A Glimpse of the Divine

One of the things I love about the prayer books my congregation uses for weekly and High Holy Day services are the alternative readings that are provided. They can be read instead of or in addition to the standard liturgy. Last week, during Yom Kippur, under the heading “The Gift of Awe,” I came across a page of sayings about nature from authors as diverse as John Muir, John Keats, Frank Lloyd Wright, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Albert Einstein and Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (“the Baal Shem Tov). Their words spanned three centuries but had one thing in common – nature as a source of comfort and renewal, and a glimpse of the divine.

It made me think of how often I have heard “I don’t believe in God, but   

           when I stand on a mountain top…”

           watch a fiery sunset…”

           look up at the stars…”

You can probably insert your own favorite natural phenomenon.

For me, it was looking at the spectacular fall foliage that seemed to emerge here in the Berkshires overnight. Photosynthesis notwithstanding, the wonder I felt was not awe of chemistry, but of nature. I have trouble believing most of what I read about God in my prayer book, but I do believe that this beauty is the result of some unexplainable act of creation.