Where do we find God? Solomon Ibn Gabirol, an 11th century Jewish poet and philosopher from Spain, offers an answer from his understanding of the Barechu prayer:
Three things there are, together in my eye
That keep the thought of thee forever nigh.
I think about thy great and holy name
Whenever I look up and see the sky.
My thoughts are roused to know how I was made,
Seeing the earth's expanse where I abide.
The musings of my mind when I look inside
- At all times, O my soul, "Bless Adonai!"
(Translation by Raymond Scheindlin, The Gazelle: Medieval Hebrew Poems on God, Israel and the Soul)
For Ibn Gabirol when we recite the words Barchu et Adonai hamvorach to start our communal worship we are acknowledging at least three things: First, how amazing and awe inspiring the world and universe around us truly are to behold. Second, the miracle of our very existence in such a vast universe where the probability of our creation is infinitesimally small. Third, is the realization and recognition of the gift of how our minds and soul operate. Therefore, when we go through life we should always be looking up, thinking back, and recognizing within, all the blessings of our existence. That is where we find God.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Micah
