Leah at Beit Sefer

Dear Beit Sefer Families,
I am fascinated with the question of how we encounter the divine.   How do we experience awe and wonder?  How do we experience a sense of purpose?  How do we experiences ourselves as connected to something larger than ourselves?  
I think it is the exploration of these questions through the Torah and Siddur that keep me connected to religious education.  
In my own life, I have discovered that transcendent moments can happen anywhere if I am open to them.  Sometimes it is the overwhelming love I feel towards my children that will just fill me with joy.  It can be the amazement and wonder of looking at the stars and the sky.  It can be the energy and joy of singing or hearing beautiful music, the colors of the sunset or in an artistic work.

And then I wonder do we need the siddur to experience the divine? Do we need to reread the ancient sections of the Torah, that we conclude reading this week, that tell us exactly how to build the Tabernacle that we no longer use?
Yet, I love teaching these things.  I think I love exploring and teaching these texts because then I face the question again and again of how do we as individuals and a community experience the divine. Perhaps it is the question that is more important than the answer.   Perhaps because I live in the question, I am open to these experiences in my life.  

So, I ask you today, how do you experience the divine?

Leah