In the introduction to her marvelous new book, Exploring Perek Shira, Rebbetzin Shoshana Tugendhaft writes: “Nature on all its levels works in perfect harmony, each element vital in a delicately balanced ecosystem.” We are blessed to live near many beautiful natural areas, tranquil wetlands and marshes that illustrate this delicate balance and nourish the soul!
Category Archives: Judaism-Birds-Nature Connections
We’ve just started celebrating a new year on the Jewish calendar, beginning with Rosh HaShana. May we all be blessed to experience a sweet new year of good health, peace, serenity, inspiration, and fulfillment! “Every year there descends and radiates a new and renewed light which has never yet shone.” (Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh, ch. 14) “Lift high your […]
In a few days we will celebrate Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year. The holiday liturgy includes the story of Chana, as told in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible). Chana is disconsolate because she is childless, and, in a powerfully emotional scene, she pours out her heart in prayer to God.Chana’s Song is her prayer of thanksgiving to God after she […]
On a recent evening, we were treated to yet another beautiful sunset over one of our nearby wetland preserves.These two photos were taken just one minute apart. A few moments later, the sun disappeared completely below the horizon. This lovely scene brought to mind a verse from Psalms: “You make the lands of sunrise and sunset sing […]
The current time period on the Jewish calendar is known as The Three Weeks, preceeding Tisha B’Av, the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av. The 9th of Av commemorates multiple tragedies throughout Jewish history, including the story of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple, resulting in the subsequent Babylonian Exile in 586 BCE.Expanding on a verse from […]
Sometimes a seemingly ‘random’ collection of photos doesn’t really ‘tell a story’, but I want to post them as a tribute to the wonders of nature all around me. Maybe the ‘story’ is a reminder to be thankful and never to take this beauty for granted. These little wonders also make me think of one […]
There are many familiar references to the Dove in Jewish literature. Certainly, the Dove is remembered in the story of Noah and the Flood, and as a symbol of peace. I have posted previously on Birder’s Journey (click here) about the Columbaria or Dovecotes, which housed the Doves and Turtledoves used in Temple sacrifices 2000-3000 years ago. […]
This is a very special time on the Jewish calendar, as we count the remaining days between Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. It is said that the birds guided the Jewish people and kept watch over their crossing during the splitting of the Red Sea, following the first Passover. For seven weeks after the […]
The Griffon Vulture is a large and awesome bird of prey, one of the largest and the highest flying of all birds (Nature’s Song, Slifkin, p.222). It is believed by many to be the Nesher (נֶשֶׁר) of the Torah, a bird very often translated instead as Eagle. (As in the moving verse where G-d tells the […]
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