The Poetry of Autumn - Tuesday Kavvanah, 11/8/11

During the weekday morning minyan (service), I usually sit by the window so I can see what's going on in the courtyard.  This affords me a ringside seat for the yearly cycle as interpreted by the gorgeous tree that's just outside the chapel.

Fall is the most poetic season; there is something extraordinarily evocative about the death of leaves in an explosion of multi-colored glory.  This morning, as I gazed out the window at the oranges and yellows squeezing out the greens, the morning liturgy washed over me in a wave of medieval Hebrew, and it occurred to me that the poetry of autumn provides a gorgeous counterpoint to the words of tefillah.

Ideally, prayer helps us reflect our souls; when it further breaks down physical walls to connect us with the natural world and Creation, it enables us to reach out beyond human social structures to dance with the Divine. I had a moment like that this morning; these are the moments that we should all seek.