Rediscovering the Extraordinary: Conversations with the Divine

We’ve grown so accustomed to the world around us – the natural world, the Creator, Jewish traditions – that we forget to perceive the sheer awesomeness inherent in them all.

Daily routines tire us, dull us, making us oblivious to the truths right under our noses. But if we lower our noses and open our eyes, we can lift our hearts to the heavens and witness a reality too wondrous to be captured with words.

Let’s start with the tangible: consider the world as revealed by science in the last century – astonishing wonders of creation. People are amazed by the universe's unfathomable size, yet even more remarkable are the laws of physics governing it, defying all our human perceptions of space and time.

The unimaginable notion of the insignificance of matter – all atoms in perpetual motion, without which the universe could collapse to a pinpoint!

Biology, too, is astounding: an entire hidden world alive with millions of bacteria in every object, operating as living creatures, breathing, eating, being eaten, hunting, defending, and reproducing.

Our bodies themselves comprise billions of tiny cells, each more intricate than any factory we have on earth. The DNA within a cell’s nucleus is like a supercomputer with hundreds of thousands of encrypted pages, micro-books, and complex machines unseen by the eye.

Indeed, the physical world is extraordinary, beyond comprehension. Just knowing part of this world is a miracle to be grateful for.

Yet it’s not only the scientific reality that’s a wonder, but the very awareness of reality is a truly amazing phenomenon.

Consider this: isn’t it extraordinarily wondrous to be aware of the reality around us and know it was created? Animals aren’t aware of themselves and can’t ponder their existence, but we are. Isn’t it astonishing that we exist within a reality where we are given the knowledge and understanding of our existence?

But all this pales in comparison to the greatest knowledge, which the Rambam lists at the beginning of his foundational laws of the Torah: "The foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdoms is to know there is a First Existent, and He brings into being all that exists; and everything that exists in heaven and earth and what is between them exists only from the truth of His existence."

Here’s a mind-boggling thought: isn’t it amazing to speak with the Creator? Look at the earth, look at the heavens, and now imagine – we speak with our mouths and tongues to the One who created all of these. The wondrous earth upon which we stand, the vast universe above, and there is nowhere devoid of Him – "there is no place void of Him" (Tikkunei Zohar 122b). To Him, we direct our prayers!

There are hundreds of billions of galaxies and stars in the vast expanse of space, and the One who created all these grand wonders is now looking at each of us, knowing us completely.

Isn't it amazing to converse with the One who now holds the sun aloft? Who sustains, at every moment, an entire universe of nebulae, galaxies, stars, and planets? The titles "King of kings of kings" and "Master of all powers" mean exactly as they sound.

(photo: shutterstock)

We converse with a human being, knowing they are transient, and so are we. We speak of beautiful objects, and they perish and change. We talk about nature, which is also limited and bound by space and time. Every utterance, it seems, is transitory – a vapor – except when speaking of our Creator, the Creator of the universe.

How do words from our mouths – syllables and sounds – manage to convey ideas about the most real and greatest reality that could exist, to speak to Hashem beyond all syllables and sounds?

Isn't it amazing to speak to eternity? To the One who was, is, and will be, who existed before the world and will endure forever and ever. To the One who never changes.

Isn't it amazing to speak to someone so great? Infinite – matchless. Powerful – none can compare. Singular – without parallel unity. And, in this moment, this present time, we have the ability to think about Him, acknowledge His existence, and even speak to Him, serve Him. Is there a limit to the wonder?

Offer a person all the world's treasures, all their desires, but how does it compare to a single moment of recognizing truth – the existence of Hashem? One solitary moment in our lives where we can stand before the King of kings of kings, knowing He exists within our hearts, and speak to Him with our mouths?

"And Hashem said to Abram, 'Go from your land... Rabbi Isaac said: It's like someone traveling from place to place who sees a palace inflamed. He said, 'Can you imagine this palace has no manager?' The master of the palace peered out at him and said, 'I am the master of the palace!' Thus, our father Abraham said: Could it be that this world lacks a manager? Hashem appeared to him and said, 'I am the master of the world!'" (Genesis Rabbah 39:1).

There are no words. A person goes like a blind man in the fog, but sometimes stands out a moment of reflection, a pronounced moment of sparkling light in the darkness, and that moment is worth more than all the others, when he grasps – where the light comes from.

The Architect of Reality Listens to Us

The Rambam writes at the conclusion of the laws of mezuzah (Chapter 6):

"A person must be careful with the mezuzah, for it is an eternal obligation owed by everyone. Every time one enters or leaves, they encounter the unity of the Holy One's name, and remember His love, stirring from their lethargy and the delusion of temporal vanities; they will recognize that there is nothing everlasting except the knowledge of the Creator of the world, and instantly they will revert to their sense, walking in the straight paths."

The very thought that the One who orchestrates all of existence listens to us is a gift too marvelous to fathom and appreciate. What humility greater than that from the Creator of the universe – the King of kings – who listens to a small person's prayer? King David marvelously noted this: "When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars You have set in place. What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of mortal man that You care for him? And made him little less than Divine, crowned him with honor and glory" (Psalms 8:4-6).

Despite our smallness, Hashem adorns us with honor and glory, listens to us, and watches over us – answers us with yes and no. He isn't human nor like human, but knows us more intimately than any human since He created our understanding, even placing the measure of love and compassion in our heart – "He will show you compassion and be compassionate to you" (Deuteronomy 13:18).

Isn't it astonishing that every thought we can think, every emotion we can feel, every physical, sensory, or emotional experience is a creation the Creator has programmed into our soul to think and feel? Isn't it amazing to see Hashem’s will within us?

Hashem knows human thoughts, and He has blessed humanity with the ability to express their thoughts in words: "And Hashem said to him: Who gave man a mouth, or who makes one dumb or deaf, sighted or blind? Isn't it I, Hashem?" (Exodus 4:11).

King David boldly expressed this: "Hashem, You have examined me and You know; You know when I sit down and when I rise...and You see my every path...for there is not a word on my tongue but that, Hashem, You know it completely. You have enclosed me from behind and before, and You laid Your hand upon me; such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, there You are; if I make my bed in the depths, there You are...Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are alike to You. For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb...Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before even one of them came to be...Examine me, Hashem, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139).

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The Master of all wonders doesn’t just supervise and listen to us, but has given us Torah and commandments to guide us in His way, setting our paths straight and teaching us how to earn His eternal closeness. Hashem chose emissaries to teach us His will, foremost among them Moses, the greatest of prophets.

Isn't it amazing that the One who orchestrated the Ten Plagues, the Exodus from Egypt, the Sinai Revelation, chose us as His nation?

He who created the heavens and the earth spoke to our entire people and gave us the manufacturer’s instructions.

The poem "Dayenu" in the Passover Haggadah emphasizes the number of deeds and kindnesses the Creator bestowed upon us during the Exodus and in the desert – so many miracles throughout our people's history aren't to be taken for granted.

Hashem has saved our people countless times, keeping us alive and thriving for 3300 years – while all the nations around us vanished into history's depths. We are a historic people, the "People of the Book," with a history richer than any nation. Isn’t that a great honor?

Isn't it amazing to speak to the One whom all the prophets and sages spoke to?

Isn't it amazing to recite the same Shema that was recited by Moses, Rabbi Akiva, and the Rambam? The prayers and blessings connect us to our ancestors – to the sages and righteous of all generations – in an experiential and spiritual link. We recite the same words, directing our mouths and hearts to the one G-d who unites us all.

Isn't it amazing to read in the Torah words that Hashem dictated to Moses, and fulfill mitzvot that the Creator desires from us, His creations?

We observe Shabbat, which Hashem commanded us to keep. We lay tefillin, commanded by Hashem to lay. Not man, but the Creator of my soul. Creator of my body. Creator of my inside and outside.

Consider that the very ability given to us to believe in Him, the free choice to serve Him in thought, speech, and deeds – it's an incomparable task. Even the most indifferent person wouldn't remain indifferent if the President of the United States requested to visit their home, even just to hear what he has to say without responding to 'prayers.' And if the President assigned them a political task, it would be a great honor. But what comparison is there between flesh and blood and the Creator of the entire reality? It is said, serving Hashem is itself a gift, every prayer uttered is a gift. After all, it is the greatest honor to fulfill the will of our Creator who requests us for His mission.

For this, He will reward us in the next world – isn’t that an astonishing thought, to receive charity on top of charity? The righteous earn charity for their righteousness, but even their righteousness is charity.

Our Father in heaven gives and gives, and we, like children, cherish our precious deeds, taking our due rewards and even asking for more...but nothing is truly our right, because everything is charity. Isn’t it amazing to receive so many gifts freely from our Creator?

If only we had eyes to see and hearts to feel our Creator, then our entire lives would look and feel different; we would be in a completely different dimension of reality. But what can we do when the flow of life blinds – enrolling us into an almost automatic routine of thoughts and actions; daily life's tasks, the burden of livelihood, various challenges, personal trials, human relationships from friendships, debts, disputes to inter-nation politics...

But just one moment is enough to halt the stream of worldly thoughts, the flow of life, to contemplate and see who and what we are, where we are, and before whom we stand at this moment! If only we understood that paradise is here, right in this existence of being before the Creator of existence. We were given the greatest gift that can be given to a living being – our very existence capable of recognizing its existence – a small consciousness touching the greatest consciousness that created it. This is love, this is truth beyond measure.

Just to know Him. One moment of His knowledge. One moment of doing His will. Isn’t that the most amazing thing of all?