The primary purpose of prayer is not to make requests. The primary purpose is to praise, to sing, to chant. Because the essence of prayer is a song, and man cannot live without a song. Prayer may not save us. But prayer may make us worthy of being saved.
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Other Quotes by "Abraham Joshua Heschel"

Man is a messenger who forgot the message.
Tags: forgot, message, who, man
God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light. He is not something to be sought in the darkness with the light of reason. He is the light.
Tags: reason, darkness, light, god
It is not enough for me to ask question; I want to know how to answer the one question that seems to encompass everything I face: What am I here for?
Tags: enough, know, face, me
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
Tags: old, young, admire, i-am, people
A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.
Tags: children, people, culture, love
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