Emerson and Heschel: American Prophets of Divine Immanence

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) and Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) were both born into social elites and raised for a life of service to God—although neither quite followed the expected path. The child of a respected Boston family, Emerson initially followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career as a pastor, before forsaking Unitarianism for Transcendentalism. Heschel had family ties to major hasidic dynasties and studied at Polish yeshivas before becoming one of the central figures of Conservative Judaism in the U.S. To David Wolpe, both are “apostles of amazement.”