There are three ways in which we may relate ourselves to the world—we may exploit it, we may enjoy it, we may accept it in awe.

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel
abraham joshua heschel
09.14.12 /22:53/♥ 9

To be human is to be involved, to act and to react, to wonder and to respond. For man, to be is to play a part in a cosmic drama, knowingly or unknowingly… Man’s most important problem is not being but living. To live means to be at the crossroads. There are many forces and drives within the self. What direction to take is a question we face again and again. Who am I? A mere chip from the block of being? Am I not both the chisel and the marble? Being and foreseeing? Being and bringing into being?

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel
abraham joshua heschelwisdompoetrytheology
08.14.12 /20:32/♥ 5

Why be concerned with meaning?
Why not be content with satisfaction of desires and needs? The vital drives of food, sex, and power, as well as the mental functions aimed at satisfying them, are as characteristic of animals as they are of man. Being human is characteristic of a being who faces the question: After satisfaction, what?

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel
abraham joshua heschelwisdompoetrytheology
08.14.12 /20:28/♥ 4

What is the meaning of my being?
My quest—man’s quest—is not for theoretical knowledge about myself…
What I look for is not how to gain a firm hold on myself and on life, but primarily how to live a life that would deserve and evoke an eternal Amen.

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel
abraham joshua heschelwisdompoetrytheology
08.14.12 /20:25/♥ 3

The Sabbath is the presence of God in the world, open to the soul of man.

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath 
abraham joshua heschelSabbathTheologyGodSoul
01.16.12 /21:18/♥ 1

Creation, we are taught, is not an act that happened once upon a time, once and for ever. The act of bringing the world into existence is a continuous process. God called the world into being, and that call goes on. There is this present moment because God is present. Every instant is an act of creation. A moment is not a terminal but a flash, a signal of Beginning. Time is perpetual innovation, a synonym for continuous creation. Time is God’s gift to the world of space.

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath
abraham joshua heschelTimeSpaceSabbathGodCreationTheology
01.15.12 /21:48/♥ 22

Above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live it as if it were a work of art. You’re not a machine. When you’re young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.

~   Abraham Joshua Heschel
lifecreativityartsoulGodAbraham Joshua Heschel
01.15.11 /21:15/♥ 9
Canvas  by  andbamnan