Abraham Joshua Heschel
1907-1972 20th century
Wonder as the root of prayer, and prayer that walks out into the street.
Who was Abraham Joshua Heschel?
A rabbi born in Warsaw into a line of Hasidic masters, he found refuge in the United States in 1940 and lost his mother and sisters in the Shoah. A professor in New York, he restored the mystical depth of Jewish prayer and marched beside Martin Luther King at Selma. For him, wonder is where faith begins.
In their own words
Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying.
Prayer may not save us. But prayer may make us worthy of being saved.
Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge.
Above all, remember that the meaning of life is to build a life as if it were a work of art.