By Pam Schlosberg, WLCJ International President
There is something magical about seeing the world through the eyes of children. Children are our greatest teachers of wonder and awe; they have a PH.D. in exuberance—pausing to watch an airplane cross the sky, bending down to marvel at a ladybug on a leaf, delighting in an “Oh, so pretty!” patch of dandelions, or discovering a rabbit in the clouds. To them, the world is alive with wonder, and every discovery is worthy of a breathless whisper: “Wow!” It is joy in its purest, most uninhibited form.
Children simply are flat out open to the world around them—and, thankfully, eager to share every discovery. When we see the world through their eyes, they can give voice to our inner child of astonishment, surprise, and just pure happiness.
Our challenge is to refocus our vision—to look beyond the difficulties of our world and rediscover it through a brighter lens of wonder, awe, and amazement.
But how do we begin? After all, there are no webinars offering Five Easy Lessons for Discovering a Sense of Wonder! With our lives already so full, adding “find wonder” to our list can feel more than a little daunting.
Yet, as we approach Rosh Hashanah and enter the sacred Days of Awe—the Yamim Noraim—we may feel a renewed urgency to discover what awe means to each of us, to embrace its spirit, and to make it part of our lives. I hear you. It may sound like one more challenge—but perhaps the journey toward wonder begins more simply than we imagine.
Judaism holds a key to unlocking the wonder of the world and renewing our capacity to experience awe. In his book Between God and Man, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel beautifully describes awe as “an intuition for the dignity of all things”—the understanding that everything not only exists in its own right, but also points, however subtly, toward something sacred and supreme.
Awe invites us to become more attentive to the presence of the Divine in the world around us—to discover infinite meaning in the smallest moments and to recognize the extraordinary within the ordinary and the simple. Most of all, awe allows us, even amid the hurried passage of time, to pause, open our hearts, and experience the quiet stillness of the eternal.
And so, in our search for awe and wonder, we are called to be fully present—to move through life with open hearts and to look consciously for opportunities to encounter God along our journey. When we embrace each moment with a sense of awe, we kindle an inner light that guides us forward and allows us to walk with greater hope and a lighter step.
As Heschel teaches, opening ourselves to the extraordinary within the ordinary awakens us to God’s presence in our lives. This sacred connection becomes a golden lifeline—grounding us, strengthening us, and sustaining us through whatever challenges we may face.
This encounter can touch our hearts so deeply and profoundly that words seem inadequate—except, perhaps, for that simple, childlike whisper: “Wow.” As we approach the New Year 5787, with all its promise and possibility, may we open ourselves to a renewed sense of wonder and allow the light of awe to illuminate the path ahead.
A few years ago, Margie Miller, Past International President of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, shared a beautiful poem, “I am the New Year,” whose words gently remind us of the new light, renewed hope, and countless possibilities that each day of 5787 holds.
I offer it to you, along with my heartfelt wish that you and your loved ones be blessed with a year filled with peace, good health, happiness, and a beautiful sense of wonder and awe!
I am the New Year
I am unused, unspotted, without blemish
I stretch before you three hundred and sixty-five days long
I will present each day, in its turn, a new leaf
In the Book of Life, for you to place upon it, your imprint
I am the New Year
Each hour of every day I will
Give you sixty minutes that have
Never known the use of humans.
White and pure, I present them,
It remains for you to fill them;
With sixty jeweled seconds of
Love, hope, endeavor, patience and
Trust in God.
I am the New Year,
I am coming, but once past, I can never be recalled.
What I am depends on you.
You choose – and choose well,
What I am depends on you.
by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins
L’Shalom, my dear Sisters of WLCJ, and L’shanah Tova U’metukah.
Pam Schlosberg
WLCJ International President
pschlosberg@wlcj.org
