Elan Babchuck: There’s this moment, of course, in the book of Genesis – Jacob wakes up from a dream after wrestling with an angel, and he says, “God was in this place, and I didn’t know.” There is so much wisdom around us. There’s so much opportunity for transcendence around us at all times. And it’s really incumbent upon us to open our eyes, to pay attention, to have the lenses and see the world and see one another through the lenses that we can really imagine, “Wow – we are in a world of gift.”
Geoff Mitelman: “Tell me about a moment when you felt awe.” Awe is the root of faith, not “Can you explain that?” When did you feel that?
Ernie Wolshin: The birth of a child is still an incredibly awesome experience.
We know the chemical processes involved in the process of birth, and the development of a human being. Is it any less awesome to watch a child being born? Of course not. I watched my kids being born. Still amazing. Watching my grandkids, I know the chemical processes in their bodies. It’s still awesome. You can have science and still be in awe of the universe.
Ben Zeidman: We’re the ones who are all bound up in our daily things and, you know, stuck in our minds and in our “important” worries. We are the ones who keep ourselves from the awe, from the holiness, from the sanctity that is around us.
A great example is this beautiful mountain, right? Some mornings, I’m driving the kids to school, and I notice the beautiful colors of the sun on the mountain in the morning. And sometimes I’m just like, “Oh, my gosh, we’re running late, and how am I going to get the kids to school on time?” It’s this massive, majestic, incredible thing that looms over us here in El Paso in a very, very unique way – these mountains.
Larry Lesser: It’s probably no surprise that Judaism has a blessing [for] the first time you see an ocean or a mountain in 30 days or whatever.
Ben Zeidman: Yeah, right, exactly. I mean, because we’re supposed to be reminded. Like, noticing and acknowledging them should inspire gratitude. Opportunity for awe is all around us – all the time.
Gilah Langner: Look at the Book of Psalms, for example, which is the basis of so much of Jewish liturgy and Jewish experiences. It is a book of awe at the world. And the way in which it’s phrased is that this is God’s creation, and that God is worthy of awe – but, you know, science produces the same result. It evokes awe. It doesn’t answer and dismiss questions about the world. On the contrary, I think it deepens the mystery and the awe. It just evokes just incredible wonder at this magnificent world.
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