We get up one morning and poke our heads out the door to discover the bright sunshine, but this time it is accompanied by a slight warm breeze. Everything we had planned slowly goes out the window-or at least we want it to. Priorities start to shift, we look out the window and can't wait to be done with what is now the menial task at hand. Kids have mentally left schoolwork behind, adults wish they could call in sick to work. Its amazing what a beautiful day can do to us.
Incidentally, this is also the time of year we left Egypt. We have been in a land that recognizes every other G-d but ours, physically slaving away for the Pharoah for very little pay and very little rest. Gee, maybe we are still in Egypt in a way, this all sounds too familiar!
Back then, the Hebrews had to get their act together because they were on their way to receiving the Torah, they had 49 days to go from spiritual depravity to spiritual righteousness. Each of the 49 days was like a ladder or a gate that they had to walk through until they got to where they needed to be on a spiritual level. Today we count the Omer for similar reasons.
Since the beautiful outdoors has such a strong effect on us, there is a custom now during the spring and summer to study Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers, the most widely known tractate from the Mishnah). Nature is at its strongest right now and it awakens physical desires within us. This isn't a bad thing but everything should be in perspective. Along with this the evil inclination is also awakened. We dress differently, maybe dress with less on, and we may think on a less spiritual level because our head are elsewhere (yard work, gardening entertaining etc...). This is where Pirkei Avot comes in. We study it to reinforce the good inclination, to make it stronger and more powerful. Ethics of our Fathers is just that-ethics; morals, values, how we should be behaving. The best time to be reminded of this is when we are out and about with others, typically when the weather is nice and we are more layed back in the spring and summer.
We are all human and it is easy to forget ourselves sometimes, its nice to know we have something like Pirkei Avot to keep us in check!
Happy Spring, Happy Summer, Happy Mothers Day!
Adventuresome Me
- Tamar Ruth
- Who I started out as is not who I have become! I grew up in a small town, very small...and all I wanted to do was move to the city. Now as an adult that small town has grown and is overcrowded. I want what I had as a kid...small town living. We don't appreciate what we have until it is gone. I water my plants with my rain barrel water,grow veggies in the front yard and want chickens and goats in the worst way. I married my high school sweetheart and after 18 years of marriage converted to Judaism. Did I mention I have 4 kids and I homeschool? My oldest son just graduated! The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences--homeschooling, being Jewish and loving it in a not so Jewish town, gardening, animals, and alternative medicines. So, if any of these things interest you---come along for the ride!
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