Seeking Sublime

I first read seriously about the concept of the sublime when I discovered Kant. One physical location that jumped out from the text was the Swiss Alps. To me, the agency of tefilla is to reach the sublime of life everyday.

I am heading off to see the Alps and looking forward to contemplating the beauty of nature and some vacation. The Alps also remind me of the following story:

It was said about Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch that when he was well into his 70’s he decided to travel from Germany to Switzerland for a vacation. This was in the late 1800’s when cars and airplanes were unheard of. The trip was an arduous trek by train and coach. He was asked, ‘Rabbi, you’re an old man. Why are you taking such a trip?’ Replied Rabbi Hirsch, “After 120 years, I’ll meet my maker and he will ask me, ‘Raphael, did you ever see my Alps?’”

Have a wonderful weekend and hope that you too will see the sublime in life.