Heshbon 23: The Curious Mind Welcome to the 23rd lesson in our special Elul series. Today's heshbon , or accounting, focuses on how we view the world, cultivating what we'll call a "curious mind" or a "learner's approach." This concept is rooted in Shaar HaBechinah , the "Gate of Probing." Bechinah means to examine, to test, to constantly feel and probe everything around you. It's about looking for and trying to understand the smallest creations as well as the largest—from inanimate objects to human beings, from the sun and moon to the wind and rain, from a newborn baby to all the wonders of nature. Each of these creations reveals God's perfect wisdom, His power, His supervision, and His profound mercy over all that exists. Overcoming Apathy: The Constant Miracle So why don't we do this? Chovot HaLevavot warns us not to be seduced by the familiar. We are so used to seeing these things that we lose our sense of awe. The "wow" effect is gone. We may be amazed by something we've never seen before, like a solar eclipse, but we fail to see the daily miracle of the sun and moon, the constant rain, or the regular wind. As the Chazon Ish once said, the only difference between a miracle and nature is that nature is a constant miracle. We don't get amazed by what is constant. We are excited by a strange animal at the zoo but not by the familiar trees on our street. We would be amazed if manna fell from the heavens today, but we are apathetic to the equally miraculous fact that wheat grows from the ground, providing us with bread. The only difference is that one we're used to, and one we're not. The problem is that we got used to these miracles when we were young, before our intellect was fully developed. As we've gotten older, our familiarity has led us to stop thinking, looking, and wondering. Seeing with New Eyes The goal is to look at the world as if you've never seen it before. Try this exercise: on Rosh Hashanah morning, open your eyes and look at the world like a Martian who has just landed. Look at a tree and ask: "What is this hard, wooden thing growing out of the soft dirt? How does it grow? How do the leaves come out of it?" We walk past trees every day, but by looking at them with a child's curiosity, we rediscover their wondrous nature. Chovot HaLevavot suggests that in a sense, we are all "blind" until we open our "mind's eye." The fool, he says, is like the blind person. When he begins to open his mind's eye, he becomes a seeing person. This is what happened when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge. The verse says, "Their eyes were opened" ( Va'Tifkachena Einei Sh'neihem ). They were not physically blind beforehand; rather, they gained intellectual understanding. This idea of a "mind's eye" is also reflected in the Four Species of Sukkot. The three myrtle branches ( hadasim ) represent our eyes. We have two physical eyes, but a third one is for our mind—for our curiosity. This "third eye" also needs to be perfected. Lift Your Eyes to the Heavens Don't ignore this essential part of your soul. Do not continue on the same path you've been on until now. Start opening your eyes. A sage once said, "The heart of the wise has eyes," meaning they see what fools do not. The prophet Isaiah cries out, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning?" He then implores us, "Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who created these?" ( S'u Marom Eineichem U'Reu Mi Bara Eileh ). God brings out the stars by number, calling each by name, "because of His great might and strong power." This is our job: to lift our eyes to the heavens and to all of creation. Interestingly, the first Hebrew letters of S'u Marom Eineichem spell Shema ( Shin , Mem , Ayin ). Before we say the Shema prayer, we are meant to appreciate the very things God created, as mentioned in the blessing of Yotzer HaMe'orot (Who creates the luminaries). It's all there for us to see. Our job is to be curious and to keep our youthful sense of wonder alive.