TBT Blog

Each week during the month of Elul, we will offer a short text and a prompt or two for you to use for personal reflection. We will connect around these prompts during Shabbat services throughout Elul, and invite you to share your reflections in person or online.

In the Jerusalem Talmud (Sotah 3:4, 19a) we read: “Who is a pious fool? A person who sees a ripe fig and says ‘I will give it to the first person I meet.’” A fig is only ripe for a brief time. In this text, our sages encourage us to experience joy - seize that moment, eat the fig! In this second week of Elul, we wonder:

• To whom and/or what do you turn when you need to laugh? Where do you find joy?

• Think of a time you came across a metaphorical “ripe fig” (something joyful, perhaps unexpected, that you had the opportunity to experience but could not save for later)? Did you eat it or give it away? Why did you make the choice you made?

We would love to hear from you! Please fill out this form to share your responses.