“Uttered faith must come out of a surplus of silence,” wrote Heschel.

We imitate God, in other words, in God’s imitation of us. Thus is the divine/human relationship immediately revealed in all of its complexity.

All we can really pray for is that we be up to the task of praying.

In the most literal meaning of “Israel,” I am thankful to be one of those who wrestles or struggles with God.

To be able to pray one must alter the course of consciousness…one must adjust oneself to another way and another atmosphere of thinking.”

The task is to keep remembering this as we get older and to allow room for both of those sacred processes: the faithful handing down of the teaching and the reshaping of it to fit the needs of each emerging generation.

It is not the God of transcendent mystery who needs us; it is the God present in every life-form who cries out and says: “See Me! Hear Me! Know Me! Help Me!” Be aware and be present to the infinite faces of the One that exist in all people, each a unique divine image.

At the heart of this commentary lies a central message: the inner life (penimiyyut) is real, precious, accessible, and at times revelatory; and the most important, fundamental, guiding realizations we might cultivate through its development in prayer are those of sacred Oneness and love.

great privilege and blessing in my life that I am able to express the longings of my soul in the rich and ancient language of our people.