Poet Beth "Batyah" Elishevah Ginzberg expresses her creative poetic meditations about water as a very powerful atmospheric element of the environment. Ginzberg wrote these poems at the East Rogers Park Lake Michigan Beaches, on-the-spot, to experientially convey the full effect of the Great Lakes of Chicago, IL USA for your reading pleasure.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

A TREE OF LIFE ON TU B' SHEVAT



“It is a tree of life to all those who hold on to it, and those who support it are blessed.” [Torah]

Gingko trees surrounding sandy seashores spilling fan-shaped yellow leaves onto the ground in autumn and dropping orange candy-like berries onto the ground to squish with the soles of your shoes, swaying in the winds at a playground where children play after jumping in the lake and wetting their swimsuits.

Trees of grandeur and delicacy, winding branches like arms of a Chanukah menorah, reaching upwards towards the heavens as do the arms of man when he lifts the Torah Scroll higher and higher with a firm grip.

Gingko trees that welcome the songs of children and their laughter after eating a good kosher meal.

A tree that shades your eyes from the fierce sandy seashore sunrays, its leaves like sunglasses letting in only a shadow that guards your eyes from too much otherwise blinding light.

Tu B' Shevat, a holy day holiday that represents the deepness of the roots of the trees as the Gingko trees' network of winding roots beneath its trunk, roots of a family and the genes and DNA of your ancestors, still growing deep into the ground with richness to support the strong tree branches like the mighty arms of G-d that grow above your head.

Eating the nutrients of nuts and fruits, drinking both the red and white wines, having a cup of hot tea.

Letting the upwards growth of a blessed tree stretch your thoughts highly above the dusty ground into an upright climb towards improvement. To study the Torah and have it be your tree, a guide towards spiritual improvement that with daily study occurs everyday.

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