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The Five
#parshatshemot A certain member of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi. The woman conceived...
Leann Shamash
Jan 2, 20243 min read
Seventeen Years: A Song of Gratitude
Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob’s life came to one hundred and forty-seven years. Genesis...
Leann Shamash
Dec 26, 20233 min read
It's OK to Cry
#Vayigash #breisheet #joseph Someone I know posted on his Facebook feed this morning that today is October 78, 2023 , which is exactly...
Leann Shamash
Dec 20, 20232 min read
He Dreams of Papyrus
#miketz #parshatmiketz Well, this post is a week late, but I did want to post it. Parshat Mikeitz is within a series of parshiyot...
Leann Shamash
Dec 19, 20233 min read
Counting
Last night marked the fifth night of Chanukah. Chanukah is a holiday of counting, although it is not the only time we count during the...
Leann Shamash
Dec 12, 20232 min read
That Kid
#parshatvayeishev Two posts this week. I didn't want such an important parsha to go by without thinking about it and posting. Parshat...
Leann Shamash
Dec 7, 20233 min read
Be That Light
#chanukah #parshatvayeishev #bethelight This poem is to mark Chag Haurim, the holiday of Chanukah which will begin on Thursday evening at...
Leann Shamash
Dec 5, 20233 min read
Ben-oni
There is so much to write about in this parsha; so much to savor and learn from. A brief review of the Parsha reminds us of Yaakov's...
Leann Shamash
Nov 28, 20233 min read
My Heart is in the East
written with gratitude and respect for this United States, my home, and for my good countrymen and neighbors with whom I share this...
Leann Shamash
Nov 26, 20231 min read
Through the Lens
Parshat Veyeitzei : Genesis 28:10-32:3 Dear Readers, This post is not poetry, but asking you to be the imaginary photographer in this...
Leann Shamash
Nov 21, 20236 min read
A Rallying Cry
Before yesterday, November 14, 2023, becomes history, I wanted to write this post and present a (very imperfect and incomplete) set of...
Leann Shamash
Nov 15, 20232 min read
Keturah
Parshat Chayei Sarah begins with the announcement of the death of Sarah followed by Avraham's subsequent actions, including mourning his...
Leann Shamash
Nov 9, 20233 min read
A Prayer for the Severed Vav
This poem is for the Siyum of Masechet Kiddushin, which was completed yesterday in the Daf Yomi cycle. Today a new order was begun,...
Leann Shamash
Nov 4, 20233 min read
Oh, Mothers
Parshat Vayera contains the stories of three women. The first is the story of Lot’s wife, who fled S'dom with her husband Lot, before...
Leann Shamash
Oct 31, 20233 min read
On The Other Side of the Looking Glass
Parshat Lech Lecha is about journeys. The parsha starts out with a directive to Abram to leave that which was familiar to him, his...
Leann Shamash
Oct 25, 20232 min read
Eclipse
On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse was seen in parts of the United States. This was a partial eclipse of the sun, but it...
Leann Shamash
Oct 20, 20231 min read
Raindrops
October 17, 2023 This is a reprint of a post that I wrote three years ago for Parshat Noach. Somehow it feels that I should repeat it...
Leann Shamash
Oct 17, 20233 min read
Ayeka? Where Are You? אַיֶּֽכָּה
Usually Parshat Breisheet, the first parsha of the year, is a joy to write about. The wonder of new beginnings is where I ordinarily...
Leann Shamash
Oct 12, 20232 min read
Pendulum
the pendulum swings dependably left right right left again ...
Leann Shamash
Oct 8, 20231 min read
Sunflower
This Shabbat we will read the parsha V'Zot Habracha. In this short parsha, Moshe blesses the tribes, much as Ya'akov did in the book of...
Leann Shamash
Oct 4, 20232 min read
From a Distance
At the very end of Parshat Ha'azinu, after Moshe's long song that plays like a long poetic threat, Moshe Rabeinu, our teacher and...
Leann Shamash
Sep 20, 20233 min read
I Want to Share a Song With You
I begin this week's post with a link. It doesn't deserve to be at the end because this week's post is about this song. As we approach...
Leann Shamash
Sep 12, 20233 min read
The Half Moon
The combined parshiyot of Nitzavim and Vayelech bring us almost to the close of the yearly reading cycle of Torah. In brief, these...
Leann Shamash
Sep 5, 20233 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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