He was a Conservative rabbi who veered back to Judaism just short of his ordination as a Buddhist. He went on to advocate and teach meditation as a mainstream Jewish practice. Working alongside his friend, the Zen abbott Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Rabbi Lew introduced American Jewry to the novel concepts of silence and stillness, through which the Divine can become present in ways that many Western Jews have long neglected, forgotten, or perhaps never knew.
I met him once, briefly, during the time when I was practicing Buddhism. He led a meditation session at a conference on Jewish meditation put on by Chochmat HaLev in San Francisco. I waited patiently, in a line of meek Jewish seekers, and when my turn came to speak with him, I walked up to him. He was still seated on a meditation cushion, and people came and sat by him, like acolytes. I asked him if one could be both a Buddhist and Jew.
"No, I don't think so," I recalling him saying. "I think you either make God the center of your life or you don't. I think the Jewish calling is a very specific one, and it has God, and service to God, as its cornerstone."
He died suddenly, at 65, while jogging. As sad as this is, it may be that his death will bring renewed attention to his work, which is very important, and his teaching, which can still be found in his books, web sites and his students.
He was frequently referred to as a "Zen rabbi," but he was more than that -- more than just a rabbi, meditator and teacher. He was an activist, an author and husband, father and friend.
May his memory be for a blessing. And a meditation.
--T.A.
How sad and unfortunate. But thank you for bringing this to the attention of your readers.
Posted by: Chaviva | January 14, 2009 at 02:38 PM
I'm very sorry to hear it.
http://oybay.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/sfs-zen-rabbi-alan-lew-has-passed-away/
Too young to die, especially from my vantage point.
Posted by: amba | January 14, 2009 at 05:29 PM
You gave me Be Still and Get Going some time ago. Now I shall read it with mre alert attention, not because Lew is dead but because his ideas may have been given new resonance by his passing.Mom
Posted by: Dad | January 14, 2009 at 09:51 PM