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June 2007
Regional News
East Bay This is the year 5767 by the Jewish calendar. That means counting the years started a long time ago. All those events that created holidays happened long ago too – back when everyone spent the summer in the fields, gardening. So it isn’t surprising that summer finds the Jewish calendar short on holidays. We’re all supposed to be tending our crops. And in fact, that’s not a bad thing to do in the summer. A few years ago I was at Friday night services at my shul and the rabbi gave a sermon in which she told us that the mystical rabbis teach that on Shabbat a window is opened between earth and paradise. Through that window comes the scent of heaven, and that scent is the fragrance of roses. As she spoke I thought to myself, “I know exactly where one of those windows is; it’s in my own front yard.” For in front of my house is a pale pink rose whose heady fragrance surely is the scent of paradise. What to do “Jewishly” in the summertime? I suggest that you tend a little soil. Whether in a pot, a window box, a patch in a community garden, or your own back yard, go plant something that delights you. Got kids? Give them some seeds or a few small plants of their own. Teach them about the miracle of sun, water and life. Maybe even create a window to let in the scent of paradise. Want a blessing for planting? Try this: Blessed are You, Spirit of the Universe, who makes all things grow. I made that up. Make up one yourself. Now snip something from your garden, a sprig of basil, a marigold, a spray of weeds, put them on the table on Friday night. Invite some friends for dinner and tell them about your garden. Tell them what they mean to you. And there – you have a Shabbos dinner! Dawn C. Kepler, Director
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