Jewish Musings, Sunday, September 29

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[louise]

I don't usually start the week with a poem but this one came up when my rabbi and I were choosing readings for Rosh Hashanah and I thought it was a perfect segue from Lee's last post about peace. It presents a new twist you might enjoy.

The One Who Makes Peace by Rabbi Ariel Tovlev

blessing bread bought
from the supermarket
our blessing says, thank you God
for bringing forth bread from the earth
but this bread didn’t come from the earth
it came from a store
from a factory
from flour ground
from wheat
from the earth
this bread did not sprout forth
it was created from human hands

we don’t thank God for the wheat
which actually came from the earth
God did not create bread
but God knew we could

my kids ask, why do we pray for God to make peace?
I tell them, God makes peace
like God makes bread

which is to say
we have all
the necessary ingredients
peace will not sprout forth
it will be created from human hands
thank you God, for giving us the wisdom
to turn wheat into bread
thank you God, for giving us the wisdom
to turn love into peace


It kinda makes you think, no?

[peachymom1]

Wow! I'm sure I'll think of something else to say, but for now, I'm speechless!

[lee058]

Good afternoon everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: I liked the poem, and I am pretty picky about poetry.

I've been having a nice day today. I slept late, and while I was asleep, DH and DS went food shopping. They also bought me flowers! Today we cooked and did laundry, as usual per Sundays. Now, I'm going to relax. DS and I are planning on watching "Vertigo" on TCM later; it's by Hitchcock with Jimmy Stewart. I've seen it, but it was so long ago that I don't remember it. I hope DS and I like it. I have mixed feelings about Hitchcock movies; some are very good but others are way too violent/yucky for my taste. Jimmy Stewart, OTOH, I like a lot. So, we'll see!

Have a peaceful rest of the day, Lee

[gazelle18]

This poem is the best! Thanks for posting this, Louise