As we enter Iyar, the Hebrew month of healing, the wildflowers are in bloom and refreshing spring greens are abundant.
In the Torah, the people are wandering in the desert, navigating interpersonal conflicts and the harsh conditions of the wilderness. Miriam’s well and manna are brought to the people in the month of Iyar, offering healing through hydration and nourishment. We also encounter the line Ani Adonai Rofecha, which translates to “I am G-d your healer” and is said to be an acronym for Iyar.
One plant I’ve seen popping up this spring is nettle. I remember the first time I was stung by nettles, I was so amazed that a plant could so clearly communicate the need to respect its space. Nettle is a great teacher of boundaries, but if we are gentle enough to get to know the plant, it has many healing properties to share!
At this time of year, when the nettles are still small, they can be carefully picked with gloves and blanched in boiling water to denature the stinging chemical. When cooked, the nutrient-rich plant then resembles spinach. I also dry the leaves to make tea, which is great for reducing spring seasonal allergies. Even the stinging properties can be healing, as they bring blood flow to areas that are sore or arthritic.
In a time where so much of life can feel like the wilderness, it is important to remember that G-d has made remedies for healing all around us in nature. Just like how G-d made manna in the desert for the people to collect every morning, we need only to step outside and find it.
About the Author:
This teaching was written by Raquel Dunoff, Wilderness Torah B’hootz mentor.
Raq (they/them) is an educator, basket weaver, and organizer and is also passionate about the under-appreciated Jewish holidays, diasporic Jewish-plant connections, and the Jewish-Indigenous solidarity. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, Raq attended URJ Camp Harlam where they started to form their spiritual Jewish connection, outdoors. After graduating from Olin College of Engineering, where they focused on hands-on learning and maker education, they moved to the Bay Area to deepen their connection to Judaism through the Urban Adamah fellowship. Amazed by how the Jewish calendar aligns with the seasons in the Bay Area, they dove deeper into to the earth-based Jewish community there, weaving connections between people and organizations, and deepening their relationships with the different plants and seasons there. Now they organize with Jews on Ohlone Land to bring together Jews living in Lisjan Territory in learning to live as good guests on this land and in solidarity with the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.
