Month: May 2024

The Tower of Babel story in Genesis relates how Ha’Shem confounds the people’s speech and scatters them so they can’t come together for an undesired purpose. As we travel and find beautiful natural sights that take your breath away, including those designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I have to wonder if this is the way Ha’Shem has chosen to correct an earlier miscalculation and bring people from different parts or the world back together.
–Bruce G.

I subscribe to three weekly newsletters that provide a bit of hope each week, by covering what is positive news. They vary in terms of how good each is each week, but between the three, there are always several stories that make me smile.

• CNN’s “”The Good Stuff”” – https://www.cnn.com/newsletters/the-good-stuff

• The Washington Post’s “”The Optimist”” – https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-optimist/

• The Week’s “”Good News (It Wasn’t All Bad)”” – archives here – https://theweek.com/tag/it-wasnt-all-bad; sign up here (scroll down to free newsletters) https://theweek.com/newsletters

–Sharon Beth

I am very lucky to have a husband who is a lifelong solar system nerd. His childhood dream was to witness a total solar eclipse. So in 2017 we packed up the kids and headed to SC to see it. And now I am an eclipse chaser, too 🙂 A few weeks ago we drove to the tiny town of New Paris, OH to see the eclipse in totality again. We met up with some old friends who have been though unthinkable tragedy in the last few years. I was so excited for them to witness this celestial spectacle. We were super lucky with clear skies on April 8, and the sun and moon did not disappoint! The world seemed to get quiet, the sky tuned an indescribable shade before going dark, it got so cool I wanted to run for my jacket but was afraid to miss something. In a world of such heartbreak and despair, it was so hopeful to a have 3 minutes where many of us from all over the world could witness a natural event together. In those very mindful moments there is no war, no fear, no terror – only light and dark and awe. Totally worth the 10 hour drive straight home to Arlington, and we can’t wait for the next one.

–Paula Levin-Alcorn

“”There are no words; or rather, the words go in circles. The holy is a quality sui generies [unique to itself]. One knows it, intuitively, as one knows beauty. It is irreducible. It can only be described by synonyms or by the traces it leaves. The holy is ineffable, yet it is identifiable. One can point to it and say, “”this is holy,”” without being able to say what, or how, or why. One can identify the holy without being able to describe it, except by the word holy, and its synonyms.

The circle of the holy superimposes itself on other circles as one tries to grasp the holy and to live within it. As one integrates the holy into life, one needs other words. One reaches outward: King, Lord, Name, justice, beauty, purity, Shabbat, Israel, You. One probes inward: awe, wonder, radical amazement, sublime, love, joy, bliss, bless, worship. One gropes for forms: holy day, temple, mitsva, liturgy, charity, study, Torah, acts of kindness, martyrdom. The failure of language is transformed into a rich vocabulary of response, always haunted by its own muteness. Silence overflows into words, an echo of an unfathomable depth.””

This quote is from Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest, by Rabbi David R. Blumenthal, in his chapter on holiness.
–Rav Amelia

my chlidren’s smiles

–Anonymous

I was thrilled when I learned that there was a blessing for seeing a rainbow. For me, this was an unexpected reminder that G-d’s presence is always there, even though it is not always visible to us. I immediately began singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz- ALL DAY LONG. By the way, the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version would sound great on tenor ukele!
–Mimi Youkeles

I have been learning to see G-d’s presence in the physical laws governing the universe. One thing I’ve learned from my job is how hard it is for people to make rules. No matter how hard rulemakers try for clarity, precision, and harmony, it’s not unusual for their results to be inelegant, contradictory, or susceptible to different interpretations. When rules go into operation, it takes time to figure out how they apply, and they have consequences the rulemakers did not foresee. Sometimes the rules create problems of their own. The world changes, and before long, it’s time to rewrite the rules again.

The universe’s rules are not like that. Matter, energy, and the laws they follow came into being with the universe itself, and have stayed the same ever since. Some important parts of the universe’s fabric — numbers like pi, phi, and e, for example — are beyond human ability to understand, and can only be approximated. Others — like electromagnetism and gravity, relativity and quantum mechanics — are in tension that humans have yet to resolve. Yet the rules are comprehensive, and they mesh perfectly: When a particle is subjected to magnetic and gravitational forces, it doesn’t seem to have to wait for a decision on what to do.

If the universe’s rules transcend human understanding, and work more perfectly than ones human intelligence could devise, why not infer something beyond human understanding and intelligence beyond them? As Maimonides says, knowledge and love of G-d flow from knowledge of the universe, and contemplation of His works.
–Steve Schwartz

My husband and I went to Ohio for the recent solar eclipse. His parents live in a small rural town right in the path of the full eclipse. We sat in their backyard to watch the spectacle and other people in the neighborhood sat outside their houses as well, everyone peering up through their eclipse glasses. A little before totality, the quality of light around us changed, taking on a grey hue that was different from regular twilight. Then day instantly became night as the moon completely covered the sun and for nearly four minutes we marveled at that ring of fire around the dark center. At the moment of totality we heard cheers coming from downtown, where hundreds had gathered to watch. The whole event was truly awe inspiring. I wondered about ancient peoples who must have feared the world was ending and prayed with gratitude when the sun came back out. It also made me feel connected–not just to the universe but also to other people I didn’t even know, who had all stopped their busy lives and focused their attention on a single, common, wondrous experience that day.
–Rachel W.

I’m with Elisa on the power of music to transport one to another plane (classical music in particular). When I drive and hear a piece of music that I (once had been able to) play on the piano, I feel like I can fly (!) I also find sunrise to be transporting (for the beauty) and hopeful (for the promise of another day).
–Eva Kleederman