Book Description
The first published work of A. J. Heschel. Written between 1927 and 1933 and never published in English before, this is the intimate spiritual diary of a devout European Jew, loyal to the revelation at Sinai and afflicted with reverence for all human beings. The 66 poems in this book appeared in Warsaw in 1933 when Heschel was 26 years old and still a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Berlin. Written between 1927 and 1933—and never published in English before—this is the intimate spiritual diary of a devout European Jew, loyal to the revelation at Sinai and afflicted with reverence for all human beings. These poems sound themes that will resonate throughout Heschel’s later popular writings: human holiness, a passion for truth, awe and wonder before nature, God’s quest for righteousness, solidarity with the downtrodden, and unwavering commitment to tikkun olam. In these poems we also discover a young man’s acute loneliness, dismay at God’s distance, and dreams of spiritual and sensual intimacy with a woman.

From the Inside Flap
"…these 66 poems present the formative writing of one of modern Judaism’s greatest spiritual authors. Heschel is a beloved spiritualist, and the whole Jewish community would do well to add this, his first published work, to the collection of his writings" – jewsweek.com, December 2004

FROM THE PUBLISHER