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Late Summer Intersections
#elul #august #latesummer #summerwaning #earliersunsets #latersunrises #tiredflowers #seferdevarim #parsha #kiteitzei #parshatkiteitzei #parshathashavua #intersections #intersectionsoftime #intersectionsofmeanings #deuteronomy #wordshavewings #parshapoetry Asking forgiveness from Parshat Ki Teitzei for not writing about its many important mitzvot this week. Below you will find a few posts from the past on Parshat Ki Teitzei. Tiny Tales of Kindness (2025) is my favorite beca
Leann Shamash
Aug 182 min read
People of The Book
#parshatshoftim #shoftim #peopleofthebook #devarim #seferdevarim #parshapoetry #wordshavewings #deuteronomy #reading #books #torah Hi Everyone, If you would rather read a poem rather than this week's post about Jewish books, please consider opening these past posts on Parshat Shoftim. Be a Tree is one of my favorite posts and I would post it every year if I could! The Gardener equates the qualities of a gardener with the qualities of a leader. Since this post is about rea
Leann Shamash
Aug 125 min read
When The Skies Are Closed
#photography #leannshamashphotography #wordshavewings #masechettaanit #taanit #fasts #griffinmuseumofphotography #atelier35 #dafyomi #talkingtalmud #hadran #womenlearningtalmud #parshateikev #eikev #whentheskiesclose #rain #drought #globalwarming #prayforrain #gentlerain #pouringrain #drizzle #dew #springrain #passover #sheminiatzeret Hi Everyone, This week's post is based on a post from March, 2022 which was called Fasts: A Photography Project. I worked on this photography
Leann Shamash
Jul 286 min read
Paradise?
#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
Leann Shamash
Jun 104 min read
Shifting Winds
#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
Leann Shamash
May 273 min read
One Blade of Grass
#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
Leann Shamash
May 133 min read
She CallsTo Me
#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
Leann Shamash
May 73 min read
It's What We Do
#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
Leann Shamash
May 34 min read
The Torah of Hospital Corners
#tzav #ritual #sacrifice #leviticus #vayikra #parsha #wordshavewings #sheets #memories #hospitalcorners #everydaythings #thingswedo #brushingourteeth #makingthebed #torah #seder #passover #order #orderliness #rituals #ritual Is it any surprise that Parshat Tzav comes in advance of Pesach? For both Pesach and Shabbat have something in common and that is that in life there is a certain order to things. In the case of Korbanot, you can be sure that whether it is the Korban Toda
Leann Shamash
Mar 254 min read
Sparks From Moshe Rabeinu
#vaera #parshatVaera #shemot #bookofExodus #Exodus #moshe #sparksfromMoshe #moshe #mosherabeinu #zohar #thezohar #parshathashavuah #wordshavewings #parshanut This week in Parshat Vaera we read of the plagues and the exchanges between Pharaoh and Moshe to free the Hebrews. Since we were introduced to Moshe we have read about his deep insecurities about being a spokesperson for Gd. וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר הֵ֤ן בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֣וּ אֵלַ֔י ו
Leann Shamash
Jan 142 min read
A Day in the Life: Verb Stories
#toldot #parshattoldot #yitzhak #rivka #aisav #yaakov #birthright #blessings #blindness #breisheet #genesis #torahmusingss #wordshavewings Parshat Toldot brings us the puzzling and dramatic story of the birthright which is sold for a pot of red lentil stew to a ravenously hungry Asav from his twin brother (and excellent cook), Yaakov. The tale is shared concisely: Isaac favored Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah favored Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking a stew
Leann Shamash
Nov 18, 20254 min read
Rain
#Haazinu #seferdevarim #devarim #parashathaazinu #yomkippur #thegatesofheaven #rain #taanit #masechettaanit #dafyomi #wordshavewings #theprayerforrain #maymydiscoursecomedownasrain #autumn #clouds Parshat Ha'azinu, Moshe's poem to the people, speaks in the rich language of poetry, and is a final plea to the Israelites to listen (הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ) to the voice of Gd, no matter how undeserving they are of Gd's attention. The parsha calls upon the heavens and earth to witness this fi
Leann Shamash
Sep 30, 20254 min read
A Day at the RMV and the Bikkurim Ceremony
#kitavo #seferdevarim #parashathashavua #parsha #deuteronomy #devarim #parshatkitavo #wordshavewings #bikkurim #thingswegetright #elul...
Leann Shamash
Sep 10, 20254 min read
Mycelium
#mycelium #fungi #connections #mushrooms #honeymushrooms #forestfloor #oak #forestfloor #ParshatMasai #parshatMatot #seferbamidbar...
Leann Shamash
Jul 24, 20254 min read
Gershom
#parshatpinchas #pinchas #summer2025 #wordshavewings #seferbamidbar #moshe #moses #gershon #gershonsonofmoses #joshua #desert #theexodus...
Leann Shamash
Jul 16, 20254 min read
The Cloud הענן
#parshatchukat #chukat #seferbamidbar #bamidbar #bookofnumbers #aaron #moses #miriam #aaronsdeath #miriamsdeath #parshathashavua...
Leann Shamash
Jul 2, 20255 min read
On the Sixth Day: An Imagined Creation Story
#masechetshevuot #shevuot #oaths #oathsandpromises #modernmidrash #language #talkingtalmud #wordshavewings #dafyomi #trust #parshatkorach...
Leann Shamash
Jun 24, 20254 min read
Dream of Blue
#blue #shlach #shelach #seferbamidbar #bookofnumbers #parshatshelach #parshatshlach #parshathashavua #wordshavewings #parshacommentary...
Leann Shamash
Jun 18, 20253 min read
Passover Jumbles
#paassover #pesach #memories #seder #passoverseder #wordshavewings #family #passoversedermemories Hello Everyone, This post is a blessing...
Leann Shamash
Apr 11, 20251 min read
The 500th Post of Words Have Wings: Collected Dreams
#breisheet #parshatmiketz #chanukah #wordshavewings #parshapoetry #Joseph #dreams #listening #payattention Dear Readers, Welcome to the...
Leann Shamash
Dec 24, 20243 min read
Welcome to "Words Have Wings."
During the year following the death of a parent it is their children's responsibility to say the kaddish. This blog is a series of reflections while saying the kaddish for my late mother, Irma Gershkowitz.
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