The Safed Jewish-Sufi group is a branch of Tariqa Eliyahu Ha Nabi.
Tariqa Eliyahu is a global Jewish-Sufi group for religious Jews who wish to renew and develop the contemplative practices of the Mediaeval Egyptian Pietist Movement—a group that flourished in the 13th to the 15th centuries.
In the mediaeval era, the Egyptian Pietist Movement’s leaders included R. Abraham He-Hasid (d.circa 1223), and several members of the Maimonides dynasty: R.Abraham ben HaRambam(1186–1237), R.David ben Abraham Maimuni (1222- 1300), R.Obadya Maimuni(1228–1265),and R. David ben Joshua Maimuni(1335–c.1414).
They believed that the ascetic and contemplative practices of the Biblical B’nei ha Nevi’im (Schools of the Prophets) had been lost to Judaism but had been preserved in Islamic Sufism—and they sought to restore, renew, and develop those practices in Judaism. Paramount among those practices was Khalwa/Hitbodedut: expressed in solitary retreat and in silent contemplation. Their devoted reinstitution of this practice spread throughout the Levant region where it later became a key practice in the Safed Schools of mysticism during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The Maimuni’s aim was to prepare the Egyptian Hasidic Movement’s members to attain a personal and intimate state of marifah/intuitive gnosis and contemplative “nearness to G-d” that would hasten the return of prophecy to Israel.
Those same spiritual perspectives and aims are the core principles of our own century’s “Tariqa Eliyahu”— and they are also essential features of our newly formed group in Safed. You can read much more about the history, aims, and practices of our global Tariqa on our website HERE
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THE SAFED JEWISH SUFI GROUP
In June 2024, Tariqa Eliyahu inaugurated a local branch in Tzfat (Safed) in Northern Israel. This group meets weekly in the Old City for an hour of contemplative prayer (Silent Dhikr/Hazkara) in a Jewish-Sufi mode.
The main element of our weekly meetings is the practice of SILENT DHIKR (silent congregational contemplation).
We do not offer “guided meditations”. We do not teach or learn “meditation”. We do not offer courses of study on religious or contemplative matters. We do not present what we do as a form of “therapy” or “self improvement”.
Such practices are attractive and have their place in one’s spiritual development— but they can also distract from our simple attentiveness to the Divine Voice. And that receptive attentiveness to the “still small voice” is the Heart of our Elijan Tariqa.
Our weekly regular meetings are currently held each Wednesday afternoon in the Artist’s Quarter of the Old City of Tzfat. We do not make any financial charges or ask for any donations. Visitors are most welcome.
WHAT HAPPENS AT OUR MEETINGS?
In classic Sufic tradition, and in reference to the musical practice of the Bnei Nevi’im—meetings begin with a very short vocal Dhikr unit (mantra recitation). At the start of the meeting this can assist the members to transition from their busy world and interior noise to the calm and receptive mode of the Silent Dhikr/Hazkara that follows. For that, we simply sit together as a congregation in silent contemplation for about thirty minutes. Anyone who wishes to leave before the end of the silent dhikr period may do so.
What one does during the silent dhikr is left completely to the individual. Discretely and without causing disturbance to the others, one may sit, kneel, stand,or prostrate at will.
We wish to make our Group’s meditational process to be something that is experienced privately in the hearts of the members—an educational process whose direction and form is left entirely up to G-d who is our true Teacher and Master.
Though our core members are religious observant Jews, and though the texts we use paraliturgically are Jewish (Classical Hebrew or Judeo-Arabic)—the Safed group also welcomes participants and guests at our weekly meetings — from all religions and none—who respect that core ethos even if they do not follow it themselves.
As the Safed Group membership expands, and in deference to the practice of the Bnei Nevi'im, we hope to add a brief live and acoustic musical element (Sama) before the meditation section of our meeting. See our essay on this HERE.
Our Use of the Internet
Though we occasionally publish photos
or pre-meeting musical items, we do not broadcast our meetings online or make
them into interactive zoom meetings. This is principally to make the focus
clearly on G-d and not the group leader or members.
Our meetings are a unique combination
of silent individual prayer and silent congregational bonding. This is the
whole point of Tariqa Eliyahu's Congregational Dhikr system, which is based on
the " Sinai Retreat practice" our forefathers promoted.
As our meetings do not involve any "member-guided meditation", and because the congregational Khalwa/hitbodedut is performed in silence and with eyes closed, a broadcast would be a mere distraction or worse: a show.
Full Tariqa Members keep in touch online through our Facebook private page, and supporters can follow our activities on our public Facebook page HERE
A SPIRITUAL BOND AND CONNECTION
We offer Tariqa (and Safed Group) members two options (i)physical attendance at the Safed Zawiyya (meeting place); or (ii) a spiritual connection whereby members/supporters who might be unable to attend on a given week make a conscious effort to unite with us in prayer EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 4 PM when we are meeting.
For those members and supporters who
do not live in our time-region or who cannot make it at that time — we suggest
that they make some sort of mental connection with us on a Wednesday at some
time of their individual choosing.
We hold this type of mental, deliberate, spiritual link-up
of members to be as significant as a physical presence in the Safed Zawiyya.
We also suggest members practice a
similar spiritual link-up with all our
Tariqa members at Mincha on Shabbat—and whenever they perform Dhikr privately.
Only a few of the Tariqa members live in extended solitary retreat, most have part-time commitments, and some work full-time. Many of the Safed group members find it challenging to attend every week because of their fluctuating work schedules so this kind of spiritual link up is crucial.
Nevertheless, we hope that:
EVERYONE OF OUR LOCAL MEMBERS will
try to attend physically on the
first Wednesday of each (secular) calendar month
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SO WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
*Individual Khalwa (retreat) in solitary hitbodedut at one’s home or at a secluded location is always going to be the ideal Jewish-Sufi practice, as is stressed especially in the Kifaya of R.Abraham ben HaRambam and the Murshid of R.David ben Joshua. Their specifically Jewish-Sufi understanding of the term Hitbodedut-khalwa denotes “concentration”or “focussed meditation” either in physical solitude or internal solitude. Consequently, part of our Tariqa's mission is to promote this form of silent contemplation in both external retreat and in personal practice.
* In addition to such hitbodedut (practiced in private as external and internal solitude)—at our our weekly hitbodedut meetings we engage in 'Congregational Hitbodedut'. In doing this we are following R. Abraham HeHasid’s principle that hitbodedut should also be performed as a regular contemplative reenactment of the spiritual retreat that preceded the Revelation at Sinai.
*Opportunities for Torah study and meditational courses and events are legion and readily available in Tzfat already. Our function as a supportive contemplative group supplements rather than replicates them.
*Reclusive or calm environments are not available to many who live in crowded areas; whose shuls are often noisy, chatty, and highly sociable places. In some shuls, bustle and fuss even take place during davening and this can easily prevent deep concentration. For many Tzfat residents,their business or domestic commitments often do not provide much space or time in which to develop this form of solitary prayer. Our meeting environment and practice might provide them with that space and time.
*Others who are maybe beginning the practice of contemplative prayer might find extended retreat or lengthy contemplative silence difficult to manage—and for them our practice might offer a gentle introduction to receptive meditative prayer with the added support and discipline of a contemplative community. With this support they may move on to periods of physical solitude with more confidence.
*For some people who are not intellectually or academically inclined, or who are uncomfortable with long verbal synagogue services, it may actually provide a non-liturgical but much needed way to meet G-d in a community setting. Being a paraliturgical event with no formal services, it also enables the full egalitarian participation of both men and women in one shared practice.
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We hope to bring together local contemplatives (and would-be contemplatives) from all streams of Judaism and of Israeli society: streams whose members can so often be shockingly antagonistic,dismissive,or intolerant of one another. In these times of denominational,sectarian, racial, and political turmoil in Israel (and globally) it is hoped that by keeping shared contemplative silence, all religious, sectarian, racial,or political differences may be shelved (however briefly) by the commonly shared desire to be personally attentive to the ‘Voice of G-d’ within all of us.
Let Light dawn in the world,in our days,
for we wait and work for Your Salvation
May HaShem grant success to the work of our hands.
Nachman Davies
Safed
May 29 2024 (updated June 2025)