Tuesday evening, after the younger kiddos were asleep, Chavie and I, along with Ezzy, went for a walk in our quiet neighborhood. We saw the magnificent sunset, caught up on our week and checked in with each other on some important things going on in our ever-overwhelming reality. It’s a constant balancing act, keeping our life afloat, putting out the fires that pop up, and ensuring that the community and our children get what they need from us. Chavie reminded me, as she always does, that we must recognize that Hashem knows exactly what He’s doing and what He’s placing on our plate.

This week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, begins with these powerful words: Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. My Elter Zayde, the holy Chidushei Harim of Gur taught that G-d has embedded within every Jew the ability to distinguish between curses and blessings. He alludes to the prayer, or blessing, that we recite each morning thanking G-d for “giving our heart the ability to differentiate between day and night”, intimating that we are fully capable of knowing right from wrong, blessing from curse, light from darkness, and good from evil. When we are blurring the lines of blessing and curse, it’s only due to internal turmoil and is an unnatural form of living.

Today is Chana Laya’s seventh birthday. She is a wise, fun and inquisitive child; she’s also a kid that is a living, breathing, free spirit who gives us a healthy run for our money. Yet as they say, “good parenting lies somewhere between ‘don’t do that’ and ‘ah, what the hell’.” Too often, when life is easy, we don’t stop to recognize the blessings because there is no visible curse available for contrast, but when life is challenging it forces us to focus on, and celebrate, the Bracha, the incredible amount of blessing that G-d gives us daily. The greatest blessing of all is the ability to see the blessing; let’s not take it for granted.

Hardships exist, so please allow your blessings to outshine them!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

Five days in Washington.

On Sunday, we snuck away for some family time before Chaya heads off to High School in Chicago. We lodged on Whidbey Island, Washington and spent time on Orcas Island, at Deception Pass State Park, and on a private whale watching boat ride with captain Ken, that took us from Anacortes through the Salish Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, all the way south to the area of Port Townsend, giving us a really close up view of Orcas, Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Puffins, a Bald Eagle, and a myriad of other birds. He told us about the Salmon population decline because of the dams and fishing policies of the 60’s and 70’s, and how it’s affecting the whales who consume Salmon as a prime source of sustenance.

In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, we read the second portion of Shema, in which G-d tells us that “loving Him with all our heart and all our soul” is a fundamental precept of Judaism. Maimonides teaches that a helpful way to induce our love of G-d is through immersion in nature, celebrating the wonders of G-d’s creation, and recognizing the magic, and miracle, that is the world around us. We can see nature via commercialized experiences, or we can choose, when possible, to find our way into the pristine, untouched, natural oasis’ and see Hashem as is, unadulterated. Sitting on a boat, just our family and Ken, and journeying 90 miles under the cloudy skies and unpredictable tides of the region, gave us close contact with Almighty G-d.

We can each make choices, to not only enjoy nature, but to keep nature in its pure state. In Montana, everyone I know from across the political aisle, cares about our water, mountains, forests, animals, and birds; we want nature to remain natural and to refrain from doing things that mess with it. Nature is a gift to each of us that allows us to get a glimpse into the Divine, into the secrets of creation, into G-d. if one is struggling at Synagogue, if prayers and Torah study isn’t feeling inspiring, take a hike, cold plunge or horseback ride before heading into Shul and the experience of spiritual intake will be exponentially better. Don’t take my word for it, give it a try yourself.

Loving G-d isn’t too complicated in nature!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!