curious, mostly

Apples have a huge place within Jewish herbalism and plant knowledge. Within Judaism, the separation of spiritual, ritualistic, and medicinal is nearly impossible to separate, existing within a holistic ecosystem that exists between Heaven and Earth. Apples are joyous and magical, tended to and cared for by humanity, and so much more.

It’s always impressed me that Judaism mandates that goodbyes be said with a certain amount of hope. We end Shabbat with havdalah, a beautiful ceremony concluded by extinguishing a twisted candle in sweet wine and singing a song asking for a week of peace and a time of redemption for humankind. Seders end with the promise ‘Next year in Jerusalem’. On Simchat Torah, we conclude the reading of the Torah by rolling back to its beginning. Funerals end with Kaddish, a prayer not about death but about the generous gift of life and God’s goodness. At the completion of shiva, the rabbi often takes the mourners out of their homes for a brief stroll that enacts literally what is meant symbolically – walking them back into life. 

Somehow Jews trust that every ending is also a beginning, that the broken hearted will again feel loved, and the sun will rise no matter how long or dark the night.

19th century Purim pastry stamps from Odessa, Ukraine. Pisces and Fish symbols are associated with the Jewish calendar month of Adar in which Purim occurs.