43 Paradise in Heaven and on Earth

In the period between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, when the Day of Atonement is approaching and Jews reflect on their deeds in the past year and resolve to mend their ways, many of them quote the traditional poetic description to the effect that He who dwells in Heaven judges mankind the way a shepherd judges his flock and decides who will live and who will die, who by water and who by fire – and they ask for mercy so that they may have a good life that ends in paradise.

Paradise – the image of good, of plenty, the wonderful and the miraculous – has assumed many forms also in the descriptions of this world and one of them is the name of the lovely flower that blossomed this week in my garden. Two beautiful flowers of the "Bird of Paradise" grace the entrance to my house and another two are about to bloom in the next few days. There are those that seek paradise in heaven or in the mythological past, and others who are content to make do with what they find in this world – the revelation of beauty and glory.

The images of paradise in the heavens and on earth can be stretched a bit more to ask the question whether it is preferable to seek beauty and goodness in distant worlds or on earth, even near our own home; and should we rely on the powers of the Almighty who would mend the world as He would or should we aspire to improve the world with our own meager resources. To this question is added yet another – whether it is even possible to repair the world – that is to say, ourselves – without the idea of a Perfect Being that everything is directed towards and judged by.

These days, between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, one could consider the question, where do we stand in the continuum between the sky and the earth, between paradise and the 'Bird of Paradise', between the record in the 'Book of Life" and the ability to enjoy the world around us and to concern ourselves with improving and beautifying it.