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O Lord our God, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth! Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength….. When I behold Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast established; What is man that Thou art mindful of him and the son of man that Thou thinkest of him? Yet Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: Sheep and oxen all of them, yea, and the beast of the field; the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea; whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our God, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth! (Psalms 8) | |
The first path of humility is to know of God’s lovingkindness to all His creatures; and to be conscious of the superiority which He gave to man over all other living beings, as the Psalm says: “Thou didst give him dominion over the works of Thy hand” (Psalms 8:7). When he will contrast his own little mastery of nature with the exalted power and endless wisdom of God, he will surely be lowly and humble. (Adapted from Bachya ibn Pekudah’s Duties of the Heart, Sixth Treatise on Submission 6.2-10) | |
Of all the ways of awakening inner reverence in man, the best is the contemplation of the works of God. Their transcendent greatness must inspire awe. (From Elijah de Vidas’s Reshit Chokhmah, Gate of Fear, Prelude.1-2) | |
In the drama of nature man plays a double role; a servant in lowliness and a king in pride. The magnificence of the heavens shame him into littleness, yet brute creation bows before his prowess. Compared to the eternity of the stars, his life is but a breath; compared to the seasonal withering of plants, his mighty rock-built cities take on an aspect of eternity. Man is but a mote in the sunbeam, and yet is himself a radiant source of light. To the heavens a mortal, to the animals a god. | |
Both the mighty universe above him, and humble nature below him, speak unto his heart. He must hearken to both voices. From the eternal stars, let him learn patience and reverence for God’s greatness. From the world beneath his feet, let him learn kindness and love and how to walk in the footsteps of the Creator. Let him grow to be humble yet confident in his labor; expecting mercy and dispensing kindness; praying for abundance and being himself unselfish. As a humble servant in God’s great palace let him be reverent. As a strong worker in God’s own workshop, let him continue the works of creation, benevolently, mercifully and unselfishly, | |
Lord of all worlds, who inhabitest eternity, Thou are high and exalted. We are humble before Thee. Thou art with the contrite and the weak. Thou showest us Thy mercy. We cannot fathom Thy purposes. Thou hast placed us in a wondrous universe; we know not why. We trust in Thee and work in Thy name. Thou takest us away as with a flood; we know not whither. We commend our spirits into Thy hand and await eternity. | |
We call upon Thy name, O Father; give us of Thy strength, that the splendors of the world may not crush us. Grant us of Thy goodness, that our mastery may not corrupt us. Teach us how to reverence Thy greatness, and unto those who reverence us, how to be merciful; how to stand unafraid amidst all of Thy wonders, and, learning from Thy tenderness, how to be gentte to all of Thy creatures. May the heavens declare unto us Thy glory, and may our humble living exemplify Thy lovingkindness. Amen. |
“Man’s Place in Nature” is the forty-ninth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 161-163. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.
Source(s)
“Man’s Place in Nature (CCAR 1923)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication.
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