Omanoot - Finding God in the World Around Us Lesson Plan

8/9/2019 Omanoot - Finding God in the World Around Us Lesson Plan

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Mi? (Who?)Finding God in the World Around us

by Shotei Hanevuah

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 Omanootunit 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 ofMiby

Shotei Hanevuah.

To explain how Heschels 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 Heschels Theology

Appendix #2 Excerpts of Texts by Abraham Joshua Heschel with Reading Questions

Appendix #3 Lyrics and Discussion Questions for Mi by Shotai HaNevuah


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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 specificallywhat made them choose their particularimage 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 Heschels 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.


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THIRD ACTIVITY: Finding Heschels 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 Heschelgroups 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 Heschels 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.


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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, abeautiful 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 veryeasy 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.


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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 Heschels

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 themtogether 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 Hanauvahs song Mi and continue with the corresponding activity

in the above lesson plan.


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APPENDIX #1 - Brief Overview of Heschels 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 manis 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

thesublime acts of God, explaining that the sublime is that which wecannot

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. Gods

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 Gods Glory on earth one

can find God. By Glory, Heschel means the presence of Gods 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.

Heschels 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.

1Heschel, 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 smallthings 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.


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.


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 worlds 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?


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APPENDIX #3 - Lyrics ofMiBy Shotei HaNuvah

Lyrics by Avraham Tal

I still do not understand anything

I still do not understand any of it

From this place where I am

A man on the ground

Amazed by the wonders of the world

Amazed by the wonders of creation

The answer to the question

That has existed forever

Who rocks the cradle?

How do I sleep so deep?

Who?

Inside all the confusion

At the bottom of an unending hole

Arrives in the end a present

That has existed since creation

Every man and his own world

And for every man the entire worldAnd here ends I and you

And begins understanding

Who?

After all it is known

That in love worlds are created

Nothing is fixed or set

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 Heschels 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?

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Omanoot - Finding God in the World Around Us Lesson Plan