Spiritual Wisdom from Earth and Torah

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשַֽׂנִי בְּצַלְמו

Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melch ha-olam sheh’ah’sa’nee b’tsalmo.

Blessed are You Eternal our G!d, Holy One of the universe who made me in your image.

Sh'asani b'tzalmoTake a deep breath and let it out slowly.Taking your time, recite the bracha to yourself, and as you say these words, envision millions of molecules of oxygen leaving the leaves of nearby trees and bushes and herbaceous plants coming into your body through your breath and entering your blood stream.Continue breathing slowly, and envision millions of molecules of carbon dioxide leaving your body through each breath and entering the leaves of nearby trees and bushes and herbaceous plants.Think back through the past night and day, the past weeks, and months, perhaps several years of breathing in and out, exchanging gases with the trees and bushes and herbaceous plants near you and know,that in that time, every single atom, in ever nook and cranny of your body,has been replaced.You are totally new.All the new atoms in your body came in through your breath,and your eating,all of them from the other living creatures around you.You are new. Made from atoms from all the other living things and the non-living things around you.Baruch atah Adonai, sh'asani b'tzalmo.Blessed are You, Holy One, who made me in your image.

 by Lois Rosenthal

The essay on beauty

looked down on a forest

full of rounded green shapes 

and found them pleasing to the eye.

It said we love the trees in their beauty,

love the web of nature

that sustains them and relies on them.

It said their beauty draws us in

and makes us part of that web.

Nowhere did it say 

how to protect ourselves

from the sight of beauty being consumed by flames,

how to keep the ghastly red image from burning

through our eyes straight through to the soul

reducing our sense of hope

to ashes.

Does anyone know?

If so please tell us

that we may again

believe in renewal.

Lois Rosenthal is a resident of Winthrop MA. Her educational background is in the physical sciences. At Temple Tifereth Israel Winthrop she has been a Hebrew School teacher, lay leader of services, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. She is also a member of the local CREW chapter of MA Poetry Society.

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Have you ever heard of the Mid-State Trail? 

I've known about this trail for many years. It runs 92 miles from the Rhode Island border to New Hampshire, through Worcester County. I've always wanted to hike it. 

Now, at the age of 70, with a nagging back and a body weakened by numerous very annoying but not life-threatening health issues, I've decided to walk this trail. It's now or never. And Gabi, closing in on 79, has decided to come with me.

To make our project more interesting and more meaningful, we are turning our effort into a fundraiser for the Framingham Community Farm, a volunteer farm on the campuses of Edwards Church and First Parish of Framingham. This small farm donates all its fresh, organic produce to A Place to Turn food pantry in Natick, providing delicious fresh vegetables to hungry families in the Metrowest area throughout the summer.

Our goal is to raise $3000 for the Framingham Community Farm, to be used to add five more beds to the gardens at Edwards Church / Open Spirit, set up a drip irrigation system for the beds at First Parish, and enrich the farm by adding raspberries and blueberries.

This project feels like a totally crazy thing for us to do, and also exactly the right thing. We invite you to join us on our adventure through a donation here, either as a lump sum or a per-mile amount, to spur us on. 

We also invite you to join us on the trail for a day or two or more. We have no set schedule, but hope to walk a section of the trail at least one day a week. Just keep in mind that if you walk with us, you have to be willing to meander at our tortoise pace and listen to us wondering why we ever entered into this unexpected endeavor. And if you live near the trail and would like to host us overnight to make it easier for us to hike two days in a row, we'd love to spend time with you!

We promise nothing whatsoever except that we will start and we will try. Once significant snow flies we plan to pause until better conditions arrive. Life may get in the way and slow us down or stop us. Or we may walk all of those 92 miles during the coming months.

We'll post updates and photos on Facebook and Instagram. Please share our journey and spread the word. Thank you for your interest and participation. Hope to see you on the trail or volunteering at Framingham Community Farm!

Katy and Gabi