Introduction

Like fish in water, we swim in blessings. We are so fully immersed in the wonderous workings of reality that we hardly notice them. And yet, they are there, from the skies’ revolving carousel of stars to the intricate footwork of ants through the grass, to the unassuming heartbeat in our chest. From the sublime to the mundane and back again, we are both inundated by life’s wonders as well as all too often entirely oblivious to them. The power of Judaism is that it helps us become conscious of life’s myriad blessings. Jewish practice offers us asteady stream of touchpoints, portals into that state of awareness that Abraham Joshua Heschel calls “radical amazement.” As Albert Einstein reportedly said, “There are two ways to live. You can live as if nothing is amiracle. Or you can live as if everything is amiracle.” To see the miraculous in reality is to live alife attuned to wonder. This is why our sages created astructure to nurture our awareness of the blessings we swim in. The sages guide us to offer 100 blessings every day.1 Not five or even ten but 100. It amounts to adaily avalanche of blessings, an inundation of amazement.

Why? What positive effect comes from saying blessings? In the world of neuropsychology, gratitude is understood to be anatural antidepressant: When practiced daily, gratitude may be almost as effective as medication. At the neurochemical level, gratitude acts as acatalyst for neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Together, these chemicals form acocktail that boosts our moods. When we consciously and consistently practice gratitude, we strengthen those positive neural pathways and the benefits are significant: improved physical health, immunity against disease, fewer bouts with toxic emotions, better sleep, enhanced self-respect, more

satisfying relationships, to name but afew. Science shows that it’s not that being happy makes us grateful, it’s that being grateful makes us happy.2 Radical amazement is radically beneficial. Next time you feel like you are in arut, remind yourself of the ABCs of Appreciation, Blessing, and Curiosity. This practice can shift our mindset and invite in the innate delight of our radically amazed inner child. As Abraham Joshua Heschel explains: “This is one of the goals of the Jewish way of living: to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things.”3

As you explore this chapter, we invite you to seek out blessings and practices that can help you follow Heschel’s golden advice, “Live life in radical amazement… Get up in the morning and look at the world in away that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually.”

2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GChxl0QSzQ and https://www.verywellmind.com/ how-gratitude-makes-you-happier-5114446. 3 Needs an accurate reference