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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


First Fruits
#parshatkitavo Parshat Ki Tavo is known for its blessings and curses. Although the blessings and curses take up a good part of this...

Leann Shamash
Aug 29, 20233 min read


Tiny Tales of Kindness: Parshat Ki Teitzei
Blog posts on Words Have Wings usually take between two to five minutes to read. This post will take you longer to read, but I hope it...

Leann Shamash
Aug 24, 202315 min read


The World Was Upside Down: A Tale of Kindness
Parshat Shoftim is an important and relevant parsha, largely focusing on the the three pillars of leadership in the community, the king,...

Leann Shamash
Aug 15, 20236 min read


Mazal Tov. You are Divorced.
As it has been my custom since beginning to learn Daf Yomi more than three years ago, I deliver a poem when we finish a Masechet (a...

Leann Shamash
Aug 13, 20234 min read


Hamakom
Re'eh means"see." In Parshat Re'eh we learn about making sacrifices once the people enter the land. The people are told to bring their...

Leann Shamash
Aug 8, 20233 min read


The Sisterhood of The Moosewood Cookbooks
My copies of The Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest were gently put to rest this year after gracing kitchen after...

Leann Shamash
Aug 4, 20234 min read


The Storyteller
Parshat Eikev continues Moshe's speech to B'nai Yisrael as they prepare to cross the Jordan. Contained in Parshat Eikev there are a...

Leann Shamash
Aug 1, 20233 min read


From the Center of the Flame and Nachamu, Nachamu Ami
Parshat Va'etchanan is always read after the nine days of mourning and the fast of Tisha B'Av, when we mourn the many tragic events in...

Leann Shamash
Jul 25, 20233 min read


To Be a Teacher
I sometimes think that the experience of Moshe Rabeinu with the Hebrews in the desert is akin to a classroom teacher's experience. Moshe...

Leann Shamash
Jul 18, 20233 min read


The Art of Writing Postcards
It’s overnight camp season for our grandchildren and I find myself seated at the kitchen table, not tapping on my phone, not typing on...

Leann Shamash
Jul 14, 20233 min read


Dreaming Backwards From Station 42
Masai, the final parsha of Sefer Devarim, leaves us at the completion of the journey of the Hebrews before they reach the Promised Land....

Leann Shamash
Jul 12, 20232 min read


To My Daughters- A Letter to Mahlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah and Tirzah,
#noa #tirtzah #machlah #hoglah The Daughters of Tzelophachad, from Parshat pinchas,their request for inheritance, their process appears...

Leann Shamash
Jul 4, 20234 min read


Sing a New Song
Here we are again, in the warm (and rainy!) days of summer time. These parshiyot, Chukat and Balak, truly are the summer camp parshiyot. ...

Leann Shamash
Jun 27, 20233 min read


Common Ground
Parshat Korach is about dissension in the ranks and a charismatic individual who seeks to gain power by claiming that everyone is imbued...

Leann Shamash
Jun 20, 20233 min read


This Coveted Time
As summer approaches.... When the birds call out before dawn and dawn arrives before 5, this time I covet. When flowers vie for space...

Leann Shamash
Jun 19, 20232 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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