Our Gemara on amud aleph discusses how a person may experience an uncanny sense that something is wrong, hinting at danger, based on the verse in Daniel (10:7): “I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the men who were with me did not see the vision, yet they were seized with a great terror and fled into hiding.” 

The Gemara asks: Since they did not see the vision, what caused their fear? The Gemara answers: Although they did not see the vision, their guardian angels did, and they were overcome with fear and fled. Ravina concludes: From this, we can infer that in the case of a person who becomes frightened without an apparent cause—though they do not see the reason for their fear—this may be because their guardian angel sees it.

Other scriptural and rabbinic teachings support the idea that one can have an intuition and be guided by it. For example, Iyov (3:25) speaks of a premonitory sense that calamity would befall him: “I had no repose, no quiet, no rest, and trouble came.” 

The Malbim and Chida (Chomas Anakh) note that Iyov had a premonitory sense, derived from his mazal, that something terrible would happen. The Chida (Penei Dovid Shemos 1:10) also suggests that even Pharaoh had an intuition that Egypt’s wealth would be drained by the Jews’ sudden departure. This is why he enslaved them in the first place, rationalizing: “Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise, in the event of war, they may join our enemies and rise against us.” 

Pele Yoetz (Tahara) states that if a person feels an unusual emotional arousal—whether joy or sadness—he should use it as an opportunity for intense service to God. The feeling, he suggests, is a sign that something significant is happening in the spiritual realm. Similarly, Likkutei Moharan (118:1) advises how to act on these intuitions:  

"Know! Sometimes a decree is issued against a person, God forbid, which, although they might not see it, their guardian angel does. For this reason, a person may suddenly feel an urge to travel to a distant place. Even if they are unaware of the reason, their soul senses it. This sudden urge may change their mazal, and may even inspire them to repent." 

He elaborates further (4:9): "At times, a person becomes inspired during prayer and recites words with great fervor. This is due to God’s compassion—when the Light of Ein Sof is revealed to him. Even if he cannot see it, his mazal does (Megillah 3a). This radiance ignites his soul in great devotion, and he attaches himself to the Light of Ein Sof. The more the Ein Sof is revealed, the more intensely he recites those words with surrender and devotion. In this state, the person may lose awareness of their own existence, temporarily absorbed into the spiritual realm. But this must be fleeting to preserve the soul within the body."

Another example comes from the Arizal (Shulchan Aruch, O.C. 584:3, Baer Heytev), which states that during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva (the Ten Days of Repentance), if a person suddenly feels a deep urge to cry, it is a sign that they are being judged in the heavenly court at that moment.

In the post-industrial age, with the constant influx of lights, media, and movement, we have stopped paying close attention to our inner senses and emotional states. Many forms of physical and emotional distress could potentially be avoided or alleviated if we were more in tune with our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. While some people practice mindfulness and meditation to achieve this awareness, perhaps it was once a more natural state, not an occasional practice. 

What if our relationships, activities, eating, and sleeping patterns were guided by intuition, as our bodies and minds were in harmony with the world around us? What if we listened to our bodies and chose what, when, and how much to eat based on our own inner rhythms? What if we respected our bodies, noticing which foods made us sick and which relationships and activities enriched our lives? Modern life has provided us with countless opportunities, but it has also created a system that can enslave us and lead to illness.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com