When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Ruach ha’Olam, borei p’ri ha’eitz.
Blessed are You, oh Divine Spirit of the Universe who creates the fruit of the tree.
[Pour a nearly full glass of red wine again and add just a few drops of white. Drink all.]
We now come to our final cup; the drops of white in the red remind us of the first cup of this seder and of the cyclical nature of the seasons. This final section represents what is invisible to the eye. Instead of eating fruit, we may enjoy sweet smells like cinnamon and rosemary. Beyond the cycle of eating is the cycle of breathing, when something lives both within and without us at the same time, when it is so much a part of us that we cannot even see it. At this level all things are already part of each other. We all have this kind of connection with the earth and with God. Like smells, the ways we remember this connection are subtle: the feel of the soil or the smell of the dew, the color of the changing leaves, the sounds of birds migrating, or the clasp of a hand.
Discuss: What helps you remember and appreciate what you cannot see?
Smell: Cinnamon | Rosemary | Bay Leaf | Cedar
The Fourth Cup - The World of Atzilut (Presence, Emanation, Birth)
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When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Ruach ha’Olam, borei p’ri ha’eitz.
Blessed are You, oh Divine Spirit of the Universe who creates the fruit of the tree.
[Pour a nearly full glass of red wine again and add just a few drops of white. Drink all.]
We now come to our final cup; the drops of white in the red remind us of the first cup of this seder and of the cyclical nature of the seasons. This final section represents what is invisible to the eye. Instead of eating fruit, we may enjoy sweet smells like cinnamon and rosemary. Beyond the cycle of eating is the cycle of breathing, when something lives both within and without us at the same time, when it is so much a part of us that we cannot even see it. At this level all things are already part of each other. We all have this kind of connection with the earth and with God. Like smells, the ways we remember this connection are subtle: the feel of the soil or the smell of the dew, the color of the changing leaves, the sounds of birds migrating, or the clasp of a hand.
Discuss: What helps you remember and appreciate what you cannot see?
Smell: Cinnamon | Rosemary | Bay Leaf | Cedar
The Fourth Cup - The World of Atzilut (Presence, Emanation, Birth)
Preview
More
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