(יז) וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
(17) Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.”
נּוֹרָ֖א
יָרֵא (v) heb
-
- to fear, revere, be afraid
- (Qal)
- to fear, be afraid
- to stand in awe of, be awed
- to fear, reverence, honour, respect
- (Niphal)
- to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared
- to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe
- to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe
- (Qal)
- to fear, revere, be afraid
(ב) תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יוֹסִי אוֹמֵר, יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה קָאִימְנָא קָמֵיהּ דְּר' יְהוּדָה סָבָא, שָׁאִילְנָא לֵיהּ, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית כח) וַיִּירָא וַיֹּאמַר מַה נּוֹרָא וְגוֹ'. מַאי קָא חָמָא, דְּקָאָמַר דְּאִיהוּ נּוֹרָא. אָמַר לִי, חָמָא שְׁלִימוּ דִּמְהֵימָנוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּהֲוָה שְׁכִיחַ בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר, כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וּבְכָל אֲתָר דְּהַוִי שְׁלֵימוּתָא שְׁכִיחַ, אִקְרֵי נוֹרָא.
It was taught: Rabi Yosi says - one day I was standing in front of Rabi Yehuda Saba, I asked him: 'why is it written (Gen. 28:17) "And he saw, and he said 'What a norah place!' What did he see that he said it was norah? He answered to me: he saw the wholeness of sacred faith, which was found in that place, and in every place where completeness is found - that place is called norah.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Awe is more than an emotion; it is a way of understanding, insight into a meaning greater than ourselves. The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe.
Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme. Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple: to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe.
Between God and Man
In what ways has an experience of awe felt/seemed like "wholeness/completeness" (shlemut) to you?
How might you begin to notice moments of "wholeness" in your life?
What activities can you engage in on Shabbat that would help you connect with awe/wholeness?
(י) רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית חׇכְמָ֨ה ׀ יִרְאַ֬ת יְהֹוָ֗ה שֵׂ֣כֶל ט֭וֹב לְכׇל־עֹֽשֵׂיהֶ֑ם תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹ עֹמֶ֥דֶת לָעַֽד׃ {פ}
(10) The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God; all who practice it gain sound understanding. Praise of The One is everlasting.
Alan Morinis
Awe is a human experience of the transcendent piercing apparent reality, a glimpse of the supreme within the mundane. However it may come to us, a moment of awe gives us a small taste of the cosmic mystery, and an intuitive intimation of the divine. Awe does not protest phenomenal reality; rather it offers direct affirmation of the eternal that lies within the worldly. Awe is the invitation to seek, delivered directly to the heart.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
The only language that seems to be compatible with the wonder and mystery of being is the language of music. Music is more than just expressiveness. It is rather a reaching out toward a realm that lies beyond the realm of verbal propositions. Verbal expression is in danger of being taken literally and of serving as substitute for insight. Words become slogans, slogans become idols. But music is a refutation for human finality. Music is an antidote to higher idolatry. While other forces in society combine to dull our mind, music endows us with moments in which the sense of the ineffable becomes alive.
"The Vocation of the Cantor"
Rabbi Avraham Joshua Heschel
Awe is a way of being in rapport with the mystery of all reality. The awe that we sense or ought to sense when standing in the presence of a human being is a moment of intuition for the likeness of God which is concealed in his essence. Not only man; even inanimate thing stand in relation to the Creator. The secret of every being is the divine care and concern that are invested in it. Somethings sacred is at stake in every event. Awe is an intuition for the creaturely dignity of all things and their preciousness to God; a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something absolute. Awe is a sense of transcendence, for the reference everywhere to Him who is beyond all things. It is an insight better conveyed in attitudes than in words. The more eager we are to express it, the less remains of it. The meaning of awe is to realize that life takes place under wide horizons, horizons that range beyond the span of an individual life or even the life of a nation, a generation, or an era. Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal...
Fear is the anticipation and expectation of evil or pain, as contrasted with hope which is the anticipation of good. Awe, on the other hand, is the sense of wonder and humility inspired by the sublime or felt in the presence of mystery. Fear is “a surrender of the succors which reason offers”; awe is the acquisition of insights which the world holds in store for us. Awe, unlike fear, does not make us shrink from the awe-inspiring object, but, on the contrary, draws us near to it. This is why awe is compatible with both love and joy.
God in Search of Man
Alice Krull
Maybe …
I stay distracted by
The mundane
And all that I have done in the past
And all that I worry about in the future
And all the people I love
And all of the people that I grief for
And all of things that I want
And all of the things that were lost and broken
And all of the dust that is gathering
And all of the storms I have weathered
And all of the clouds on the horizon
Because it is simpler
And safer
And smaller
Because …
Maybe … If I noticed
Truly noticed
How much G-d is here
The true beauty of it
That my heart would fill up
Would be stretched beyond its limits
And burst
And the grateful, joyous me
Would quietly fade
From this world
With a full mind and a full heart … And all of the words ever written
And all of the music ever played
And all of the paintings ever painted
And all of the sculptures ever made
And all of the salt-tinged sea breezes ever blown
And all of the floral perfumes ever wafted
And all of the fauna’s musky breaths ever exuded
And all of the newborn babies’ aromas and coos ever emitted And all of the peoples’ last moments ever exhaled
And all of the sounds of the Name of the creator ever spoken Would be Serenading me as I drifted away from here
My G-d-noticing here …