditionally, yogic training involved deferring the tantric practices of sexual yoga until such time that sexual self-mastery had been established, whereupon sexual union is considered to be the ultimate yoga of the hindus gods - Shiva and Shakti.
Last year, a yoga class was banned from a church hall in the UK and Malaysia.. "Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise,". Whether that is compatible with Christianity, Islam and Judaism is debatable. I suggest that YOGA should be banned in US and other country.
To those in the know, for example, the yogic asanas, or positions, retain elements of their earlier spiritual meanings - the Surya namaskar is a series of positions designed to greet Surya, the Hindu Sun God. Yoga classes vary. While some feature the chanting of Hindu sutras, others will make vaguer references to a "life force" or "cosmic energy". A session might end with a greeting of "namaste" and a gesture of prayer. There will probably be a moment for meditation, at which point participants may be encouraged to repeat the sacred word "Om", which Buddhists and Hindus regard as a primordial sound which brought the universe into being.
Yoga as we know it long associated with Hindu faith.. my Indian (hindu) neighbor always practising Yoga because it is a part of Veda teaching. So is it possible to teach a pagan culture nor pagan teaching to be observe in Judaism? What a nonsense..
(21) rivka, January 19, 2014 6:48 PM
In this essay, the author relates everything she learns about Yiddishkeit to concepts she learned from yoga practice. I hope this is only a beginning point for her, and as she grows will see deeper truths in Torah than in yoga. Reminds me of my daughter - at one point she was so immersed in tae kwan do (& rebellious about Yiddishkeit) that she excitedly tol the rabbi that Rashi was saying the same thing as a principle she learned in tae kwan do. B"H he took it in stride. Today she is married to a Breslover, and has blocked that memory so much she tells me it never happened. As she grew in Torah, she stopped seeing everything in terms of tae kwan do principles. Hodu laHashem ki tov!
(20) Emunah Murray, January 6, 2014 2:32 PM
Torah is enough
I think Torah Jews have no business dabbling into other religious practices. The Torah is enough!!
(19) Leon Zacharowicz, January 5, 2014 7:46 PM
Sorry, but yoga may be idol worship!
A large number of respected orthodox rabbis do not allow one to participate in yoga, which is at best closely linked to pagan religions and idol worship--which is one of the 3 most severe sins.
Consult your knowledgeable orthodox rabbi.
(18) Anonymous, January 3, 2014 5:10 PM
not avodah zorah
hanna-you are not right...postures are most often named after animals...these are not deities....also yoga has origins in india and other places...some yoga writings are done by Buddists and some by Hindu's.. and Seiks....three different religions with Eastern connections.....there is no one religion associated with yoga...all of the aforementioned religions have deep ties to yoga and ..all are vastly different religions..yoga teachers attribute their belief system to classes at times...it is not mandatory.or necc. desirable...yoga is a philosophy...not a religion.
hanna, January 5, 2014 5:40 PM
Jews deal with truth, not what we wish was the truth
FYI...
1. The Hindu faith considers all creation worthy of worship, not just animals but trees, flowers, sun, moon, natural phenomena, human activities - and especially their sages. Every asana is named in honor of one of these.
2. Buddhism focuses on the latter (sages as divine) and promises the potential of each of us becoming a god... which last I knew was out of bounds for Jews.
3. Hatha yoga (one of many forms) was invented by Swatmarama in India, and the word means: "Ha", Sun, "Tha", Moon, their two deities that 'rule time'. The oldest tradition says that the asanas were taught to man by the hindu god of destruction "sh-va". Many yogis in India wear his symbol on their foreheads... right where we put tefillin.
Yoga is no more a 'philosophical' act than the rite of baptism.
(17) MESA, January 1, 2014 9:58 PM
Eizehu Chacham? HaLomed MiKol Adam. There is a lot that we can learn from non-Jews. Yoga, acupuncture, martial arts, and other non-Western methods of healing are good things that we can use. I have been doing yoga as an exercise for over 11 years, and it's kept me in shape and allowed me to give birth to three healthy babies (no, not triplets) without medication. And if we can keep Judaism and its spiritual insights in mind, we can only grow stronger in all ways.
Anonymous, January 5, 2014 6:03 PM
Eizehu Chacham?
Yes, MESA - "There is a lot that we can learn from non-Jews." That doesn't mean we should embrace everything we see them doing.
No matter what the physical benefits of hatha yoga, the opening asana is "sun salutation", a series of bows and prostrations to "salute" the morning sun. Not much ambiguity there... but if you don't believe me, log on to Yoga Journal or google its sanskrit name, Surya Namaskar.
"Yir'at HaShem Sonet Ra" ("The fear of HaShem is to hate evil", Prov.8:12)
(16) Anonymous, January 1, 2014 5:57 PM
my goodness. 1) whether intended or otherwise, from the readers perspective, I would think a person would walk away from this article with a keen sense of the beauty of judaism. 2) whether intended or otherwise, the author seems to fit judaism into a yoga model, this misses the point of the experiences. 3) yogi is exercise for the body; judaism is exercise for the soul. Have a nice day everyone.
(15) pesach aceman, January 1, 2014 6:51 AM
yoga and judaism
Yoga has been around for many many years and its' purpose is to slow down the body and the mind to lead one into concentration/meditation which we Jews have been practicing for many many years. You can divest the many small gods that are associated with Yoga and do it for its' main purpose. By meditating you concentrate your mind to focus on the Oneness we all share and was found by Abraham. That Oneness is what Hashem wants to teach all of us, yet many prefer separateness which destroys the meaning of Torah. The Torah was given to teach us Oneness and that Oneness is Hashem. Hashem is within all of us and through meditation/concentration you can connect to that Oneness. The mitzvot are for us to follow to teach us to be human and to be One with ourselves and with Hashem. Meditation/concentration enables the practitioner to join that Oneness we all share and so to realize that it is Hashem that created us. One man was created - Adam to show we are all from one father and therefore one family. The pity is that politics enters into it and led to creation of many 'religions' that pursue/have pursued hate of the other and thus deleting that Oneness from it's midst. Some of the authors comments are coloured by her discovery of what Judaism is all about and too, unfortunately, naive as to what is really going on here in Israel. But it hopefully will be lifesaving and unlike many of her fellow travellers who may see it as a nice trip to have made, will reconnect and realize our home is HERE in ISRAEL and her coming to live here will strengthen what Hashem gave us to unite us - a HOME to carry out HIS will and help create ONENESS amongst Jews. Something no other religion can claim, for most other religions are convert or die type of games. For Jews, it is come join us in that Oneness no matter what or where you come from without necessarily becoming one of us. Certainly there is no need to convert to join with the Oneness that we all share.
hanna, January 1, 2014 9:56 PM
whatever happened to Shmot 23:13?
"You can divest the many small gods that are associated with Yoga and do it for its' main purpose."
Sorry pesach - I practiced yoga for 10 years because I believed this lie... which is only used in the West. Ask any yoga teacher who studied in India: even hatha yoga's main purpose is to align one's body in asanas named after hindu gods (remember that they worship nature and men as well) - in preparation for union with them. That's the meaning of the word 'yoga' - 'UNION' or 'YOKING' with these deities.
What good is it to keep their names out of our mouths (Shmot 23:13) if our bodies are calling out to them??
Cleo McGhghy, January 2, 2014 5:26 PM
You are so right in your assessment of this Yoga stuff!!
(14) Anonymous, January 1, 2014 4:27 AM
The problem with Yoga and the Wisdom from the East, (part 2)
So, too, with impurity. One who in this world is drawn to the side of Tuma, causes himself to be attached to those forces who are called human demons. When his time comes to depart this world, they take him and bring him to Gehinom (hell). It is there that those who polluted themselves and their spirits are judged. Afterwards malevolent forces attach themselves to him, and he becomes a demon like all the others who damaged the world."
I said to them, my children, that which is in this book is close to words of Torah, but nonetheless, you should distance yourself from it, and other books like it, in order to not be drawn to the deviated paths which lead one away from worshiping HaShem. These books all cause people to err, because the children of the east possessed a wisdom which they inherited from Avraham, who had imparted it to the children of his concubine, as it says, "And to the children of Avraham's concubine, he gave presents," and in time this wisdom became adulterated to many deviant paths."
The point we need to learn from this Zohar is that in many ancient traditions, there may be ideas which are similar to the Torah. But learning different wisdoms from them can be dangerous potentially leading one astray from paths of holiness. In any event, that which I practice (Jewish and Chinese medicine) does not come from these traditions, nor do I have any desires or plans to learn them or integrate them into what I do. Avrohom wanted no part of those traditions for his son Yitzchok, and neither should we, his descendants.
(13) Dr. Yehuda Frischman, January 1, 2014 4:24 AM
The problem with Yoga and the wisdom from "The East" (part 1)
Though the spirituality that the author felt in Israel was reflected through the wisdom of Yoga, it is informative to consider what our sages have said about specifically this wisdom. The holy Zohar (Vayikra 80) has an amazing passage that addresses this wisdom. I will send this in three parts, as it won't fit in one:"Rabbi Abba said: One day, I came to a town where the children of the east live, and they recited some of their ancient wisdom ...and brought me one of their books.
In it was written: "Just as a person's will directs him in this world, so too there is a spirit above that is drawn according to that which his will attaches itself. If he desires and focuses his intention to higher holy things, then he draws them down for himself from above. If he desires to attach himself to the forces of evil, and he focuses his intention upon them, then he draws that down to himself from above." It went on to say that in order to draw something down from above depends upon one's speech, deeds and the will to attach to it. I found in that book, all the actions and workings of the stars and constellations, what is needed to serve them, and how one goes about directing his will in order to draw their influence down. Therefore, if someone wishes to attach himself to above with "ruach hakodesh" (divine spirit), he needs to direct his deeds, speech and deepest intention to that goal, and he will be able to draw this down and be attached to it. It also said that that which a person is drawn to in this world, becomes attaches to him when he leaves this world, and remains attached to him in the world of truth, whether of holiness or impurity. If holiness pulls him to the side of "Kedusha", and he is attached to it up above, then he becomes one of those who serve HaKodesh Baruch Hu, (The Holy One, Blessed be He), among all the angels. Concerning that person, the verse says, "And I have placed you to go among those who stand."
(12) Anonymous, January 1, 2014 1:20 AM
just because yoga has become “popular” means nothing
Rachel, this is from Wikipedia: ”Īśvara-Praṇidhāna (ईश्वर-प्रणिधान)represents surrender to, and love for, the divinity within the individual in Hinduism and yoga.”
Note-hinduism and yoga. Not Judaism.
Maybe one day you may become a teacher of “gentle Jewish exercise” and forget the other religions to which your soul is not attuned( even if you feel pleasure in them, for the yetser hara is very sneaky and deceptive)
It (hinduism) is another religion and some of the movements and the names of those movements mean certain things in that religion in effect , to make those movements is an “avoda”( Hebrew word) a “service” of that religion and being that the hindu religion is not Judaism it is avoda zara. Lliterally avoda zara is “strange sevice”, service of a god who is alien to you that you are adjured in the Torah to not serve and not to have its name on your lips”, avoda zara is also known as idolotry.
But don’t panic. You can still fix the situation. And the same goes for your Orthodox Jewish pals who have also been mislead because now Hashem is really testing people – even those one would normally consider his closest - no one is exempt from testing- that is how much Hashem loves every one of us!
However you can still have the health benefits of gentle exercise by avoiding using any hindu names and avoiding any exercises whose positions resemble or signify worship of, or recognition of or subservience to any god or any object or animal or celestial body, remembering that Hashem the only true G-D prohibited these things to us Jews as well as to the rest of the world from being worshiped. So just because yoga has become “popular” means nothing.
(11) RochelW, December 31, 2013 11:55 PM
It's all One
Rachel's intense spiritual awareness of her experience in Israel is wonderful. She has the perceptive ability to connect her yoga practice and Sanskrit descriptions to Jewish tradition and authentic Jewish deveykus to H-Shem. May she be blessed to continue her journey to come closer to our immensely rich traditions and practices , our incredibly meaningful holy language-Hebrew and our deep spiritual heritage of the Torah. It's all One.
(10) jgarbuz, December 31, 2013 11:52 PM
Yoga is for health, not for "spirituality."
I've been doing yoga exercises for 40 years and they keep me limber at my age. But I don't buy into any of this "spirituality" nonsense. Sure, integral to yoga is resting the mind and body particularly after every exercise. But I would not put any "spiritual" connotation on any of it. It's just good for health, provided it is done properly with the person knowing exactly what his or her body needs. The correct use of proper stretching and breathing exercises to keep the mind and body clear and limber. And yoga is only one tool in a bag of exercise tools among others for overall optimal strength and health,
(9) Larry, December 31, 2013 11:23 PM
Yoga and Judaism
Yoga has helped me be calmer and appreciate more Torah.
(8) Raphael, December 31, 2013 7:36 PM
You don't have to travel far to find spiritual satisfaction
Many authors have been demonstrating the incredibly strong connection between Judaism and the mystical. May I suggest Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's series of works on Jewish meditation, including Meditation and Kabbalah, and Meditation and the Bible. Another classic is Rabbi Shalom Arush's Garden of Emunah.
(7) Phil, December 31, 2013 5:56 PM
exotic names
I think some of our attraction to Eastern religions is simply because of the exotic terms they use. Samadhi and Vidya and Brahmacharya sound much more exciting than their English counterparts.
(6) joey-SA, December 31, 2013 4:00 PM
we have much to learn from the east
Many say that it's all in the torah. That may be correct. Have we however paused to consider that in the past 2500 years, we jews have learned more how to think like Greeks and Romans, The yoga sutra remind us jews of how much we gave forgotten (and how many foreign western concepts occupy our minds), when we try to have a clear conscious understading of the nature of reality, mind, thought, self, The Creator, prayer and ego. From personal experience, I blushed a few too many times reading the Yoga sutras of Patanjali. This wisdom may have emanated from Torah, but are we too stiff necked to consider that we may have forgotten just a bit of it.
Harold, January 2, 2014 8:19 AM
Who's forgotten what?
Joey,
To be fair, how many Jews who practice yoga are conversant with the Torah? It's fine to say that we shouldn't shut out potential wisdom from other cultures (and there are certainly observant Jews who practice yoga - if done within certain boundaries, it's not necessarily mutually exclusive). But how many of the Jews who practice yoga can access our tradition much at all? In too many cases, the problem is that Jews have looked absolutely everywhere for wisdom except their own tradition.
(5) Anonymous, December 31, 2013 1:09 PM
I appreciated Rachel's honesty and the way she wove together her newly-found awareness of the truth of Torah with her practice of yoga. I find yoga to be very helpful in reaching inner calm and awareness, which naturally lead to a stronger connection with Hashem.
(4) LenMinNJ, December 31, 2013 12:03 PM
Did She Miss The Point?
They were teaching her Torah. Too bad that all she could see was Yoga.
Howard, December 31, 2013 4:11 PM
We should all be so lucky to experience what she is experiencing
We should all be so lucky to experience what she is experiencing; to see the Yad Hashem (the hand of G-d manifesting) with every step we take. Such a high madregah,(level of awareness of G-d) we should all be zocha (merit) to realize in each mitzvah (Torah behavioral directive) and in all the times in between. She is on her way......
(3) Shmuel, December 31, 2013 11:49 AM
It should not be ignored tha the origin of Yoga is in Hinduism and Buddism are polytheistic Religions par exellence
Even though Yoga may not contain immediate polytheistic concepts, It should not be ignored that the origin of Yoga is in Hinduism and Buddism which are polytheistic Religions par exellence.
We as jewish people have enough sources for Jewish Meditation, and are not in need of lending foreign concept and rituals mined and surrounded by Avodah Zarah.
Brent deMoville, December 31, 2013 2:07 PM
Actually, Buddhism is an agnostic philosophy
The Buddha declined to answer questions about God and told his students to focus on following the 8 fold path. I found Torah through Buddhism and find the moral teachings very similar. I now study Tanya and Torah rather than sutra and tantra and I now have a 613 fold path instead of 8. I still find value in Buddhist philosophy but I needed God and find that through Torah. :-)
Anonymous, December 31, 2013 3:50 PM
Culturally speaking
Culturally speaking, Hinduism and Bhuddism are polytheistic regligions par excellence. Modified, like Christianity, they took on polytheistic elements of their surrounding societies. Watered down/sifted/ Bhuddism becomes agnostic or a denial of any god or gods. Watered down Judaism becomes for some materialism without faith or even a Unitarian Christian enlightenment. However, for this person, the author, her Yoga was on a higher level than most, and may have became an entry portal on a higher level to Judaism. In approaching the eternal, the unknowable, all faiths and practices touch in one or more common areas.
Brent deMoville, January 5, 2014 3:43 AM
Hinduism and Buddhism are as different as Judaism and the gods of Egypt
I have studied comparative religion for over 40 years and the Buddha was raised in the polytheism of India and rejected it. He found and taught a methodology for recognizing and dealing with suffering. He did not teach the worship of any gods. His philosophy is very similar to Kohelet. Over 30% of American Buddhists were raised in Jewish households. They saw only the ritual and thought they had to go outside the faith for the meditative and mystical experience. It is a shame that the understanding of those traditions in Judaism are not better understood.
annon, December 31, 2013 3:11 PM
we should have teachers who teach jewish meditation
I have been desperately searching for a leade rto guide me through Jewish meditation but have realized that it is "not for us". All these religions have their basis in ours. If anyone knows who teaches Rav Aryeh Kaplans stuff in NY, I would love to know. Thank you~
(2) R. D. Davis, December 30, 2013 3:39 AM
Nice.....
I am glad that the author realises that the good points to be found in Yoga are all part and parcel of a Torah-true lifestyle. And I hope she will eventually reach the great enlightenment and comprehension that the Yoga teachings are no longer needed - it's all there in the Torah and in the words of the true Torah Sages. I look forward to future articles by her where her references are not from the Yoga Sutra but, lehavdil, from the Midrash and the Talmud with their commentaries.
D Rabinowitz, December 31, 2013 12:04 PM
Torah yoga
RD, I read your comments with interest. Had Rachel used Torah sources, it would have defeated the purpose of the article. The article is about yoga and Rachel weaves a beautiful picture of the inspiration she personally drew from finding particular aspects of yoga compatible with a Torah lifestyle. Certainly ALL truth in this world can be found in the Torah. This doesn't make it wrong to quote from or even learn from non Jewish sources. Every time we read an encyclopedia or look at an atlas we are sourcing facts from a non Torah origin. Mathematical concepts might be dealt with in the Gemara; this doesn't prevent us from learning mathematical theorems from Pythagoras and Fibonacci!
Anonymous, January 1, 2014 1:44 PM
reply to D. Rabinowitz
Yes, but quoting Torah regarding mathematics is fine. Weaving yoga (idol worship of self or other "gods" is not fine especially when it uses it's terms in such glowing flowery praise....
If one examines the terms they will see this...
(1) E. Dian Cantrell, December 29, 2013 2:54 PM
1st paragraph gets a hardy AMEN from me...
Inspiring!! Thanks Rachel ...Shalom :)
Raisy, January 20, 2014 3:39 AM
Hearty Amen...
I , too, say a hearty Amen...