Wonder

As he lay on his death bed, the renowned Jewish Theologian, Abraham Heschel, was visited by a close friend who found him woefully weak. The friend said that Rabbi Heschel faintly whispered to him …

”Sam, after my attack, when I regained consciousness, my first feeling was not of despair … or anger. I felt only gratitude to God for my life, for every moment I had lived. I was ready to depart. ‘Take me, O Lord,’ I thought, ‘I have seen so many miracles in my lifetime.’” Exhausted by the effort, Rabbi Heschel paused, then added, “That is what I meant when I once wrote: ‘I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder — and You gave it to me.”