Mi? (Who?

)
Finding God in the World Around us
by Shotei Ha’nevuah

Recommendations
This song speaks about the wonders of the world and asks the simple question: who is
responsible for the beauty in everyday life? This lesson plan will examine the theology of
Abraham Joshua Heschel to explore this question. We recommend this lesson for
settings that encourage students to think critically, question their own conceptions of
God and feel comfortable to share their thoughts and beliefs with their peers. It is very
important to make sure that participants show respect for each other and create a safe
space to express and listen to each other's opinions.

This lesson plan can be used independently or as part of the Omanoot unit on God in
Israeli Music. If used within the context of the larger unit of study, this lesson plan either
follows the lesson plan on Hadag Nahash or it can be an extension of the activity on
Hatikvah 6.

Target Age Group

Middle and High School

Essential Questions
• How does God portray himself in the universe?
• What is Abraham Joshua Heschel's theology of God?
• Where can an individual find God in the world around him/her?

Objectives
• To explore and understand Heschels’ theology of God in relation to the universe.
• To explore Heschel's theology as it is expressed through the lyrics of “Mi” by
Shotei Ha’nevuah.
• To explain how Heschel’s view of God has impacted the students’ lives by seeking
examples of glory in the world around them.

Supplementary Materials
Appendix #1 Brief Overview of Heschel’s Theology
Appendix #2 Excerpts of Texts by Abraham Joshua Heschel with Reading Questions
Appendix #3 Lyrics and Discussion Questions for Mi by Shotai HaNevuah

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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OPENING ACTIVITY: Finding Beauty in the World
Goal: To ponder the beauty that exists in the world from
a new perspective in order to establish a context for
understanding Heschel's writings.

(a) Where is the Beauty?

Collect photographs of nature landscapes and hang them around the room as if in an art
gallery. If you think students might relate more to local imagery, you can either find your
own images of local nature on the Internet or ask students to bring in pictures they have.

Ask participants to browse the exhibit independently and choose the one photograph
that they think is the most beautiful. Once the students have all chosen, ask each person
to present their choice to the whole group (unless time is restricted and the class is large,
in which case you can divide them into smaller groups of 4-5 students to present to each
other). Ask that students share specifically what made them choose their particular
image as the most beautiful.

SECOND ACTIVITY: Exploring “Awe” and “Glory” and “God in Nature”

Goal: To familiarize students with Heschel's texts and
theology.

Note: Please review Appendix #1 for a brief description of Heschel’s thoughts

After sharing, divide the group into three smaller groups. Appendix #2 contains three
texts that explore different elements of Heschel's theology: Awe, Glory and God in
Nature. Give each group one of the texts with the corresponding questions.

Groups will have 10-15 minutes to read and discuss the text and write answers to all of
the questions. When groups are ready, ask one representative from each to give an
overview of their text and share their questions and answers. As groups are sharing, note
specific points of Heschel's theology on the board. Once the groups have finished, fill in
any ideas that they may have missed to ensure that all the main elements of Heschel's
theology are clear.

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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THIRD ACTIVITY: Finding Heschel’s concepts in Modern Israeli Music
Goal: To learn and understand the song "Mi," by Shotei
HaNevua. After learning the song, participants will
compare and contrast their understanding of the song's
meaning with Heschel's theology.

(a) Listening
Play the song "Mi" and ask students if they understood any of the words just from
listening. Share and discuss. Hand out the English translation of the lyrics and listen to
the song again, this time with the participants following along with the words.

(b) Chevruta
Divide the group into groups of three (one person from each of the three groups above)
and review the text of the song. By having one person from each of three Heschel
groups present in the smaller group, there will be an expert on each of the three
concepts learned in the previous activity.

Ask all groups to discuss the following questions:

1) How do you think the author of this song views God? Why do you think this?
2) In what ways do the lyrics reflect Heschel’s concepts of Awe, Glory and finding
God in Nature?
3) How/do you connect with the main ideas and/or the lyrics of this song?
4) How do you personally perceive God in relation to the world around you?

(c) Group Discussion

After groups have had some time to discuss these questions in their chevruta, bring the
group back together as a whole. Ask each group to present a short summary of their
discussions, including any debates they may have had. Depending on the amount of
time available, allow this to then turn into a full group discussion.

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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OPTIONAL FINAL ACTIVITY: Finding God in Your World
Goal: To help students think personally about the topics
addressed in this lesson, namely God in the world as well
as the concepts of awe and glory.

(a) Extension Homework Activity

Ask participants to artistically "capture" moments of glory or awe that they witness in the
world around them. This can either be done as a homework assignment or as an activity
for another lesson if the setting is more informal. We recommend photography for the
media; however, invite students to play with different art media as it serves their
expressive goals.

If done as a homework assignment, please ask participants to do this individually to allow

them to be more aware of or the world around them. In what imagery do they find glory
in their own world: a young child playing with an old woman, an act of kindness, a
beautiful sight in nature?

Ask participants to choose a moment in their daily goings-on during which they stop and
simply examine what is happening around them. Challenge them to be fully consumed
with observing this moment, forgetting their every day concerns. This is the moment
they are to create an image of, be it a photograph or a manipulated image. Give
students a certain date by which they must have their image ready to bring in to share
with the group.

Note: If digital cameras are easily accessible for most participants, this can make it very
easy to arrange the images into a digital presentation for the whole group. If some
participants have cameras they are willing to share, this can also help. If participants do
not necessarily have access to digital cameras, share the works gallery style.

(b) Options for a Camp or Retreat Setting

The main concepts of this lesson plan can be adapted to use surrounding nature as a
catalyst for inspiration. There are a variety of possible adaptations, but here is one
suggestion: Start the activity by taking the learners on a hike to a lookout point, or for a
sunrise over the lake, to a special place in your setting, etc. Ask participants to sit for
about 15-20 minutes to experience their surroundings and observe the beauty of the
setting. At this point bring the group back together and ask them to share the elements
of beauty they saw.

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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Hand out the Heschel worksheet from the Second Activity and do this component of the
lesson plan outside. After the participants have discussed and understood Heschel’s
concepts, continue or set out on a hike. Instruct them to capture images with a digital
camera along the hike that the participants feel inspire awe or portray glory in the world.

Once you return from the outdoor experience, collect all of the images and put them
together in a presentation. At the next meeting, the participants will share their images
and explain what inspired them to take this particular image. Following this the students
should listen to Shotei Ha’nauvah’s song Mi and continue with the corresponding activity
in the above lesson plan.

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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APPENDIX #1 - Brief Overview of Heschel’s Theology

In the book God in Search of Man Abraham Joshua Heschel does not concentrate
on defining God, but instead focuses on how man should look for God in the
world around him. Heschel states that: “The grand premise of religion is that man
is able to surpass himself; that man who is part of this world may enter into a
relationship with Him who is greater than the world; that man may lift up his
mind and be attached to the absolute.” (Heschel, 331). In other words, Heschel
defines God as a concept beyond what any of us can comprehend. He wrote of
the sublime acts of God, explaining that the “sublime” is that which we cannot
understand but which we know is in everything. Heschel expounds: “The world is
something we apprehend but cannot comprehend and it is that inability to
comprehend which makes us human." (Heschel, 58)

We recognize our inability to know by observing the mysteries in the world. God’s
knowledge of the answers to these mysteries confirms that God is all knowing:
“God is a mystery, but the mystery is not God. He is a revealer of mysteries.”
(Heschel, 66). He divulges the answers to the mysteries, as we need to know
them. Heschel explains that wisdom is found through God, and that in the
relationship that develops between our quest for wisdom and acceptance, we find
God by discovering Awe. He defines Awe as “an act of insight into a meaning
greater than ourselves.” (74) But in order to develop that relationship by being
aware of Awe we must first understand how to find God in the world around us.

Heschel believes that through the acknowledgment of God’s Glory on earth one
can find God. By Glory, Heschel means the presence of God’s wonder that
demonstrates the abundance of good and the power of his acts in nature and
history. But as modern wo/man continues to look for answers or definite truths in
our world, s/he becomes immune to the glory that exists daily in our lives.
Heschel’s main point is that we must not take for granted that which is amazing
in our lives by looking for answers. These answers will never be found because
we are incapable of finding them. Instead of finding the answers, we search for
God in all that is around us, because He is the one who truly knows.

1
Heschel, Abraham Joshua. God in Search of Man. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1955.
(ibid. for all page references on this page)

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APPENDIX #2 - Excerpts of Texts by Heschel with Reading Questions

Awe
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 common and the
simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, pg. 75

Questions
• In your opinion, what is Heschel's definition of Awe?
• What does this Awe enable us to see in the world?
• What does the text say about the divine or God?

Glory
Glory is the presence, not the essence of God; an act rather than a quality; a process not a
substance. Mainly the glory manifests itself as a power overwhelming the world. Demanding
homage, it is a power that descends to guide, to remind. The glory reflects abundance of
good and truth, the power that acts in nature and history… The whole earth is full of His
glory. It does not mean that the glory fills the earth in the way in which the ether fills space
or water fills the ocean. It means that the whole earth is full of His Presence.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, pg. 82

The whole earth is full of His glory. The outwardness of the world communicates something
of the indwelling greatness of God, which is radiant and conveys itself without words.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, pg. 82

Questions
• In your opinion, what is Heschel's definition of Glory?
• How is Glory present in our world?
• Where do you see it in your personal life?

God in Nature
Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these. There is a higher form of seeing. We
must learn how to lift up our eyes on high in order to see that the world is more a question
than an answer. The world’s beauty and power are as naught compared to Him. The
grandeur of nature is only the beginning. Beyond the grandeur is God.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, pg. 97

Questions:
• According to Heschel, how does God connect to Nature?
• What is our responsibility as Man in finding God?
• What does nature tell us or show us about God?

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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APPENDIX #3 - Lyrics of Mi
By Shotei HaNuvah
Lyrics by Avraham Tal

I still do not understand anything ‫עוד לא הבנתי כלום‬

I still do not understand any of it ‫עוד לא הבנתי מאום‬
‫עוד לא הבנתי כלום‬
From this place where I am ‫עוד לא הבנתי מאום‬
A man on the ground
‫מהמקום שבו אני נמצא‬
Amazed by the wonders of the world
‫אני אדם על אדמה‬
Amazed by the wonders of creation
‫נדהם מנפלאות עולם‬
‫נדהם מנפלאות בריאה‬
The answer to the question
That has existed forever ‫את התשובה לשאלה‬
Who rocks the cradle? ‫שמאז ומעולם ישנה‬
How do I sleep so deep? ‫מי מנענע את העריסה‬
‫ואיך שנתי כה עריבה‬
Who?
...‫מי‬
Inside all the confusion
‫מתוך כל הבלבול‬
At the bottom of an unending hole
‫בתחתית הבור הלא חסום‬
Arrives in the end a present
‫מגיעה בסוף המתנה‬
That has existed since creation ‫שמימי בריאה ישנה‬

Every man and his own world ‫כל אדם ועולמו‬

And for every man the entire world ‫ולכל אדם כל העולם‬
And here ends “I” and “you” ‫ופה נגמר אני אתה‬
And begins understanding ‫מתחילה ההבנה‬

Who? ...‫מי‬

After all it is known

‫כי הרי דבר ידוע‬
‫שבאהבה נברא עולם‬
That in love worlds are created
‫שום דבר אינו קבוע‬
Nothing is fixed or set
‫והנצח לא נמדד בזמן‬
And eternity cannot be measured in time

Questions
1) How do you think the author of this song views God? Why do you think this?
2) In what ways do the lyrics reflect Heschel’s concepts of awe, glory, and finding
God in nature?
3) How do you connect with the main ideas and/or the lyrics of this song?
4) Personally, how do you see God in relationship to the world around you?

© Omanoot, Inc. 2010

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