Right in the middle of all the Jewish Fall Holidays…it’s a new post! Rabbi David Seidenberg recently shared a very thoughtful post about the “Four Species (palm branch, willows, myrtles, and citron/etrog) that are waved as a Sukkot Ritual, explaining the ecological symbolism. He was kind enough to share it with Wellsprings of Wisdom, and you can find it here, in the Gateway of Wilderness, along with another post about the holiday of Sukkot being celebrated this week. Chag Sameach, Happy Sukkot!
Post holiday update: Another friend, Shir Yaakov Feit, posted a beautiful picture of a lulav and etrog in a natural setting, so I have incorporated that into the post as well.
Even with Rosh Hashanah on the horizon, I have posted some photos that I took on recent nature walks in preparation for the New Year. You will find them in this new Gallery in the Gateway of Gardens, along with an explanation of the Hassidic teaching that in Elul (the late summer month before the New Year) “the King is in the Field.”
Hearing the crickets and cicadas, seeing the drying flowers and hints of fall foliage, feeling the texture of the air at late summer, all these connect me to the change of season and the Divine Presence that pervades all things. May I suggest that you take some time in these waning days of Elul to go outside and seek your inspiration for the new year?
With a new post on the challenges of being a peace-seeking dove in the human world, the Gateway of Wings is complete (for now!). I’ve enjoyed creating this Gateway (content page) about birds and other winged creatures, and it has sparked my own interest in birding and bird (and butterfly) photography.
I’ll be sending out a letter to all website subscribers, so sign up with the form on this page if you want to keep in touch!
With Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, right around the corner, I’m very busy as a rabbi and probably won’t be posting much, but be sure to take a look at Wellsprings of Wisdom posts about customs and themes of the season, including Shofar videos and how to do Tashlich at a flowing stream or other natural body of water.
I’m continuing to learn about exciting new initiatives of Jewish spirituality in nature, and adding or updating them in the Resource Guide so that you can find a great retreat, adventure, or organic farm experience. I do this as a public service at no fee, and listing does not imply endorsement; please check them out for yourself!
Please enjoy exploring all the Gateways on Wellsprings of Wisdom.They are not time-sensitive and the idea is to explore what interests you, whether by individual pathway (post) or by theme. There are now fourteen Gateways to explore!
I just had the fantastic experience of teaching a class on “Tikkun Olam: A Jewish Tradition of World Repair” at the Chautauqua Institution, a wonderful summer festival of learning, culture, and interfaith dialgogue in a beautiful seasonal village in Western New York.
Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, is a venerable phase with roots in rabbinic law and mystical tradition. Today it has come to stand for all the holy efforts to make our world more just, loving, and sustainable. In each Gateway of Wellsprings of Wisdom, I offer one or more suggestions for how to get involved in world-healing actions related to the theme of that Gateway.
The most recent addition is a new post about the Audubon Society in the Gateway of Wings. Audubon is much more than bird-watching! Be sure to check it out.
The beautiful Redwinged Blackbird is guardian of the newly added Sharing Circle in the new and growing Gateway of Wings. I welcome your comments on any post, but the Sharing Circle in each Gateway is especially devoted to sharing your own experiences of spirituality and nature. Join the conversation and help make Wellsprings of Wisdom into an interactive community. You can also interact by emailing me though this site, or on my social media accounts linked from each page.
Thank you for being part of Wellsprings of Wisdom!
Today was Tisha B’Av, the fast to commemorate the destruction of the Temples in ancient Jerusalem. It is also seen as a day to mourn all brokenness, exile, and loss in the world, and to rededicate ourselves to sowing healing and love. At the end of the day I received this video with a moving chant and visuals to remind us of our responsibility to the ultimate temple, our home planet. I decided to share it on the Gateway of Seasons, for it is relevant every day of the year.
I’ve added a new pathway (post) on Winged Insects as Soul Symbols to the new and growing Gateway of Wings. I’m inspired by the beautiful butterflies and dragonflies of summer to ponder lessons of transformation.
I would love to hear back from you! Your comments on pathway posts and Sharing Circles means so much for making Wellsprings of Wisdom into a participatory community. I’m also happy to talk to you on Social Media, especially Instagram and Facebook. You can also email me from this site.
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:
יְדַבֵּר֮ עַל־הָֽעֵצִים֒ מִן־הָאֶ֙רֶז֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּלְּבָנ֔וֹן וְעַד֙ הָאֵז֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֹצֵ֖א בַּקִּ֑יר וַיְדַבֵּר֙ עַל־הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה וְעַל־הָע֔וֹף וְעַל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַל־הַדָּגִֽים׃
He [King Solomon] discoursed about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; and he discoursed about the beasts, the birds, the creeping things, and the fishes.
I Kings 5:13
Although most commentators insisted that King Solomon’s communications were about nature, the Aggadah, Jewish legendary tradition, took it more literally: the King Solomon, in his great wisdom, could actually speak to the animals and plants in their own languages.
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The Gateway of Wings is gradually turning me into a birder! I’ve added some more of my original bird photos to the Gallery of Birds, and also started to organize the Gateway of Wings into its more finished form. But there’s a lot more to come this summer! Sign up with the form on the top of this page, to get an email when it’s complete. 
I had thought that connection to the symbol of feathers was my own idiosyncrasy, until I remembered the role that feathers play in two important Jewish traditions. Check out this new post on feathers, in the growing Gateway of Wings.
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