Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms, offers a breathtaking insight into the unknowability of God’s presence. It begins with King David's heartfelt plea in Psalm 103: "Bless the Lord, O my soul." But what does it truly mean to bless God?

The Midrash suggests a profound parallel: "Just as no person knows where the place of this soul is, so too with the Holy One, Blessed be He: no creature knows where His place is.” Where is your soul? Is it in your heart? Your mind? Everywhere at once? It’s an elusive thing, isn't it?

And so, according to this interpretation, is God’s presence.

It goes even further, stating that not even the celestial beings, the ones responsible for upholding the very Throne of Glory, know where God dwells. Their response? A humble acknowledgement: "Blessed is the Presence of the Lord in His place" (Ezekiel 3:12). They recognize and bless the presence, even without fully comprehending its location or essence.

But there's another beautiful way to understand David's call to bless the Lord with his soul. It's a comparison, a mirroring of qualities. The Midrash asks, why specifically the soul?

Because, it answers, just as the soul fills the entire body, so too does God fill the entire world. God’s presence isn't confined; it permeates everything. And just as the soul suffers when the body suffers, so too does God, in a way we can barely fathom, experience the suffering of the world.

Furthermore, the soul is unique within the body, unlike any other part. Similarly, God is utterly unique in the world, beyond comparison. The soul needs neither food nor drink to sustain it, and neither does God. The soul is pure, untouched by the physical world, and so too is God, elevated above creation. And perhaps most poignantly, the soul sees everything within the body, but it remains unseen itself. Just so, God sees all, but remains ultimately unseen by mortal eyes.

David, recognizing these shared attributes, declares: let the soul, possessing all these qualities, come and praise God, who possesses them infinitely. It’s an invitation to connect with the divine through the very essence of our being.

So, what does this mean for us? Perhaps it’s a reminder that we don’t need to fully understand God to connect with God. Maybe it's an invitation to recognize the divine spark within ourselves, that elusive "soul," and to use it to offer praise, gratitude, and connection to something far greater than ourselves. Perhaps the mystery itself is the point.