Lost a few months of posts…

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!

Be a Lightship

Be a Lightship

A red boat with flower wreaths next to it

The Lightship Overfalls

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 kept other ships safe by use of lights, horns and eventually radar. Read more about the amazing history here.

Here’s my invocation:

The creation story of Genesis begins in a state of chaos: “Darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.”

This Hebrew word for “the deep,” Tehom, is used many times throughout the Hebrew Bible to represent the depths of the Sea, as well as the primeval forces of chaos hovering at the edges of human civilization. Tehom can also represents the great and awesome mysteries of existence beyond our knowledge or control.

Much of the time our lives are like a stroll on the beach, concerned with the things of everyday, like the seashells that catch our eye or the ephemeral sandcastles we built as children. But every now and then we look out in awe and sense the vastness of the ocean just beyond, recognizing all along that we have been dwelling on the edge of a powerful mystery.

To walk the coast, to venture out onto the water or to dive beneath its surface nurtures our spirituality because it puts us in touch with that sense of awe, reminding us that the world is so much bigger than us and yet we are blessed to be a tiny part of it. Spirituality occurs when we sense the deeper dimension that is always there on the edge of our existence. Some people tend to be spiritual in nature because they embrace that mystery, they even seek to enter it.

But if spirituality is like that love and awe of the sea, faith is something else again. Faith is more like a lightship. We who are here today have different beliefs, but faith is not just identical with belief.

The Hebrew word for faith, Emunah, is basically synonymous with faithfulness. The lightships were humble vessels built to faithfully serve others. The restoration of The Overfalls by committed volunteers was itself an amazing example of faithful action. A life of faith, like service on the light ships, requires commitment, dedication, and even a willingness for self-sacrifice for the greater good.

The crews of the Overfalls and the other lightships represent a life that few of us could attain, one that we can only honor today. Yet we in our daily lives have the opportunity to be lightships out in the world, serving as a beacon for those lost in the fog of confusion or caught in a storm of life. We have the sacred opportunity to be present, to offer guidance, and to accompany others when their encounters with the Tehom of life have threatened to overpower them.

As in the words of Psalm 42:

“When deep (Tehom) calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls–I’m going to venture my own translation here –the roar of your Overfalls…when all Your breakers and billows have swept over us,”

When those challenging times arise, faith is the lightship. Faith is staying the course and knowing what keeps you anchored in a storm. Whether you place your faith in God, in your heritage, in humanity – you can make the choice to be a lightship, to illuminate a path for others, to see them back to the harbor, back to home.

In the words of Psalm 107:

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
ply their trade in the mighty waters;

they have seen the works of the Eternal
and God’s wonders in the deep.

A Prayer:

Source of Life, Author of all creation: your voice is above the thunder of ocean waters but also speaks to us from the still small voice within. May we be blessed to find wonder and spirituality in the mystery of the Sea. May we derive inspiration from those who served on this ship and many others like it, who dedicated their lives to keeping others safe from harm. And may all of us, in stormy and challenging times, find our own faithful way to be the lightship that sees one another home. And let us say, Amen.

Back Online!

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 but will be adding some new things soon. Stay tuned!

Jewish Environmental News and Spiritual Nature Photography

A new Jewish environmental organization, Adamah (meaning “land” )  has been built from the merger of two great organizations, the Jewish environmental powerhouse Hazon (previously merged with the Isabella Freedman retreat center) with Pearlstone retreat center. The mission of Adamah is to “build community and cultivate a more sustainable future through immersive experiences, inspiring programs, and collective action.” They believe that in this moment of history, “we must be the bridge between our ancestors and our descendants, mobilizing the power of the Jewish people to respond to the existential crises of our time.” Learn more, find out about the Jewish climate coalition, or plan to attend a retreat here: https://adamah.org/

On the West Coast, another great Jewish environmental education/experience organization that I so admire, Wilderness Torah, is poised to grow but has encountered a financial crisis and seeks some urgent support to bridge the gap. I invite you to visit their website and consider donating, as I just did myself: https://wildernesstorah.org/.

All of these organizations have been profiled in my guide to Jewish retreat centers and organic farms on this site. I believe that the most urgent issue of today is for humanity exist in harmony with our natural environment on planet earth. These organizations offer Jewish responses to connect with our roots on the land. Please explore and support them!

Julie is holding her camera, which reflects the green leaves and trees around her. She's wearing a purple shirt

On a personal note, I’m continuing with my new and gratifying job leading Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Life as a full time rabbi of a rapidly growing community, as well as “matriarch” of a growing extended family, has not allowed me a lot of time to update this site. But I plan to keep sharing updates here on my “What’s New” Blog. About once a month I share posts such as what’s new on this site, Jewish environmentalism and nature spirituality, and also my own work and writing. To see more of my nature photography, check out my dedicated website: https://inspiredimages.zenfoliosite.com/home.

I was honored that Zenfolio (the host of my photography site), recently highlighted my nature photography site on their blog. Check it out to see how I view nature photography as a spiritual practice.

Two Bishvat Tribute

 

Happy New Year of Trees, Tu Bishvat! The Torah compares a person to a tree! Trees are crucial to our survival and enjoyment of life on Earth, and we in turn can help trees by planting trees, saving forests, and caring for their environments.

Here are some favorite photos I took (back in New York state) of people interacting with trees.

Learn about Trees in Jewish Tradition and how to celebrate Tu Bishvat in the Gateway of Trees.

Keeping our Heart Open

Yellow leaf with a heart shaped hole, held in fingers

Heart Leaf, Photo by JHD

In the book of Exodus that we are currently reading in the Torah in synagogues around the world, we grapple with the famous phrase that “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh,” (Exodus 9:12). This creates a moral dilemma; how can we blame Pharaoh if God took away his free will?  Scholars have pointed out that God only does this after Pharaoh hardens his own heart five times. Rabbi Simon ben Lakish is quoted in Exodus Rabbah, a collection of Midrash: “Since God sent [the opportunity for repentance and doing the right thing] five times to him and he sent no notice, God then said, ‘You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart on your own…. So it was that the heart of Pharaoh did not receive the words of God.’”

The story of the Exodus is eternally relevant. In our modern times, our hearts get hardened by the news, by the overload, by the powerlessness we may feel. We get a constant feed of news, of things we can’t do much to solve. The continual headlines may make us want to shut down or “change the channel.” We all need a break sometimes, but becoming Pharaoh-like and hardening our hearts to suffering is not the Jewish way.

At a recent Shabbat service my congregation discussed many ways to keep our hearts open when we read distressing news: by supporting worthwhile organizations, participating in community service activities, or  simply “doing something kind for the next person you meet.” A doctor who was present shared about the benefits of mindfulness meditation and especially of friendship and community for well being. We can balance our news consumption with more positive sources and take small actions for Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. As taught in the Jewish wisdom book Pirke Avot: “It is not up to you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

Here’s a meditation that I shared that you might want to try when you want to create a softer, more compassionate heart:

Focus on your breath (neshimah In Hebrew) to connect to your soul (Neshamah).

Breathe into your heart …You may want to put your hand gently on your heart

Consider a painful situation in the world where you have closed your heart to protect yourself.

Send a loving message, a blessing from your heart to those involved: May they be relieved, be well, be safe.

Send yourself a loving message, too: May I be well, be at ease. May I find my way to serve and help someone near me or far away.

Focus again on your breathing for a while.

Allow your heart to feel open and compassionate.

As you go about your day, be open to opportunities to connect with and help others.

The Avian Rebbe Learns from the Birds

The Avian Rebbe Learns from the Birds

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 says that we can learn Torah from every creature, and Aaric brings this to life in his creative teachings.

I was honored to provide an approbation (fancy word for a book blurb) for the work of this true kindred spirit who, like Wellsprings of Wisdom, loves to discover the everyday connections between Nature and Torah. Anyone who adores birds, bird photography, and meaningful wisdom for life will be sure to enjoy the Avian Rebbe’s newsletter and his posts on Facebook or Instagram. (There’s also a podcast and videos…)  I’m frankly in awe at Aaric’s ability to produce such consistent and meaningful content, although he might say that the birds bring it on their wings and he just receives and transmits it as a gift from the Source of All.

“Be Grounded. Fly High.” is the the Avian Rebbe’s motto, and I’m sure that you will enjoy his teachings and beautiful photography as much as I do.

Learn more about the meaning of birds in Jewish tradition in the Gateway of Wings.

 

For the Times: A song for Yom Kippur

For the Times: A song for Yom Kippur

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 meaningful: