Being bound to an order and stability of observance, to a discipline of worship at set hours and fixed forms is a celestial routine. Nature does not cease to be natural because of its being subject to the regularity of seasons. Loyalty to external forms, dedication of the will is itself a form of worship. The commandments sustain their halo even when our minds forget to light in us the attentiveness to the holy. Routine holds us in readiness for the moments in which the soul enters into accord with the spirit.
--Abraham Joshua Heschel
The Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel speaks to the human need for order and ritual, as a balm for the soul in a disordered world. This fall, as our school returns to a new normal, I’ve noticed my conversations with students have often revolved around this need that Heschel articulates—a yearning for routines and spiritual practice. As we emerge from a disordered time, our souls crave those rituals that help regulate our sense of balance and help prepare us for “those moments in which the soul enters into accord with the spirit.”
In the monastic traditions, a “rule of life” structures spiritual practice and grounds communities in shared rituals of worship, prayer, and study. Heschel’s observations on the need for an ordered practice of worship suggests that practice, not perfection, is what’s important. Whether journaling, meditating, or mindfully washing the dishes, Heschel reminds us of the value of practice and routine, as essential elements in our spiritual lives.
