Reflecting on Life’s Beauty during the Month of Tishrei
This year at Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Friedman urged us to notice and pay attention to the very act of living and its beauty in his d’var Torah. Quoting Mary Oliver, he asked “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Inspired by this concept, we’ve been asking people to share what moments reminded them that their life was “wild and precious” and have been sharing it through social media. Here are the reflections we’ve received this month. We hope these photos and recollections will make you pause and notice how incredible it is to be alive and to experience the world everyday.
Rabbi Abe Friedman, submitted on October 4, 2017:
“On Shabbat afternoon at Ramah Darom’s Solar Eclipse Shabbat retreat, my kids told me excitedly that they saw “a real chameleon, and it was orange.” The next day, on my way to pick up teaching materials, I noticed what must have been the same kind of animal (almost certainly not a chameleon, given that its color wasn’t changing). Even though I was on my way somewhere, I couldn’t help stopping to look. Every time I see this picture, I feel the same pure glee that my kids felt discovering nature’s surprises.”
Terri Soifer, submitted on October 11, 2017:
“Four years ago, my husband Jake and I drove up the coast of California. It was beautiful to see the landscape change from South to North. With the news coming from Northern California, I have been thinking back to that trip and the powerful beauty of the trees, the vines, and the ocean. To think that something more powerful has destroyed it is painful.”
Shlomo Cohen, submitted October 18, 2017:
“We live complicated lives with only fleeting moments of awareness of the beauty around us and our connectedness to it. Hiking in beautiful places and falling in the embrace of welcoming flowers following along the banks of a stream, we are overwhelmed by the beauty as it gathers us into itself. מאת ה׳ היתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו ”
Do you have a memory, story, or photograph that you’d like to share with us? We’ll feature your moment on our Facebook, Instagram, or our blog in our Wild and Precious Wednesday series! If you have any non-digital photographs, we’ll be happy to scan them. Contact Tovah to share what makes your life wild and precious.
