Thoughts Archives - Vegetating with Leslie

An Ant and a Rubber Tree Plant: A Metaphor

On: June 7, 2022June 14, 2022 By: Leslie Cook

Everyone knows an ant can’t . . . move a rubber tree plant. A metaphor for our relationship to a life so much greater than we can imagine.

A Story of Relationship: Biblical Anthropomorphism

On: May 1, 2020June 16, 2020 By: Leslie Cook

I love mythology. Like religion, it speaks in the language of “as if.” It is the human story, telling us who we are, where we fit in, our purpose. And our ability to create stories and engage others in them is our

On: March 29, 2020March 6, 2021 By: Leslie Cook

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to share in services and Torah discussion on Zoom with a group from my synagogue. Our Torah discussion crystallized some thoughts I have about a set of themes that seem to compete in the Torah. The

On: February 24, 2020March 6, 2021 By: Leslie Cook

I had an interesting conversation the other day. It included something of a debate about who we are as human beings and the question, are we evolving or devolving? It seems to me the answer is yes — and no, depending on your

On: January 21, 2020July 10, 2020 By: Leslie Cook

I began my current journey in biblical studies six years ago on a walk with my violence-averse husband. A dead and partially mutilated rabbit ended our stroll around the neighborhood with his exclamation of dismay. I asked why “these kinds of things,”

On: March 25, 2019March 1, 2020 By: Leslie Cook

I haven’t written as much on the Torah portions after two years of working pretty steadily at them. With my focus on the relationship between human beings and other animals, it was inevitable that I would have to struggle with the “meaning”

On: March 10, 2019March 2, 2020 By: Leslie Cook

I’m interested these days in the relationship between human beings and other animals, how we fit into the fabric of nature, how we managed to get from a mediocre position in the food chain to top spot, and what we have done

On: February 8, 2019March 23, 2020 By: Leslie Cook

Tuesday evening the wind picked up in the wetlands where I live. As it grew dark, I heard it whistling around our home, shaking the windows. The back door was frozen shut. A lot of things come to mind on nights like

On: August 12, 2018August 13, 2018 By: Leslie Cook

This portion, Re’eh, includes what I believe is a pivotal statement with regard to animal sacrifice and the relationship between humans and other animals. It is a significant next step in the biblical Story of the Animals: Deut. 12:15-16 15 רַק֩ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֨ת

On: August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 By: Leslie Cook

My grandson loaned me his copy of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. I’m struggling to understand it — not because the words don’t make any sense or because of complicated calculations but because of the vastness of