שְׁלֹשָׁה מִינֵי הִתְבּוֹנְנוּת הֵם: א) הִתְבּוֹנְנוּת לִמּוּדִית, אַחַר שֶׁמֵּבִין הָעִנְיָן עַל בּוּרְיוֹ, הוּא מִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּעוֹמֶק הָעִנְיָן הַהוּא, עַד שֶׁהַשִּׂכְלִי מֵאִיר אֶצְלוֹ. ב) שֶׁקּוֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה, עִנְיָנָהּ הֶרְגֵּשׁ חַיּוּת הָעִנְיָן שֶׁלָּמַד וְלֹא הֶרְגֵּשׁ הַשִּׂכְלִי כְּמוֹ בְּהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת לִמּוּדִית. ג) שֶׁבִּתְפִלָּה, עִנְיָנָהּ הֶרְגֵּשׁ הָאֱלֹקוּת שֶׁבְּהָעִנְיָן שֶׁלָּמַד. שָׁלֹשׁ אֵלֶּה הֵם שְׁלִיבוֹת סוּלָּם הַהַרְגָּשָׁה וְרַק בְּחַסְדֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ עִמָּנוּ מַרְגִּישִׁים לִפְעָמִים — דעֶרהעֶרט מעֶן — ג-טלִיכְקַייט בְּלִי שׁוּם עֲבוֹדָה כְּלָל, וְהוּא מִפְּנֵי מַעֲלַת הָעַצְמוּת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בַּנְּשָׁמָה, אֲבָל מִצַּד הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁבְּכֹחַ עַצְמוֹ מוּכְרָחִים שָׁלֹשׁ הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל.

There are three kinds of meditation:1

(a) Meditation associated with study: After a person understands a concept thoroughly, he meditates on its depth until its intellectual content illuminates him.

(b) Meditation before praying: The point here is to experience the vitality of the concept that one has studied, not its intellectual aspect, as in the case of meditation associated with study.

(c) Meditation in the course of prayer: The purpose here is to sense the Divinity within the concept one has studied.

These are three rungs on the ladder of spiritual sensitivity.2 At times, solely due to G‑d’s grace, one senses Divinity without any form of service. This is a result of the essential quality3 of the soul. However, with regard to Divine service that stems from our own initiative, the above three steps are necessary.4

Living as a Chassid

The soul is “an actual part of G‑d Above.”5 Though it can sometimes experience a spontaneous arousal, we cannot count on that happening every day. Particularly in our materially-oriented society, our souls have difficulty finding self-expression. If we want a sense of the Divine, we must work for it.

The above teaching defines the Chabad approach to such spiritual endeavor. Everything begins with the mind. The emotions, being volatile, and responsive to external stimuli, are less easily controlled, and only through the mind are they harnessed and matured. Our thoughts, by contrast, are under our control. We can choose to commit ourselves to disciplined intellectual effort.

At the same time, our lives should not be solely cerebral, for then they will lack vitality. Prayer — prepared for by meditation and accompanied by meditation — bridges the gap between our minds and our hearts, and thereby influences the way we live our lives. Meditative prayer thus spurs the heart and directs its expression, motivating us to integrate spiritual concepts into our everyday lives. And in that way we grow.