Jewish Texts
The Amidah
Moving from praise to petition to thanksgiving, the Amidah inculcates a sense of connection to God.
The Blessings Around the Shema
The structure of these three blessings reflects the historical progress from creation to revelation to redemption.
Shema as a Love Story
The three paragraphs of the Shema can be interpreted allegorically by connecting each of the three paragraphs to a different stage of a growing, loving relationship.
Near and Far
The very structure of the normal Jewish blessing formula (Barukh Atah…) reflects the tension of recognizing and responding to God's immanence and transcendance.
Keva and Kavanah
How the balance of keva (routine) and kavanah (intention) inform Judaism and the thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel.
The Service Of Song
The duty of the Levites to accompany the Tabernacle service with music and song reminds us to serve God with joy.
The Nazirite–A Sacred Volunteer
The nazirite exemplifies actively choosing a sacred status with a higher level of responsibility.