Note: I wrote this post a year ago. And it sat as a draft in my WordPress until today. In honor of Ilana-Davita and because Raizy misses Ilana-Davita’s parsha post this week, I am now hitting ‘published.’ Please note that I never finished, but at the bottom you will see that I found a high school student who did.
And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
One of the problems with writing about the parsha is getting it up before Shabbat is not always the easiest task, and one often has more time to review the parsha on Shabbat. So here’s a few more thoughts on the years of Sarah, before we turn to the parsha of this coming week, Toldot.
What’s the question about the opening pasuk, the opening sentence of the Torah portion? Unless you read Hebrew, you might think from the English that it only says “years” twice. However, it really says “shanah” or years 4 times. Since everything in the Torah is repeated for a reason, why so many years?
There is a midrash that goes with the story of Sarah. It’s like this:
When Sarah was 100, it was as though she was twenty in sin.
And when Sarah was 20, it was as though she was 7 in beauty.
So Rashi claims that we learn this midrash from the fact that the pasuk repeats the word “shanah” or year: 100 years, 20 years and 7 years. But the Ramban says no, we learn the midrash from the end of the pasuk, where it says “And these were the years of Sarah.” Because by Yishmael, it also has years repeated, but his years were not all alike.
Young moms, little baby, young trees in Donaldson Park Thursday Challenge theme this week is “YOUTH” (Young, Energetic, Optimistic, Children, Baby, Education,…).
I believe soup is one of the healthiest foods one can eat. And it is yummy, too!
As Lewis Carroll wrote:
Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Soo–oop of the e–e–evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!
Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Beau–ootiful Soo-oop! Soo–oop of the e–e–evening,
Beautiful, beauti–FUL SOUP!
— Lewis Carroll
According to this article, that poem was a parody of a poem called “Star of the Evening.” More of Lewis Carroll’s funny poetry on this page.
We will really have to go somewhere else in New Jersey soon, because I keep showing you images from our wonderful trip to Allaire State Park (if you click on that link, you’ll see all my posts on Allaire). There is a fun train ride called the Pine Creek Railroad at Allaire, and I had fun using the Live Trace tool in Illustrator to come up with the above image. I used Photoshop to get the train conductor’s face to look not posterized, by putting the photo under the Live Trace image and erasing the Live Trace layer on his face.
Another version: this one shows more color and detail, especially of the foliage behind the train.
And here’s the caboose at the train’s end, turning the corner.
“If I put something
in the water,
I can make Birthday Soup.
All my friends like soup.”
– Quote from Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
– Illustration by me, inspired by Maurice Sendak
I did this illustration (ink and watercolor on paper) for an upcoming soup post (thanks to everyone who shared a post of a soup recipe – soup post is planned for Wednesday), and later this month I plan to do a post on book illustrators.
Do you have a favorite illustrated book or illustrator? Please leave the name in the comments. Thanks!
The happiest flowers in my garden in this cool autumn are the marigolds. We also have mums, white alyssum, snapdragons, rudbeckia and a solitary pink rose. The last of the summer impatiens died this past week.
I saw a neighbor had red and pink carnations that were still showing color.
If you take the dried up marigold buds, open them to reveal the seeds, then sprinkle them in your yard, next spring you will have a renewed treat.
What do you see in my daughter’s drawing? I can only guess myself. I will consult with her by Monday to find out what she was trying to depict. Have fun with this.
Farmer's Market, Highland Park, New Jersey
I decided to play a bit with the Live Trace tool in Illustrator and came up with this version of one of my photos of the Highland Park Farmer’s Market. I want an illustration for my upcoming soup post, though this one won’t be it. But the tool has potential for other projects.
