R. Nassan Nata Schapiro was a saintly scholar who was proficient in both Talmud and kabbalah. He served as rabbi of Cracow, and authored Megaleh Amukos, a kabbalistic Torah commentary.

Animals do not gaze in wonder at the stars and angels are confined to the realm of the spirit, but the human being is G‑d’s bridge between heaven and earth.

Our bodies are formed from the dust; our souls are of the essence of G‑d. We alone can look at a physical world and see spiritual life and beauty. We who are beyond both heaven and earth, form and matter, spirit and body—we alone can fuse the two.