Heschel held that Jewish rituals are conduciveto awe

Heschel held that Jewish rituals are conduciveto awe. .. For example, orthodox people utter blessings at particular occasions, when they see a rainbow when they notice a fragile blossom, when they need a wise person. These blessings are embodied actions at one perform to mark certain emotional state in response to the environment. The repetition of such ritual practices, our minds and bodies to respond before and wonder to the world around us. buttering a blessing, you become more attuned to how precious and pleading these are. These blessings afford a kind of mystical experience.

— from The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy) · Wonderstuck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think by Helen De Cruz

In the book

Awe also makes you smarter and kinder in the same instant: researchers find it makes us less reliant on stereotypes and preconceived notions, and more curious and open-minded. Our sages built it into the architecture of the day — the blessings an observant Jew says on seeing a rainbow, or a fragrant blossom, or a great scholar, are nothing but little machines for manufacturing wonder, training the mind and body to respond to the world with amazement. Heschel, who understood this better than anyone, confessed that we should be shocked not only by the weakness of our awe but by the weakness of our shock at how little awe we feel. […] Manufacture awe on purpose. Do not wait for the mountaintop. Build awe around an ordinary moment by truly attending to it; keep a jar of awesome; borrow the old blessings that train you to notice the rainbow and the blossom. Practice empathy as a skill. Start every encounter by asking what the other person actually wants; stay out of judgment and take their perspective; and listen long enough and deep enough that they feel safe to open layer after layer down to where the real thing lies. — The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy)

Also belongs to

Related