Collections of Thoughts and Poetry

#shelach #shlach #shlachlech #shelachlech #numbers #bamidbar #mygarden #thespies #wordshavewings #dvartorah #thejoyofgardening #mymessygarden Hello! Parshat Sh'lach is a consequential parsha; one from which there is no return. Although the parsha speaks about tzitzit, the idea of taking challah and concludes with the strange story of the Sabbath wood gatherer, it is the story of the scouts or sometimes referred to as the spies that changes the trajectory of our story. In the

#sonicboom #meteors #newenglandcoast #meteor #capecodbay #shabbatafternoon #psalms #psalm8 With respect to Parshat Be'haalotecha, which I am not writing about this week, here is a post about a little bit of history that was made last Shabbat. I have a list of posts specifically written on PARSHAT BE'HAALOTECHA below this post. I hope you check them out and that they give you some context for this interesting parsha. Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom, Leann On Shabbat afternoon,

#naso #nazir #bracha #blessings #blessing #birkathakohanim #sotah #bamidbar #bookofnumbers #parshapoetry #wordshavewings This week, in the strange Parshat Naso, we read about the Sotah and the Nazir and then the parsha concludes, as though with an afterthought, with the immensely important priestly blessing. יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ {ס} יָאֵ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ {ס} יִשָּׂ֨א יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁל

#sefira #sefirathaomer #countingtheomer #haiku #spring #winter #springtosummer #wintertospring Dear Friends and Readers, Here is part two of my Sefirat Ha'Omer project for this year. It is a journal in haiku, mostly written during my morning walks, but occasionally in the evening. As someone who loves capturing nature through photos, this project was invaluable. It added language to what I was seeing and experiencing. Fitting my thoughts into the strict 5-7-5 syllable structu

#bamidbar #numbers #bookofnumbers #bladeofgrass #bladesofgrass #census #wordshavewings #torahstudy #poetry Hi Everyone, I came up with this idea of blades of grass while walking the dog this week and noticing people's lawns. Parshat Bamidbar begins with a military census of males over twenty years old. The tribes are listed by the names of the sons of Jacob and includes large numbers, that lead to a total of approximately 603,000. Of this huge number, almost everyone rema

#Behar #parshatBehar #shemita #Vayikra #wordshavewings #parshapoetry This week we read two Parshiyot to complete the book of Vayikra. Behar and Bechukotai are uncomfortably paired to deliver a powerful lesson as we leave the "Book of the Kohanim" behind. The book concludes with a demand to let the land rest every seven years, followed by a special fiftieth year involving not only agricultural rest but the release of slaves and debts. This section is followed by a short list

#menachot #masehetmenachot #tefillin #talkingtalmud #wordshavewings #davening #prayer #sacrifice #sacrificeandprayer Hello Friends! This is a week of double posts- something that I haven't done in quite a while. Because Masechet Menachot, is 110 pages, it has been a little more than 110 days since my last entry on my Daf Yomi travels. We are in year six of the seven-year cycle, and we are now beginning Masechet Chullin. (It's a good time to join in!) You can find other Daf

#haiku #sefirathaomer #sefira #parshatemor #emor #jewishholidays #countingtheomer #vayikra #sefervayikra #jewishholidaycalendar #theomer #littleprojects #49days #sevenweeks Hello Everyone, It seems that for each of the years that I have written Words Have Wings, I have written with some ideas for counting the Omer. I guess this will be another one of those posts. I'll say what I have said before. I love the Omer! I don't know why?!? Maybe just because it is a challenge? Ma

This week's post reflects a discussion we had in our Torah class this week. כִּ֣י נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר֮ בַּדָּ֣ם הִוא֒ וַאֲנִ֞י נְתַתִּ֤יו לָכֶם֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־הַדָּ֥ם ה֖וּא בַּנֶּ֥פֶשׁ יְכַפֵּֽר׃ For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar; it is the blood, as life, that effects expiation. In this injunction that Jews not consume the blood of an animal, we lear