I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology [Paperback]

Abraham Joshua Heschel (Author), Samuel H. Dresner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1983

Considered by many to be one of the most significant Jewish theologians of the 20th century, Abraham Heschel finds just the right words to startle the mind and delight the heart. He addresses and challenges the whole person, portraying that rarest of human phenomena—the holy man.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company; 1999 Printing edition (September 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824505425
• ISBN-13: 978-0824505424
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Prayerbooks
  • #39 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Theology

More About the Author

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-72), one of the foremost Jewish savants of our time, was internationally known as scholar, author, activist, and theologian.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wise man indeed, May 16, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology (Paperback)

There are few authors that one is even tempted to call "wise" - with Heschel one wishes to say "very wise". This anthology of short excerpts should be read in a meditational manner - he gives one much to think about - to not think about it is to miss the point of the book.

An example: "Life passes on in proximity to the sacred, and it is this proximity that endows existence with ultimate significance. In our relation to the immediate we touch upon the most distant. Even the satisfaction of physical needs can be a sacred act. Perhaps the essential message of Judaism is that in doing the finite we may perceive the infinite."

This perception of the infinite in the finite is what is called "sacramental imagination" in the Christian tradition ... which is to say while Heschel is fully within the Judaic tradition, one need not be of his tradition to learn from him.

Add this to your must read list.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An anthology of wisdom, August 29, 1998

By 

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology (Paperback)

This book is a "best of" selection from the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, put together posthumously by Samuel Dresner. The title comes from the preface in Heschel's book of Yiddish poems, where he comments, "I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me."

This 123 page anthology has numerous selections ranging from one sentence to five pages in length. (Most selections are a few paragraphs in length.) There is ample material for reflection, and Heschel's wise insights and commentary provide spiritual nourishment and admonition. I enjoyed working my way through this compendium, underlining passages and writing commentary in the margins, using it as a devotional work.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars . . . a deeper dimensionality . . ., November 2, 2000

By 

Jonathan Stone (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology (Paperback)

This book will satisfy the soul of any lover of wisdom. It's important to recognize that it's not just for followers of Judaism. Heschel is everyone's wise man. The best way to describe I Asked for Wonder is to think of a quotation book where you want to underline everything. Here is a deeper dimensionality of understanding where having a sense of wonder for God and the universe He created is the beginning of wisdom. Heschel himself is a wonder.