ספירת העומר
HOD sh b'YESOD
Sephirat HaOmer day 40
Counting Omer 5 full weeks and 5 days of the Omer
"Torah compares to a fig tree; Figs on a tree do not ripen all at once, but a little each day. Therefore, one keeps finding new figs in the tree each day. So too with Torah: The more one studies each day, the more knowledge and wisdom one finds." (Eruvin 54a)
"In that day (of Torah and peace)...everyone will invite his friend in fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree." (Zechariah 3:10)
MANNA from HEAVEN
- Joy Krauthammer
With every breath,
with every taste,
with all my senses,
gratitude I have and give thanks
as I discover miracles
waiting for me this morning.
I laugh with glee
as I find Your babies
Your treasures are strange:
firm, shiny, smooth, thick-shelled, purple
Passion Fruits!
Their ripened, wrinkled, rumpled rinds, deflating from the dense leafy tendrilled vines
thirty feet wide and my height,
fallen to the ground!
I bend, praise You, lower my knees,
drop to the earth
to gather the precious, egg-shaped bounty, protecting
intensely tart tasting, succulent,
transparent, glowing golden sacs, placentas.
Each envelops a small, crunchy black seed.
Hundreds matured, concealed
Each attached to tissue-thin white membrane.
With care, drops of juice should not spill,
I quickly cut open one rounded passion fruit
revealed for my pleasure. I make the blessing,
ingest Your blessings,
Giver of Life,
this summer season.
Clustered all the way from Gan Eden
beneath giant green leaves,
Figs, when plucked,
exude white sap.
Tender, large, luscious, plump, purple, fresh figs,
symbol of Torah
birthed to enjoy through and through.
In bliss, I lift each sweet sensuous one
up to You.
Figs on the tree, I bequeath
for G*d's other creatures,
as Boaz did in the field
for Ruth, the Moabitess,
to glean and feast in joy.
We taste the mysterious, mystical treasure,
delicate, dry skin and moist flesh,
ripe, bursting forth magenta insides,
awesome to behold, satisfied
I release from the fruit
Holy sparks of life.
I can feel them twinkle
in my mouth and travel within me.
The blesSings of Your Passion and Fig,
I share today with a bride and groom
under their wedding canopy.
- Joy Krauthammer
Manna From Heaven reprinted from:
"The Deronda Review" Vol. 1 No. 2 - Spring-Summer 2008
http://www.pointandcircumference.com/
and
The Jewish Woman 2008
http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/11715/jewish/Krauthammer-Joy.htm
Joy Krauthammer, MBA is a poet, picture maker, passionate percussionist, sound healer, and gardener living in CA.
Joy's recent favorite "Don't Postpone JOY" topic to teach is:
Simchat Chochmah ~ Joy of Wisdom for Baby Boomers.
The fig is a perfect representation for Simchat Chochmah as it is likened to Torah and the Joy of Wisdom.
Figs and Passion Fruit PHOTOS © Joy Krauthammer
http://sephirathaomer.blogspot.comMay the refinement work of cosmic cleansing that I do on myself during the 49 days of Kabbalistically Counting the Sephirat HaOmer help me to mamash/truly be who I am, and need to become. I desire to delete klipot/husks (negative influences) and again ready myself for Shavuot by strengthening, elevating and perfecting my midot/character traits.
All photos/materials in sites by Joy Krauthammer are under copyright protection by © Joy Krauthammer.
Permission by Joy Krauthammer, needed to repost/copy/reprint/use. Request in Comments, FB, or write/call personally.
~ ~ ~
23 comments:
Hi,
Do you also love figs and passion fruits?
BlesSings,
Joy
Feb. 21
Joy's Poem
I will never eat a passion fruit or fig the same way again. Thank you for this beautiful expression of gratitude.
Rabbi Debra Orenstein, LA
-
Jan. 25
Manna From Heaven
This poem makes wonderful use of language. "Your treasures are strange, Ripened, wrinkled, rumpled rinds", beautiful alliteration and rhyme.
The fruit photos are also beautiful and add to my enjoyment of the poem.
This work is a beautiful psalm song of Praise.
Melvin Pasternak, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
-
Jan. 24
Moving Testimony
Wow! What an alliterative explosion!! You certainly have a way with words to bring an intense feeling from the reader. I'm sure Marcel, z'l, is smiling down on you filled with pride as we all are with you. I, too, have tasted your terrific figs and now they will always hold more joy for me whenever I eat them again.
Cindy Epstein, Northridge, CA
Great poem
wonderful poem, and so much in the spirit of Tu B'Shvat and Jewish teachings about appreciating nature and G-d's bounty.
Kol hakavod.
Richard Schwartz, Staten Island, NY/USA
Poem
Beautiful poem Joy! I truly enjoyed it and found that it brought me to many a times in the past (and in the future) being able to grab a fresh fig and passion fruit in your garden...
Brett Freedman, Cambridge, MA
beauty
what a lovely way to praise G-d. so visual, so descriptive, so colorful, so full of gratitude. i am grateful for you my dear dear friend.
hesha abrams, dallas, tx
your poem
very appetizing; I enjoyed reading it. renewed life.
shelly r.
juicy poem
What a joy, to begin Tu'B'Shevat, reading your poem. I am fasting this morning, but my juices are flowing abundant as I taste purple-yellow-green in my mouth on my chin flowing sweet and tangy and tasting of "more ! " and wanting to dance with you creatress around your Tree of LIfe. Bless you sister for this blissful blessing of yours. From Israel with Love.
ronit roth, osafiye, Israel
Rejoicing
I delight and rejoice with you, Joy, on the publication of your sensuous, hearfelt poem—so perfect for Tu'Bishvat!
Love and Blessings,
Dinah Berland, Los Angeles, CA
Jan 21, 2008
Joyful Poem
The poem has depth beauty and most important, expresses joy.
Charles Sherman, Van Nuys, CA
Manna from Heaven
Dear Joy,
What a beautiful, spiritual and luscious poem praising the fruits of the earth. It also invoked that passioniate sense of roots in the Land of Israel--I felt I was standing there, back there in ancient times and now.
Jeanette Shelburne, West Hills, California
Manna from Heaven
Dear Joy
I feel your joy and delight as I read your incredible poem. You are a beautiful poet and I offer you congratulations on having this beauty published. Sending you blessings of love...
Shayna Lester, Santa Monica, Ca.
Thank you Joy, this is a blessing for us all, the trees, and us. You are a blessing. We are all from creation.
Beverly Rimer, West Hills, Cal
Manna from Heaven
Reading your poem, dear Joy, was like hearing and seeing your face. You are always such an inspiration of honest emotions that my heart is full of joy reading your words. Thank you,
Perla Abrams, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dear Joy, You release from the fruit the Holy sparks of life. And we are the bounty who Immerse and infuse in the light and the sparks of your joy.
Rabbi Miriam Hamrell, Los Angeles, Claifornia
Gratitude to YOU
Thank You my Friends & Family & Rebbes,
Thank you my holy sisters and brothers for reading my poem, and sharing your loving, feeling comments from some far away places. I am deeply touched and have tears reading YOUR connection to The Creator, the Holy Land, G*d's creations and to me. I love you.
May we be blessed with an fruitful abundance of health and joy as our G*d given sap flows through out bodies, just as does the birthing sap of the aging trees flow during this time of Tu B'Shvat and all seasons.
Hearing from you at this time is especially appreciated as I was filled with tears the last week during Marcel's, z'l, 2nd yarhzeit, and serious hospitalizations of loved ones. But as you can read, I find and reveal the light of Holiness in my life and share this inspiration.
It feels so good to receive your validation of my fruits. These writings are because YOU have encouraged me in darkness, and in returning to the land of my soul, and I am grateful.
Joy Krauthammer, Northridge, CA, USA
So beautiful -
Thank you, Joy, for sharing this. It is so rich with meaning. Keep sharing!
lots of love,
By Chanie Backman
Tu Bishvat
Mazal tov. Poem is beautiful. I am sure you will inspire many people with the deep energy for life that you have! Blessings, and I was remembering our afternoon under the tree, and carob balls (and fig branches that you brought) last year. In Tangier we celebrated the ceremony for Tu Bishvat reading Pri Etz Hadar, full of teachings from the Torah, Mishna and Zohar... (Enjoy my full story, photos and video on my website.)
Vanessa Paloma, Tangier Medina, Morocco
Moving Testimony
Wow! What an alliterative explosion!! You certainly have a way with words to bring an intense feeling from the reader. I'm sure Marcel is smiling down on you filled with pride as we all are with you. I too have tasted your terrific figs and now they will always hold more joy for me whenever I eat them again.
Cindy Epstein, Northridge, CA
Manna From Heaven
This poem makes wonderful use of language. "Your treasures are strange." "Ripened, wrinkled, rumpled rinds" beautiful alliteration and rhyme. The passion fruit photo is also beautiful and add to my enjoyment of the poem. This work is a beautiful psalm song of Praise.
Melvin Pasternak, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Joy's Poem
I will never eat a passion fruit or fig the same way again. Thank you for this beautiful expression of gratitude.
Rabbi Debra Orenstein, Los Angeles
Hi Joy,
your poem, Manna from Heaven.
It's a beautiful meditation, prayer, poem, and every sentence is so sensual.
Glad I re-discovered it.
Shabbat shalom,
Leslie Tuchman,
WOW!, WOW!, WOW! is that ever spectacular... I have shivers. I, too, have fantastic fig trees in my garden.
They are stupendous and never so honored as they are in this delicious poem.
And they are delicious stuffed with blue cheese, roasted and drizzled with honey over vanilla ice cream.
We should eat figs and read your poem aloud!!
I LOVE it!!!
xo,
Lisa M
Joy,
The poem reads with all the delicious and luscious flavor of the fruit. The photos are glorious. They almost leap off the computer screen.
Thanks for sharing all of this delicious beauty.
Good health and continued creativity in 2008.
Love, Jean K.
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