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Soaking in water is a welcome activity at many retreats. I remember the day before my rabbinic ordination at Elat Chayyim Retreat Center (now part of Isabella Freedman Retreat Center), doing aย mikvehย (ritual immersion) in a chilly spring-fed creek at a secluded spot in the woods, then moving on to warm up in the the retreat centerโs wooden hot tub. It was a spiritual immersionโwater symbolic of Torah and lifeโwhile simultaneously a very physical, healing experience.
Underground water can also represent our hidden imagination, dreams, and the unconscious mind underneath the surface of life. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi has describedย Aggadah, the lore/legends/symbols of our people, in terms of a vast โaquifer,โ an underground source of living waters that enlivens our civilization. Without drawing on these sources, we feel spiritually dehydrated. โFilling our own wellโ has become a metaphor for the kind of nourishment that we need in order to live our fullest lives and to serve others with a full heart.
For the Eternal Your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills. (Deuteronomy 8:7)
Immerse in this Gateway of Water Under Ground to explore the symbolism of wells and springs in Jewish tradition and in your own life.
The first option below is the suggested next step on your journey.ย Feel free to browse the following paths and explore in your own time at your own pace.
Shalom! Due to a transition in my website management, several of my posts over the holiday season, plus one about recent events in Israel, have disappeared. Sorry for the inconvenience and I plan to update soon!
I just reposted "Be a Lighthouse," an invocation that I gave for Maritime Day in Lewes, Delware this May (the post was lost when my site went off line for a few weeks.)ย You can find itย right here! Learn more about Jewish lore and lessons of the Sea in the...
I'm sharing the Invocation that I offered at Maritime Day 2023 in Lewes, Delaware. The Overfalls is a historic lightship lovingly restored by a large crew of volunteers, that has become a celebrated Delaware landmark. Lightships were like floating lighthouses that...
Wellsprings of Wisdom site has been down for a few weeks due to the presence of malware. Thanks to Shaun Leber (my web designer), it's now cleaned up and back online. However, in the process, the site lost all posts and updates since March. I can't replace them all...
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Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Donec velit neque, auctor sit amet aliquam vel, ullamcorper sit amet ligula. Pellentesque in ipsum id orci porta dapibus.
The first option below is the suggested next step on your journey.ย Feel free to browse the following paths and explore in your own time at your own pace.
Mountains
Wind
Seasons
Wings
Light
Darkness
Rainbows
The Moon
The first option below is the suggested next step on your journey.ย Feel free to browse the following paths and explore in your own time at your own pace.
Mountains
Wind
Seasons
Wings
Light
Darkness
Rainbows
The Moon
The Torah (Five Books of Moses) is a story of a people and our ties to a sacred land, the Land of Israel. Promised to the Patriarchs, its habitation was still conditional on love of God and obedience to God’s ways. The Saga of the Jewish people became the story of living in the land, being exiled twice by powerful empires, and longing for our native land over two millennia. In modern times, Jews returned to and rebuilt a national homeland in Israel.
Just as love for one child can open our hearts to the needs of children everywhere, so, too can the persistent love for one ancestral landscape, ultimately open one’s heart to the sanctity of the entire earth. “The Earth belongs to God, with all that it holds, the planet and everyone in it.” (Psalm 24). One of the premises of Wellsprings of Wisdom is that our entire planet –uniquely hospitable, verdant, and filled with beauty and life–is our Holy Land, our living Temple, our sacred Garden of Eden.
Enter the Gateway of Holy Land to explore the holiness of all natural places: whether meandering, encountering animals, or finding your sanctuary outdoors. While you are here, you can also explore the ways in which the geography and climate of the Land of Israel shaped the Jewish people, and learn about some of the holy people working tirelessly for peace in the Holy Land.ย
After the drama of the ten plagues, the splitting of the Red Sea, and receiving the Torah at Sinai, the Biblical book of Exodus turns to what seems a much more mundane subject: building the first Jewish temple, a portable sanctuary known as the Mishkan. Where do we...
More and more people around the world are learning that walking* in nature can be a spiritual practice. It was surely known to our biblical ancestors, and today intentional time strolling in nature has become an international movement known as Shinrin Yoku or Forest...
The Bible relates that King Solomon was known as the wisest of men. One verse suggests that he was able to converse about--the more-than-human world: ืึฐืึทืึผึตืจึฎ ืขึทืึพืึฝึธืขึตืฆึดืืึ ืึดืึพืึธืึถึืจึถืึ ืึฒืฉืึถึฃืจ ืึผึทืึผึฐืึธื ึืึนื ืึฐืขึทืึ ืึธืึตืึืึนื ืึฒืฉืึถึฅืจ ืึนืฆึตึื ืึผึทืงึผึดึืืจ ืึทืึฐืึทืึผึตืจึ...
Note: My friend and colleague Rabbi David Seidenberg is one of the leading scholars on Judaism and the environment. Whether writing about Kabbalah and Ecology, or the Biblical vision of a justice and sustainability, his teachings are both inspiring and timely. -JHD by...
I treasure the late summer, just before the Jewish New Year, as a wonderful time to get out in nature, and I relate it to a Hasidic teaching. โThe King is in the Field,โ is a parable of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of Chabad Hasidism. He likened...
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi taught a parable of a king on the way to the palace, who can be approached by everyone in the countryside with ease. His expression, "the King is in the field," characterized the late summer month of Elul prior to the New Year, as a time...
We are surrounded by winged creatures, from butterflies and bees, to hummingbirds to hawks. All are amazing, but since time immemorial birds in particular have inspired human beings with a dream of flying and freedom. They have always been part ofย human culture, religion and mythology. Birds and their wings figure in Biblical literature, such as theย doveย as a symbol of peace and safety, or theย eagleย as one of power and support. The fact that birdsโ wings can bear them into the heavens gives them an association with divinity. Wings can symbolize nurturance, shelter and protection, or in the case of a butterfly, the possibility of utter transformation. The ubiquitous nature of winged creatures is an ever-present reminder of transcendence in everyday life.
Soar into the Gateway of Wings, as we explore the symbolism of birds and flying creatures in Jewish tradition and in your life.
I recently got a great book in the mail, The Avian Rebbe Stretches His Wings. It's the second in a series by bird photographer and Torah teacher/student, Aaric Eisenstein. known as the Avaian Rebbe for finding wisdom in the beauty of our feathered friends. The Talmud...
When I get too wrapped up in my merely human concerns, all I need to do is to look outside my window or take a walk in the park to enter a different world, the world of birds that surround us everywhere. (In fact, I hear them chirping as I write this post). Here...
Two of the most prominent birds in biblical tradition are very different in nature: the dove and the eagle. The gentle dove that dwells close to earth is an important symbol in Jewish and other ancient Near Easter religious traditions. After the Great Flood recorded...
I was in the car from the airport to my annual rabbinic conference in Colorado. Whenever I go to an event like this, I try to set an intention, aย kavannah, to guide me during the experience. At the time, I was feeling a heavy preoccupation with career and personal...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYJbaW2hmXI/?taken-by=wellsprings This is one of my favorite videos that I took of a bird: Great Egret taking flight across Swan Lake at Rockfeller State Park Preserve. Follow @wellsprings on Instragram for my nature photography and videos...
AGAMI by Steve Margolin Shlayma Zalman! Huh? Shlayma Zalman! I am here. Go to the bridge. An agami is there. An agami? At the bridge? Where Clear Creek runs, its west branch? The bridge where the agami is. It is downstream. An agami heron? You know, Agamia agami? Yes....
Gazing skyward at night and spotting the moon, I feel greeted by a friend who shows up in many different outfits and moods. Sometimes she appears as a thin crescent in the dark night, sometimes a fully glowing round beacon with a halo. Sometimes she floats above the horizon, a giant orange orb lit by the setting sun. Other nights she peeks demurely from behind a veil of shifting clouds. Most wonderfully, sometimes I gaze up in the morning or at dusk and find her winking at me then, too.
The Moon is important to life on earth, including regulation of tides, influence on nocturnal animal behavior, and even stabilization of the earthโs rotation on its axis. The Moon is also an important symbol in Jewish tradition. We base our calendar and holidays primarily on the moon and its cycles. In Rabbinic tradition, the Moon and its cycle of restoration became a symbol of the Jewish people. In Jewish mysticism. the Moon is associated with the Shechinah, the feminine Divine Presence, and with the role of women in general. Celebrating the new moon (Rosh Hodesh) and blessing the waxing moon (Kiddush Levanah) are ancient traditions that have become important expressions of contemporary Jewish spirituality.
Enjoy a beautiful full moon in nature anytime with this serene and meditative video that starts with verses from Genesis. The video continues withย calming views of the Oregon lake and mountains. Explore the Moon's relationship to time and renewal, or return to...
ืึทืึนึงืึถืฉื ืึทืึผึถึื ืึธืึถึื ืจึนึฃืืฉื ืึณืึธืฉืึดึืื ืจึดืืฉืึฅืึนื ืืึผืึ ืึธืึถึื ืึฐืึธืึฐืฉืึตึื ืึทืฉืึผึธื ึธึฝืื This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. Exodus 12:1 ย :ืืืืฉ ืืื.ย ืึถืจึฐืึธื๏ฌต ืึฐืึธื ึธื ๏ฌฑึฐืึด๏ฌณ๏ฌต๏ฌชึธ๏ฌด ืึฐืึธืึทืจ ื๏ญ...
Rosh Hodesh, also spelled Rosh Chodesh ("Ch" as in "Bach"), is the celebration of the new Hebrew month, an ancient festival finding renewal among contemporary Jews. Rosh Hodesh means the "head" or first day of the lunar month (just as "Rosh Hashanah" means the "head...
Its a moon song Bubbling up and over me Darkness, sets my spirit free. Rosh Hodesh, enchanted time to hallow the month Rosh Hodeshย (also spelled Chodesh)ย the new moon, is traditionally a special day of rest and celebration for women. Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael wrote...
ืึทืึผึทึฃืขึทืฉื ืึฑืึนืึดึืื ืึถืชึพืฉืึฐื ึตึฅื ืึทืึผึฐืึนืจึนึืช ืึทืึผึฐืึนืึดึืื ืึถืชึพืึทืึผึธืึคืึนืจ ืึทืึผึธืึนืึ ืึฐืึถืึฐืฉืึถึฃืึถืช ืึทืึผึืึนื ืึฐืึถืชึพืึทืึผึธืึคืึนืจ ืึทืงึผึธืึนืึ ืึฐืึถืึฐืฉืึถึฃืึถืช ืึทืึผึทึืึฐืึธื ืึฐืึตึืช ืึทืึผืึนืึธืึดึฝืืื God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule by day and the lesser light to...
The midrash about the Moon's diminishment in the previous postย did not remain static over the centuries, but was reinvented to reveal new meanings. Explore the changing face of this ancient legend in depth, through this fascinating article byย Melila Hellner-Eshed, the...
Basking in the sun and gazing at the waves, swimming and floating in the salt water: a seaside retreat is a timeless way to promote calm andย healing. On a spiritual level, the depth, power, and mystery of the ocean evoke our awe and open us to a state of wonder more readily than almost anywhere else on earth. Diving near a coral reef or visiting an aquarium, we see that beneath the surface of the sea are worlds upon worlds of eco-systems filled with myriads of amazing creatures.
Earth might be called the sea planet, since over 70% of our globe is covered with great oceans, which can really be described as oneย World Ocean.ย Seas are technically just parts of those oceans that are partly enclosed by land. Oceans and seas are vital to life on our planet: containing 97% of our water, half of our oxygen and absorbing much of the carbon dioxide from our atmosphere to slow down global warming. Over half the worldโs people live in the coastal zone, and over 140 million tons ofย food from the oceanย are part of the global diets. Butย pollution, over-fishing, and destruction of fragile habitats continue to threaten this cradle of our global life.
The Sea is an important part of Jewish tradition. According to the Torah, the formative experience of our nation was escape from slavery through theย parting of the Red (or Reed) Sea, and seafaring made its way into biblical stories from Noah to Jonah.ย ย In Israel, the big salt sea to the west is theย Mediterranean, but Israelโs lakes are also called โseas,โ from the freshwater โSeaโ of Galilee (in Hebrew,ย Ha-Kineret, the harp-shaped lake), down the Jordan River to what we call in English the Dead Sea (known in Hebrew asย Yam Ha-Melachย the Salt Sea). Our Sages borrowed the Greek word โOkeanusโ for Ocean. Spiritually, the Sea can be a symbol of birth or destruction, a place of depth, mystery, and power.
Dive into this Gateway of The Sea to explore the symbolism of oceans, seas, and lakes in our tradition and in our lives.
I'm sharing the Invocation that I offered at Maritime Day 2023 in Lewes, Delaware. The Overfalls is a historic lightship lovingly restored by a large crew of volunteers, that has become a celebrated Delaware landmark. Lightships were like floating lighthouses that...
Tikkun Hayam, Repair the Sea is a Jewish organization that I support, whose mission is "to share the spiritual wonders of water and the Sea from a Jewish perspective, and to raise awareness and encourage action to address the many threats facing the aquatic...
My friends, singing duo "The Levins" (pronounced Le-VINS) just wrote a beautiful and heartfelt song in the spirit of Yom Kippur and seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. And they asked to use my videos made here at the Delaware beaches. I hope you find this...
Cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma speaks about the โedge,โ the natural or cultural place where environments intersect, as one that always has more life forms and new life forms. Bach taught him to balance going to his center and to the edge. In cultural...
The great German Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig said that we relate to and experience God in three ways: Creation, Revelation, and Redemption.ย The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)'s depictions of the Sea encompass all three themes, and add one that he left out: destruction....
ืึดึผึฝืึพืึธืจึตึฃืึฐ ืึฒืึธืจึถืึฐืึธึ ืึฐืึทืจึฐืึธึผึจื ืึทืจึฐืึถึผึคื ืึถึฝืชึพืึทืจึฐืขึฒืึธึ ืึฐึผืืึนืึฐืึตึฃื ืึทืฉึธึผืืึทึืึดื ืึฐืึทืึืึนื ืึฒืฉึถืึืจ ืขึทืึพืฉึฐืืคึทึฃืช ืึทืึธึผึื I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand upon the seashore. --Genesis 22:17 The...
The blossoms and buds of spring, the hot sun and cool water of summer, the colors of autumn and the chill of winter: each season has its treasures to offer.
The seasons and cycles of the year point to larger seasons and cycles in our lives. The Bible (Tanach) and the wisdom of our Sages emphasize timeliness, โa season and a time for every purpose under heaven.โ Learning to live with wisdom is also learning to value and honor the seasons of our lives, the seasons of our relationships.
Seasons have a new and urgent significance today. The Bible describes unseasonable weather, such as rain or drought out of season, as a sign of divine displeasure with human sin. For modern people such notions once seemed naive. Now, in this age of Climate Change, they have new relevance, as we yearn to preserve the natural seasonal rhythms of Godโs earth.
ืขึนึื ืึผึธืึพืึฐืึตึฃื ืึธืึธึืจึถืฅ ืึถึกืจึทืข ืึฐึ ืงึธืฆึดืืจ ืึฐืงึนึจืจ ืึธืึนึื ืึฐืงึทึงืึดืฅ ืึธืึนึืจึถืฃ ืึฐืึฅืึนื ืึธืึทึืึฐืึธื ืึนึฅื ืึดืฉืึฐืึผึนึฝืชืึผื
So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.
I made this slide show of my original photos for the launch of "Love at the Center" by Rabbi Shefa Gold. Click here to receive a weekly chant from the Biblical Song of Songs, and put Love at the center of your heart. The program took place after the Jewish New Year...
Click on this image to activate a gallery of beautiful scenes from Autumn at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. They document the season from its early pastels and oranges to the golden peak, though an early snowfall and into bare branches.All photos by...
ืืึถืจ ืึฑืึนืึดึืื ืึฐืึดึคื ืึฐืึนืจึนืชึ ืึผึดืจึฐืงึดึฃืืขึท ืึทืฉืึผึธืึทึืึดื ืึฐืึทืึฐืึผึดึืื ืึผึตึฅืื ืึทืึผึืึนื ืึผืึตึฃืื ืึทืึผึธึืึฐืึธื ืึฐืึธืึคืึผ ืึฐืึนืชึนืชึ ืึผืึฐืึฃืึนืขึฒืึดึืื ืึผืึฐืึธืึดึืื ืึฐืฉืึธื ึดึฝืืื God said, โLet there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate between day and night; and they will...
I've entered the world of Four Seasons with my move to Westchester County, New York. Here are some photos I took at one of my favorite places, Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Return to the Gateway of Seasons.
What better way to hearย "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" then this clip from 1966 featuring the composer Pete Seeger playing with Judy Collins (even as she gets stuck on the lyrics at one point, it only makes it more charming and nostalgic). The...
Seasons are very different in each of the places I have lived. In South Texas, a short spring quickly stretches into a long, hot, heavy summer, followed by a pleasant fall and mild winter. In both Israel and Northern California I experienced Mediterranean Climates...
We tend to equate light with good and darkness with bad. But darkness is the inseparable partner of light; indeed, we cannot see one without the other. Our modern world is lit up 24 hours a day; even when we turn off the lights at bedtime, our homes glow with blinking lights from our various electronic devices. We need dark nights as much as sunny days, to maintain our circadian rhythms, allow us rest and promote our health.ย
On a spiritual level, we may fear darkness because it symbolizes times of struggle or even despair. Yet we know from life experience that it is often those dark times of life that forge our greatest growth.
Conversely, darkness may be a gift, inviting us to restfulness, inwardness, intimacy. Natural beauty, art, and aesthetics require a balance of light and shadow.ย Modern theologians of many faiths are recognizing that darkness is just as necessary to our growth as light.
God โforms light and creates darknessโ (Isaiah 45:7,ย quoted inย the traditional Jewish morning prayers). Indeed, according to the Torahโs account of creation in the first chapter of Genesis, darkness exists before light is created. There is evening before there is morning, and so all Jewish holy days begin with sunset and not with sunrise.
So head out into the night and explore this Gateway of Darkness to explore the symbolism of darkness and night in Jewish Tradition and in your own life.
Featured photo: "Sunset" by Laurence Louis, via Flickr Learn about "Dark Nights of the Soul" in the Torah, or teturn to the Gateway of Darkness
Many pivotal biblical encounters with the Divine take place during the darkness of night, when dreams, blessings and visions are imparted. and one of the most important is when our forefather Jacob wrestles with a mysterious stranger. Jacob (Ya'akov) was left alone....
Enter the darkness of the human experience in the powerful music of Leonard Cohen, of blessed memory, from his last album, interspersed with the Hebrew word, "Hineni," here I am, and words from the Kaddish, "Magnified and Sanctified." Continue to learn about facing...
Can we face the darkness of our own depths? Individuals and societies who can't face their own shadow side will often project it on others. A fairly literal translation ofย Genesis 1:2ย would be: The earth was unformed and void -- and darkness on the face of the...
"Evening the Evenings" by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael Based on the traditional Evening Prayer Featured Image: Sunset in Chobe National Park, Botswana, Elisheva Danan Explore the Darkness Before Creation with Rabbi Fern Feldman, or return to the Gateway of...
When I explore my own nature, or experience the sacred, most often I feel a deepening into darkness.ย Although dominating theologies create binaries, in which light is good and darkness is evil, when we recognize the multivalent nature of all that is, we see wave upon...
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