Sign of the Times

I couldn't help but take this snapshot of Honeycrisp apples on sale at my local grocery store.  It helps to remind me that September is almost here, and along with it the eventual arrival of Rosh Hashanah and the slow transition to autumn.  I am looking forward to the season of apples and honey!

Horizons

Two beautiful photos of the Gulf of Mexico taken while I was in Galveston, TX.  These pictures of water, combined with the current season, remind me of the Jewish custom of tashlich, a practice conducted by Jews on Rosh Hashanah in which we cast off our sins from the previous year, embodied in the form of bread crumbs, and scatter them upon a large body of water.  Enjoy the beauty and, again, have a blessed new year.

A Blessed New Year

The High Holy Days really crept up on me this year.  Usually, for the occasion, I like to take a beautiful, inspiring photograph to encapsulate the awe-inspiring nature of the season.  But this year will have to settle for a beautiful, but simple, pink hibiscus flower.  Seize upon the beauty and lessons of the High Holy Days. Let an appreciation for the beauty found by looking outward stir careful reflection inward and let us reemerge into the world fundamentally changed, more compassionate and more aware.  L'Shanah Tovah! May peace and justice prevail in the streets of my hometown of Chicago, in Egypt, for the Syrian people, and throughout the world.  May we appreciate the uniqueness and dignity of all life and strive for the betterment of all.  May HaShem bless the entire world, no exceptions!

Erev Rosh Hashanah at Picacho Peak, AZ

Picacho Peak State Park, AZ

I spent early today first at Picacho Peak and then in the legendary old gunslinger city of Tombstone. Picacho Peak is a state park and, from my understanding, the westernmost point of a little known Civil War battle. I love the unique formation of the mountain's rocky top. It often reminds me of a ship, although I don't know why. I also love the inspiring movement of the peaks, the way they seem to gaze upward into a clear blue desert sky. Mountains are meant to inspire. We all know where Moses went to receive the Ten Commandments.

Whether you're religious or not, it is hard not to feel uplifted by such natural beauty. And so, may the beauty of Picacho Peak, and all of the world's natural beauty, serve as an inspiration to you, as we enter the High Holy Days season. May the beauty of Hashem's creation lift you up into strength in the coming year, and may all of you, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike, enjoy good health, prosperity, and joy, and may the world enjoy the beauty of peace. May G-d bless the entire world--no exceptions!

L'Shanah Tovah!

Picacho Peak State Park, AZ