Thank you.

What am I thinking most about?

Joining a CSA. I know. I know. It’s a bit late and my most local CSA has already sold out of the plain veggie share for 2011, but I really wouldn’t be upset if my share included fresh eggs every week (it costs a little more but not a considerable amount). I haven’t joined one in the past because when I lived in NYC, I could visit a green market every day of the week if I wanted to. I still can, since I work part of the day in Manhattan, but it’s not as super easy for me as it once was since I work steps away from Grand Central.

Wait, wasn’t I planning on growing lots of stuff? I am, but I am also a realist. Properly maintaining a garden takes time. I have two businesses I’m trying really hard to grow this year. Adding in lots of vegetables would be nice but I don’t think it would be successful. I’d rather have oodles of awesome herbs and hopefully some tomatoes than feeling overwhelmed and burnt out from all spheres of my life. I also think that Margaret Roach’s article my seed-catalog shopping rules should be included with all seed catalog mailings. I think there would be many more happy gardeners and it might actually increase sales!

So here it is the 11th day of 2011 also known as 6th of Shevat. Why is that significant? The 15th of Shevat is known as Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for Trees. So?

It is in preparation for this Tu B’Shevat that I ask:

What are you doing to think, act, and eat local this year?

Did you see the interesting sukkah designs in Union Square ? I saw them very briefly when I flew through on Monday.

Ours looks boring by comparison (this is last year’s photo). It looks the same this year. We’re all just a year older.

Link text edited on 20100925, 9pm. I thank Heather

May you have a good and sweet year. May this year be a year of health, happiness, simchas, and all good things to you and yours. May you have a good sealing in the book of life.

Happy Birthday Mum!

• The Hurricane of our Haftarah: Thoughts on the Haftarah for Re’eh/Mahar Hodesh – I Samuel 20:18-42 (from 5765/2005)
• Weekly Jewish Wisdom: Great Expectations? (from 2767/2007)
  

This coming week is Rosh Chodesh Elul.

There is so much now, so much upcoming, who am I to try to write about it? Please, find a teacher, a rabbi, someone more knowledgeable than I and ask.

As we turn toward these days of Awe and once again I become overwhelmed and my daily routine experiences upheaval by changes in my academic schedule, Work, and yamin noraim I turn to a slim volume which offers, well, I can’t quite explain it. Guidance? Help? Hope? Why am I drawn so deeply to Pirkei Avot? Why does it hold me more than the tehillim (psalms) that I so often say?

Perhaps it is the lessons. Perhaps it is the (relatively) straightforwardness. Psalms/Poetry can cause years of thought or introspection. I’ve found Pirkei Avot can, but I can also walk away with a surface reaction and be content. I have also found that I can open the volume at seemingly random and find something timely and relevant for my life. It seems I can also just visit JOFA and read this week’s Divrei Torah:

Weekly Jewish Wisdom: A Lesson in Leadership (from 5768/2008).

שׁבּת שׁלום

Why am I talking about Elul and the new year already? I know that upon September (and Elul) “one”, life will go into high gear for myself and many other people. It’s easy to say, “I’ll learn tomorrow”. It’s difficult to plan ahead (I’m a procrastinator, I know). It’s difficult to balance work, life, and the demands of this time of year, observant, jewish, both, or neither. As much as I love autumn, it is a very busy time of year.

But I can take 5 minutes now and start to think about how I would like it to go.

שׁבּת שׁלום

…שמע ישראל          ”Hear O Israel…”

Those were the first Hebrew words I learned to say and to read, even before my own name. I find them the most powerful of anything I say. The words bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. Yes, I am spiritual and believe in G-d. Deal.

These words form the “Sh’ma” (The first word of this in Hebrew is sh’ma, hear), which is found at the start of the sixth portion this week, also known as 6:4.

It is amazing to me how fast this year has flown by. As Tu b’Avis tomorrow, it is only two weeks until Rosh Chodesh Elul. I am beginning to reflect upon my actions (or inactions) over this past year. In some areas I have made progress; in others, I have fallen back. My main desire to continue work on improving my patience.

שׁבּת שׁלום

Since we completed rereading Bamidbar last week, this week we begin the book of Devarim, also known as Deuteronomy. We learn 1:1-3:22.

Devarim means words.

As it is the last shabbat before Tisha b’Av, it is Shabbat Chazon.

I am looking for a mogen dovid “icon” that can scale from say 48×48 to 16×16 and is similar to the other images appearing with the categories here. I found a flag, but while I have strong ties to Israel, I do not want to use it in this context. I’ve been playing with inkscape (I made the ball of yarn myself last year) and just can’t seem to get this one right. Can anyone help me out or point me to one that already exists?

We go directly from shabbat to Tisha b’Av. May you have an easy and meaningful fast.

As we begin the Nine Days here are a list of divrei torah and other articles which recently caught my eye:

• The Benefits of Being Stupid When You’re Old
• Outwitting History
• Holy Water?
• some responses to the New York magazine article. (you know the one I mean)

Next week we begin Devarim, then it’s Tisha b’Av.

שׁבּת שׁלום