The <I>midbar</I> is a perfect metaphor for leadership. Good leaders escort us through uncertainty. They provide the direction forward and offer their reassurances to keep going when we get stuck.
Jewish Ledger
Torah Portion – Terumah
By Shlomo Riskin
“They shall make an ark of acacia trees. Overlay it with pure gold – outside and inside – and you shall make upon it a gold crown all around. Cast for it four gold rings and place them on its four corners, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Into these rings you must insert the [two] poles of acacia trees which you are to overlay with gold, and with which you are to carry the ark. The staves shall remain in the rings of the ark; they may not be removed from it. You shall place into the ark the Testimonial Tablets which I will give you” (Ex. 25:10-16)
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In his seminal work, “Last Child in the Woods,” Richard Louv theorizes that humans have a genetically hardwired connection to the natural world.
It’s a connection that springs to life with the blossoming of a tree or flower, stimulating a kind of joy that transcends aesthetics and harkens back to a time when flora in full bloom was an unmistakable symbol of human sustenance.
The dependence on nature’s bounty is behind the Bible’s mentions of more than 100 plants, often for symbolic reasons that can enhance an understanding of the texts.
On Wednesday night and Thursday, Jews in Israel and around the world will mark the minor holiday of Tu Bishvat, celebrating nature by planting trees and eating (often dried) fruit, and paying closer attention to arboriculture.