Rabbi Steve Segar's message in Havurah Happenings
The newsletter of the Reconstructionist Havurah of Cleveland   July 2003

On not taking things for granted.

As we (finally!) enter into a summer mode weather-wise, it is a time I think when many residents of Northeastern Ohio become more aware of what a blessing it is to live in this part of the country. We experience once again the blossoming and leafing-out of trees and plants, the pleasant-to-gorgeous weather of late spring and early summer, and the prodigious menu of cultural and educational attractions that regularly reappear at this time of year. All of this underscores the many wonderful dimensions of life in our little corner of the world. It is a time of year that gets me thinking about blessings in general, when I find myself working harder than ever not to take things for granted in my life.

One of the most fundamental thrusts of our religious tradition is its concern that we not take things for granted in our lives. Even activities that seem to be the most mundane and unremarkable, such as eating a snack or walking the dog, are in fact made up of a combination of many miniature "miracles" that together allow those actions to take place. The "spiritual technology" that our tradition developed to help us grow in our ability not to take things for granted is the saying of blessings. Most of us are familiar with some of these, such as the Hamotzi said over bread (or an entire meal) or the Shehechianu blessing that's said to acknowledge significant moments or passages in our lives, such as a couple getting married or the birth of a baby. In fact, there is a treasure trove of traditional blessings beyond these with which many in the Jewish community are not familiar.

There is a teaching attributed to Rabbi Meir in the Talmudic tractate Menachot/Offerings that states that we should strive to recite a hundred blessings each day. While some interpreters take this injunction quite literally and attempt to show how one can, in fact, reach this number regularly by counting up all of the nineteen blessings said in the daily Amida times three, others understand this number as a symbol for the importance of always being on the lookout for opportunities to recite a blessing—and thus re-engage our sense of gratitude and wonder. So it is in that spirit that I share below several blessings that we may have occasion to use over the upcoming weeks of summer.

During a thunderstorm we can recite the blessing over thunder: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha Olam (henceforth BAAEMHO) she Kocho u'gvurato maley olam/ Blessed are You, the Powerful One our God, Life of All the Worlds, whose strength and might fill the universe.

And, of course, the blessing over lightning: BAAEMHO, oseh ma'aseh b'reysheet/who continually enacts the creation.

After a thunderstorm, we have the chance to recite the blessing over a rainbow: BAAEMHO, zochair ha brit, ve ne'eman bivrito ve kayam be ma'amaro/who remembers the covenant and is faithful to it and fulfills commitments.

If you happen to travel to one of the coasts this summer and come within view of the ocean, you could say: BAAEMHO she asah et ha yam ha gadol/who made the great sea.

Finally, if you're going for a walk and a breeze carrying the beautiful scent of flowering trees or shrubs washes over you, you could say: BAAEMHO borei atzei besamim/who creates fragrant trees and plants.

May we all deepen our ability to notice the miracles in our lives.

Rabbi Steve