Continuing on with a meditation on the shema and v'ahavta, the phrase that jumped out to me today was that if we serve G-d with "all our heart and all our soul," then G-d will give us rain for our land, and in its proper time - early rain, and late rain - so that we may gather in "grain . . . wine . . . and oil." (The verse goes on to discuss also providing grass for the cattle, and eating and being satisfied, which in itself is an incredibly fascinating discussion on its own - what it means to not only eat but also "be satisfied."
Grain, wine, and oil. Mankind certainly doesn't need much more than that to survive, that's true. Come to think of it - bread dunked in oil with wine - maybe that should become a new staple meal.
But, of course, my mind automatically also goes to the potential mystical implications and meanings of each. And without any sort of knowledge or basis whatsoever, I propose:
Grain - wellbeing, daily sustenance, getting "the daily bread," everyday health and activity, rootedness, earthiness, blessing, soulfulness, taste, family, Torah study
Wine - fun, joy, personality, spunk, celebration, mysticism, community and the kindness of strangers, holidays, specialness, craft and ancient wisdom, smell, meditation
Oil - beauty and making beauty from pressure, richness, wealth and abundance, close friends, prayer and mitzvot touch, stable instability, adornment, unasked-for blessing, longevity, character
While it was half-intentional, grain, wine, and oil could be representative of the three basic sources of my own Jewish spiritual life - Torah study, meditation, and prayer/mitzvot.
We need all three, and must recognize that with our own efforts in the service of H', all three eventually - just like everything else in the universe - come from H'.
To be continued in a meditation. Grain . . . wine . . . oil . . . a trio that is profoundly straightforward in its meaning for daily life and sustenance but also infinitely deep in its mystical application.
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