I love taking Celeste and Asher organic apple picking in September and October; this is a beautiful time of year to be outside appreciating God, Nature, local farmers and family time. Year after year, my “lovies” listen to me go on about the Jewish New Year, subsequent holidays and how nice it is to gather our own apples, thanks to hardworking farmers in NJ, PA and NY.

Apples (and honey) are a staple of holiday meals: representing the sweetness of life, the reminder of the fall of man from the Garden of Eden by the eating of the apple by Eve and Adam, the Hope of New Beginnings.

According to Classical Chinese Medicine dietetics, eating organic seasonal foods is an important part of staying healthy; we are better able to withstand physical and mental stressors when our bodies are properly nourished. Being in distress by over-thinking and worrying about the state of affairs in the world can deplete our Spleen-Yi energy leading to poor digestion and an imbalance of our Earth energy, the energy that keeps us strong and grounded.

This time of year, eating cooked root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, and seasonal fruits like apples help stabilize and nourish the Spleen-Yi energy. The apples we pick are made into muffins, pies applesauce, apple butter, fresh pressed hot apple cider, dried apples for snacking and fresh apples chopped up into salads. Warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves are added to these recipes to support the Spleen’s ability to digest nutrients. What we take in from food and from media can affect the body’s ability to fight disease. Conscious consumption is important for a healthy body-mind-spirit.

September 2023 was marked by celebrations every weekend, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot which wraps up with Simchat Torah, translated as“Rejoicing in the Torah”. At the end of the long holiday weekend in October, the kids and I drove up to Fishkill Farms for our annual apple picking adventure. This year was far more somber than the years before because of the terrorist attacks that began on Shabbat and Simchat Torah.

This is meant to be a time of year filled with celebration – both religious and secular. We honor the harvest season by joining with our neighbors at local fall festivals. We bask in the joys and wonders of God’s Word, rejoicing in pray at home and at temple services. 

After being upstate, taking time to appreciate our surroundings and be grateful for the safety we experience here today, we went to a prayer service for Israel. At the prayer service our Catholic Fort Lee Mayor Sokolich joined us. Our Rabbi shared what we can focus on to keep us united: 3 pillars of Judaism 1. Torah 2. Prayer 3. Charity. He also shared what the Rebbe did 50 years ago, during the Yom Kippur War. He encouraged children to pray with joy in their hearts. This Joy would reflect back from God and bring about the end of the War. There is a belief that the Innocent Children will be the ones to help save us through prayer. 

In 1973, the Rebbe had sounded an urgency for weeks before the war began, encouraging prayer from children would be needed to defeat great atrocities. We need our little ones to join in communal prayer. I ask my children to pray every day. In our day to day life, we mainly do that when we have dinner together (to consciously connect with God to keep our Mind and Spirits strong and to direct good energy to our digestive organs to keep our bodies strong). We will continue to do our daily prayers and add more prayers to God for His Care and Protection, prayers for troubled times, psalms will be recited as people around the world continue to pray for Mercy, Love and Protection for those under attack. May Adonai Bless Us and Protect Us and Keep Us Strong and United in Hope and Faith. Praying for the Israeli soldiers to win the fight against the terrorists.