The Enduring Echoes Of His Song

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Abraham Joshua Heschel

“ The meaning of awe is to realize that life takes place under wide horizons, horizons that range beyond the span of an individual life or even the life of a nation, a generation, or an era. Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. ”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel

Learn More About Heschel's Life

Select a theme below to read reflections that show Heschel’s continued impact

Heschel's Influence "The meaning of life is to build a life as if it were a work of art."
God & Humanity "The universe is done. The greater masterpiece is still undone, still in the process of being created, is history. For accomplishing His grand design, God needs the help of man."
Wonder "The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder."
Justice "A person cannot be religious and indifferent to other human beings’ plight and suffering … much of our history is a history of indifference, dominated by a famous statement, 'Am I my brother’s keeper?'"
Prayer "Prayer may not save us. But prayer may make us worthy of being saved."
Scripture "To study, to examine, to explore the Torah is a form of worship, a supreme duty. For the Torah is an invitation to perceptivity, a call for continuous understanding."
Many Faiths "Any god who is mine but not yours, any god concerned with me but not with you, is an idol."
Holy Time "There is a song in the wind, a joy in the trees, Shabbat arrives in the world ... Eternity utters a day."