For those who are interested in a brand of meditation off the beaten path of Buddhism, check out the Makor Or Jewish Meditation Center in the Inner Richmond. Makor Or takes all the clichés out of Kabbalah mysticism and provides serious students with a healthy chunk of food for thought. While Jewish "meditation" is still a fairly new practice, Rabbi Alan Lew, the founder of Makor Or (which means "source of light") and the head rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom, infuses the center's offerings with the introspective, globally heterogeneous smatterings of New Judaism and also offers rigorous classes on the Talmud (Old Testament), Torah, and the cultural legacies of Judaism. Daily sitting meditations precede prayer services at Beth Sholom, which is conveniently located next door. The center's study groups and classes scrutinize subjects as varied as the role of prophecy in Judaism and meditations on the Book of Psalms. -- Nirmala Nataraj