Dear all,
I set out this week to climb the steps to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. I was really looking forward to the view from the top, a spiritual reward after the physical exertion. I made my way up the steps and looked out. Yeah, it was nice. But somehow, on this particular day, it just didn’t do it for me.
I then walked back down and met up with a good friend. We shared an incredible conversation, right there at the base of the hill.
I thought about it so much over these past few days. We don’t always need to ascend to encounter something divine through a vast, breathtaking vista. Sometimes all it takes is connecting one soul to one soul with one friend. And when we do, we realize that the view from the bottom enables us to engage in a deeply powerful moment in time.
(And yes – sometimes that huge vista is really moving as well! But each connection we can make in the huge world …. That’s akin to God’s fingerprint touching our hearts!)
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
