Keeping Your Heart Whole
I want to begin by naming something plainly:
We are living in a moment that is frightening and destabilizing.
And I want to offer a spiritual practice for keeping your heart whole: awe.
As Jews, we carry a deep, embodied memory of being targeted and persecuted for who we are. At the same time, from the very first verses of Torah, we are taught something foundational about human dignity: that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of the Divine. We are commanded, again and again, to care for the stranger, because we know the heart of the stranger, having ourselves been strangers and slaves in Egypt.
That Jewish particularity becomes a universal ethic: our pain is not meant to harden us, but to sensitize us—to widen our circle of concern until no one is treated as disposable, and everyone is met as holy.
To witness people abducted off the streets by masked men in military gear can be genuinely traumatic. Some of us respond by turning away from the news to protect our mental health—and that is understandable. Others find themselves unable to turn it off, losing sleep, feeling flooded by fear or grief—and that is understandable too.
For many of us, our parents’ and grandparents’ lives in the United States represented something close to a miracle: a civil society more stable and more just than what most of our ancestors could ever have imagined. Judaism has long supported the ethical principles that undergird democracy, dignity, and the rule of law. These values are not abstract; they are deeply rooted in Jewish moral and spiritual life.
When the World Feels Unsteady, Practice Matters More
In moments like these, spiritual practice is not a luxury. It is an anchor. It is what allows us to stay awake without becoming hardened, and tender without collapsing.
This is one reason I am so grateful for ongoing spiritual community and practice—spaces where we can return, again and again, to what steadies us.
A Simple and Essential Practice: Awe
The spiritual practice I want to offer right now is simple, and deeply sustaining:
Notice awe and wonder.
Look for the small things.
Buds just beginning to form on trees.
The smile or laughter of a baby.
The quiet wisdom of a friend.
Light streaming through a window.
A new kitten on your block.
The sunrise. The colors of the sky.
Clouds drifting slowly overhead.
Stop.
Notice.
Breathe it in.
This is not escapism. It is nourishment.
Entrances to Holiness Are Everywhere
There is a midrash that teaches:
“Entrances to holiness are everywhere. The possibility of ascent is always present—even at unlikely times and through unlikely places. There is no place on earth without the Divine Presence.” Numbers Rabbah 12:4)
Each time you notice something that evokes awe or wonder, you are stepping through one of those entrances to holiness. This is how spiritual life continues even when the world feels fractured.
It is also where Jacob’s ladder begins—not in heaven, but on the earth itself.
Awe as a Spiritual Lifeline
Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote words that feel especially alive in moments like these:
“Awe enables us to see 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.”
Awe does not deny suffering or injustice. It does not ask us to look away. Instead, it helps keep our hearts open. It reminds us that life is still asking something of us—and that holiness has not withdrawn from the world.
May this practice steady us.
May it keep our hearts tender.
And may it help us remember that even now—especially now—the Presence is close.
— Rabbi Jill Zimmerman
An Invitation
If you’re longing for a place to practice presence, steadiness, and compassion in community, I invite you to join our Hineni Jewish Mindfulness Community.
Hineni is a space for Jewish spiritual practice in real time — meditation, learning, reflection, and honest conversation — especially in moments when the world feels unsteady, and our hearts need tending.
You’re also warmly invited to join us in our Jewish Community Hub on Circle, where members share teachings, practices, questions, and connection throughout the week.
🌿 Join the Hineni Jewish Mindfulness Community
🌿 Join our Jewish Community Hub on Circle
🌿 Join our Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Series
You don’t have to do this alone.
Practice is easier — and hearts stay softer — when we walk together.
