Zen in Nature

I witnessed the most amazing sight this morning.

On the edge of the grass by the road were two grackles.  Both were small, clearly young.  One grackle was busily pecking at the soil right by the curb, digging up clumps, searching again and again for his breakfast.  Clumps of soil were flying, but no matter how much effort he put out, there was no reward.  The second grackle sat nearby, within inches of the first, eyes closed, seemingly settled in for the long haul.  Then, without warning, the second grackle rose, took one step to the soil's edge, and poked in his beak drawing a worm the length of his body from the soil.  A quick change of his grasp on his prize, the second grackle flew away, leaving the first to his frantic search.

An interesting lesson.

Caught & Released

Additional information-  It seems that my story was slightly off about Jesse.  Nora actually did get out of the house.  Jesse ran back inside to retrieve the cat treats.  Gandalf tried to follow when Jesse slammed the inner door, locking himself on the porch.  Thankfully Nora responded to the treats so Jesse didn't have to leave the house.

Best part of the story... Jesse understands how funny this is.  The morning following I reported the incident to our carpool (including a friend from school), then I blogged about it.  Jesse is fully aware of this and accepts it.  My revenge for being awoken at 1:00 AM is to tell the world.

Jesse's catch & release program isn't over.  Tonight he asked me to help get a spider into his jar.  After a few reminders to unlock the doors as he stepped outside (this time fully clothed), Jesse, convictions intact, had released the spider back into the free world.

Parashat Shemini- Mourning Takes Time & Effort

Vayomer Moshe el Aharon ul’Elazar ul’Itamar banav rosheichem al tifra’u uvigdeichem lo tifromo v’lo tamutu v’al kol ha’eidah yiktzof.

And Moshe said to Aaron and to his sons, Elazar and Itamar, “Do not bare your heads or rend your clothes lest you die and anger strike the whole community.

The position of leader brings with it many limitations. We see this throughout Moshe’s life, from his relationship with his family to his own death. After his personal encounter with God at Har Sinai, Moshe is also physically separated, his face covered with a veil whenever in public.

In parashat Shemini, Nadav and Avihu, two of Aaron’s sons, burn “strange fire” to God, causing their deaths. Moshe instructs two nephews, non-priests, to remove and bury the bodies. Aaron and his remaining sons are instructed not to display signs of public mourning lest it effect all of B’nei Yisrael. As spiritual leaders of Israel, Aaron and his sons must continue with business as usual, their personal feelings, their necessary mourning set aside for private time only.

The week of shiva, followed by the hodesh and the shannah of Kaddish, are extremely important to the process of mourning. The tearing of one’s clothes, a physical expression of grief, is meant to begin the physical catharsis that continues through the year. Shiva, in the best of circumstances, continues this process. The mourners are given time to ignore normal day-to-day needs in favour of focusing upon the process of mourning, sharing memories of the deceased and giving into the rollercoaster of emotion. The communal support during shiva, which in the most closely knit communities continues through the hodesh and the shannah, allows the mourners to share and process this emotion and gradually return to community life.

Aaron and his family are denied this opportunity. All too often individuals and families in the public eye are critiqued for their reactions to emotional events. Their every action is reported on news and gossip shows. If they are too emotional they are criticized for their inability to “hold it together,” and if stoic for not caring enough. Leaders and personalities are not characters in a reality TV show. They are real people with needs for privacy and the ability to share emotions within their own communities without reports of their every action like hockey scores.

Parashat Vayikra- Kiddush HaShem

Vayikra el Moshe vayidabeir Hashem eilav meiohel moed leimor. Dabeir el b’nei Yisrael v’amarta aleihem...

And God called to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them...

It’s been a difficult week for Jews in France and around the world.  The brutality of the tragedy that occurred in Toulouse shocked the Jewish community and the world.  We are beginning the month of Nisan, a month in which public mourning is forbidden.  Divrei Torah are substituted for eulogies.  There are changes to funeral services. Yet, this is also the month is which we celebrate Pesach, the ultimate, “They tried to kill us; we survived; let’s eat” holiday. It’s a theme that spreads throughout our celebrations, and perhaps connects to this week’s parasha.

Vayikra is the Levitical book.  It is filled with material for the Levi’im, and yet it is included in the Torah to be read publically to the entire community.  Questions of why God included Vayikra abound.  I believe the answer is in the name- Vayikra, and He Called.  The text is clear, God calls Moshe to speak with him, but the meaning is so much greater.  In speaking to Moshe, God speaks to all of us. We are told often that we are to be an Am Kadosh, a holy people and a community of priests.  As such we are also to be an Or LaGoyim, a light to the nations, but this is also rendered as Or HaGoyim, a light among the nations.  We are called upon as a community to shine, sometimes in joy, and sometimes in tragedy.

Nisan is also the month in which we observe Yom HaShoah  u’G’vurah, called in English, Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The date is chosen for its connection to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, but the Hebrew name and it’s placement in Nisan speak volumes.  Yom HaShoah- the Day of the Holocaust, u’G’vurah- and the heroism.  We must focus on our ability to overcome tragedy in our lives and emerge victorious, marching out of the depths of the sea, a holy people.

May the memory of the seven who murdered in France this past week be for a blessing, and may God comfort their families and friends among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Catch & Release

Raising teens is an adventure, often an adventure in shopping as they outgrow their clothes regularly and inhale all the food in the house.

The latest adventure was one in animal husbandry.  

Jesse has always hated spiders, but being a born environmentalist, he hates killing them more.  With a basement room, many spiders seem to enter every spring and fall.  When this happens Jesse has a policy of catch and release.  Last night was no different.

At about 11:00 Sean & I went to sleep thinking Jesse had done the same.  At 1:00 AM I was awakened by a knocking.  I am very attuned to any unusual noise in the house.  I'll sleep through fire truck sirens, but a cough will wake me every time.

So  was immediately awake from this knocking.  I thought to ignore it, but there it was again, just a little louder.  I stumbled to my bedroom door and called quietly, "Who's knocking?"  In response comes a pleading "Eema..."  

"Where are you?" 
"I'm locked on the porch."

I stumble down the stairs holding the railing and the wall (I do not wake easily), and open the door to the (enclosed) porch.  In comes Jesse in his underwear and a cat.  The other cat was pawing at the door from inside.

It seems Jesse had been up well past any appropriate time, and had seen a spider crawling near his bunk bed.  He caught the spider in a special jar he keeps for the purpose, and had gone to the porch to release it.  As he did so he realized the cats were coming to see what he was doing.  Worried that they might get outside, especially at night (they are indoor and backyard cats), he went to close the internal door, but had neglected to unlock it.  In the end, Nora got through while Gandalf was trapped inside.  Jesse managed to release the spider with Nora on the porch with him, but quickly realized he had a problem.  He was unable to get back in.  He was trapped on the unheated porch (It was about 6 C/ 42F) in his underwear.  Oh, did I mention the porch is almost fully windows?!

There he was, caught and released.