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.
As if rainbows weren’t beautiful enough by themselves, an amazing moment of wonder…
Our most popular pic last week: Once-in-a-lifetime shot of whales spouting #rainbows at Channel Islands National Park by Larry Goldman pic.twitter.com/SKUvJPjX5a
— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) December 12, 2016
See an amazing waterfall rainbow at Yosemite, or return to the Gateway of Rainbows.
A hike paid off for Rabbi Naomi Levy, with this awesome view of a rainbow amid a waterfall at Yosemite National Park
Enjoy these lake reflections from Wellspring on Instagram. (Plus one from a friend who is a Pastor in California.) Sometimes it’s hard to tell water from sky! I suggested pausing to contemplate each picture for a few moments of “reflection.”
Learn how Torah can be like Coral.
*I’m including lakes in this Gateway of the Sea, because in biblical Hebrew a “sea” can also mean a freshwater lake.
Moses’ first encounter with the Divine in the wilderness is at bush that burns but is not consumed. According to the Midrash, the choice of a “lowly thornbush” is God’s way of showing that the Shechinah, the Divine Presence can be found anywhere (Exodus Rabbah 2:5) I take this as a message to be more aware and attentive to the divine inspiration that can be found in “ordinary” and humble things, perhaps even in life’s thorns and thickets. These bare winter thornbushes I photographed (at Rockefeller State Park Preserve, except picture 5 and 14 in town, and 12 on a trip to Colorado), inspired me with their beauty and with the amazing connections and patterns that emerge amidst their brambles and tangles.
Learn about my mother’s spiritual journey, or return to the Gateway of Wilderness.
Proceed to Torah study about trees, or return to the Gateway of Trees.
We call my friend’s enormous Northern California garden, “The Kibbutz.” What a paradise for children! Getting hands dirty in the garden is healthy fun for young and old Click on the picture to activate the gallery.
Return to the Gateway of Gardens.
Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor, New York, founded the CSI Community Organic Farm on 1.5 acres at the back of the synagogue’s property. The farm offers communal gardening, a farmer’s market, and donations to the needy. Chickens are raised and their eggs are sold at the farmer’s market. The farm promotes Jewish traditions and values in areas such as ecology, agriculture, nutrition, wellness, spiritual connection, social and environmental justice. Check back for more photos as they grow!
Please share in the comments if you know of a synagogue farm or communal garden. (Return to the Gateway of Gardens.)
Flowing creeks in Northern California, photos by Julie Hilton Danan
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