Great ironic grasshopper story in this week’s Torah reading! And with a choice of moral lessons, too! Here’s how it appears in Parshat Shlach (Num 13:1-15:41). Moses sends twelve scouts to tour the land of Canaan. When they return, they file their report before the people (Num 13:1—14:39). “Look at this giant fruit that grows…
Category: Animals
Afterlife: Omer 46
Netzach: eternity. Malchut or Shechinah: close divine spiritual presence. I think about the afterlife sometimes. As in life after death. I’ve had some visions of it. So I know? believe? hope? it’s another kind of life. And it goes on forever. When my father died, my son was five years old. One day, about a…
Caretaking: Omer 40
Caretaking. A hidden foundation of the world. One that merits much gratitude. But gets little. Today in the Omer, Hod, gratitude meets Yesod, foundation. Today’s quality is Hod she’b’Yesod, gratitude for a solid foundation. Also today: What to do with myself? I’m not sure what day it is. I know I haven’t slept in three.…
Going Home: Omer 35
Malchut, another name for Shechinah, Dweller. Divine Dweller, that is. Thus, a Divine Presence. Hod, Splendour. Shechinah she’b’hod, Divine Presence in Splendour. But Shechinah isn’t just any Divine Presence. It’s like the presence of a loving mother. One who follows you into exile. Physical exile, but also spiritual exile. Emotional exile. She cries for you…
Mrs. L's Love: Omer 22
Chesed. Love. Netzach. Endurance. Chesed she’b’Netzach. Love that keeps us keeping on. Today, I’d like to tell a Sophia Street story. It’s about lasting love between friends. True confession: We have an indoor-outdoor cat. His name is Koi and he is 16 years old. He’s quite friendly. So, after 14 years in the neighbourhood, he…
Deborah: Bee Peaceful
Deborah: biblical judge, prophet, warrior, singer, peacemaker. Here are three perspectives on her story: feminist, zoological, and Kabbalistic. Deborah, The New Miriam First, a feminist take. Deborah is the new Miriam. She’s a more modern version of a heroic woman. A bolder version. Take a look at the parallels between their stories. Then, note the…
Locust: Best Post Ever
So I checked my blog stats! And thus I found my most-read post ever. It’s “Grasshoppers and Locusts: Biblical Power Animals.” Looks like almost 20,000 people read it (so far). On the one hand, it’s just a great post. It’s religious, spiritual, and ecological. And it hints at current events: immigrants, inclusive communities, global locust…
Aliens on Our Planet
Aliens were trending on twitter yesterday. No, not terrestrial aliens like the ones in the picture. (However, I’ll talk about them below). But EXTRA-terrestrials, the kind from another planet. Apparently, the New York Times reported on them yesterday. Well, on efforts to learn more about them. The US Office of Naval Intelligence is studying UFOs.…
(Don)key to Redemption
The Biblical donkey is here, to talk about redemption. Especially about our role in it. So, let’s hear what the donkey has to say. Balaam’s Donkey King Balak of Moab hires the seer Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam is a dedicated follower of Hashem. So, when God comes to him in a dream and…
Crow: Talking the Talk
The CROW EXPERIMENT worked! I SPOKE CROW and the CROW LISTENED. There’s a highly sensitive, easily agitated crow on our street this spring. I’ve been watching it since April, when it bashed the back of my head. Yesterday it shrieked and flapped at me. When I paused to scold back, it flew at my head…