Water, Water, Everywhere….

Courtesy of Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning in Rockville, MD

Hurricanes, tornadoes, storm surges, flash floods… and all of this on top of earthquakes and oppressive heat. It seemed the only way to survive this summer was to “go with the flow!”

The haunting line from “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” is “water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink!” One of the first documents in history to focus on this was the Torah, where “rains in the proper times” was seen as the ultimate blessing, and a reflection of humans behaving properly.  During the fall holidays of Sukkot (Festival of Booths) and Shemini Atzeret (the Eighth Day of Assembly) the themes of water and thanksgiving are intertwined. 

The ritual “props” we traditionally use on the holiday relate to different types of water: the lulav (palm branch) reminds us of the deep well water of the oasis, the hadas (myrtle branch) needs heavenly rain, the aravot (willows) are nurtured by river water, and the etrog (citron) depends on human irrigation. 

The prayer for rain recited on Shemini Atzeret reminds us of our dependence on this critical natural resource, and asks that the winter rains come to help future crops grow, and that they fall “for a blessing, and not a curse.”  All of us who lived through the hurricanes and floods of the late summer can say “amen” to that!

The Greater Washington area is blessed with abundant water; many rivers, streams, and lakes surround us.  And humans have added to these natural resources a number of monuments and memorials which use water to raise our understanding of aesthetic and historic messages.

To experience the sheer power of water, visit the C&O Canal National Historic Park at Great Falls, 11710 MacArthur Blvd. Potomac, MD 20854.  A great place for hiking, bike riding, and kayaking; there is also a footbridge that takes you out to an observation site on the edge of the Potomac from which you can see the magnificent falls.  After a rain, one can see and hear why the psalmist said “The voice of God is upon the water” (Psalm 29).  You can also see the intake pipes where the water from the Potomac is processed and sent to your faucet.  That should motivate your interest in water ecology!

The National Aquarium on 14th and Constitution (www.nationalaquarium.com), while not as impressive as its cousin in Baltimore, is close-by, has 270 species of fish, reptiles, and amphibians on display, and features a “touch tank” for meeting the creatures who share our dependence on water. Bring along the text from Genesis 1 to see how humans share the environment but are charged with being stewards of it as well.

The use of water to add meaning to art and ideas is best seen at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial (www.nps.gov/fdrm/). This 7.5 acre memorial is also a walk through the history of his four terms as president.  Each term is portrayed in an outdoor “room” with stone and water adding to the sculpture and words.  Each successive waterfall is more complex than the previous one, symbolizing the increasing complexity of life and times during his presidency.  Tour guides describe the symbolism of the five main water areas as: A single large drop - The crash of the economy that led to the Great Depression; Multiple stairstep drops - The Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project; Chaotic falls at varying angles - World War II ; and A still pool - Roosevelt's death .

For a fun amphibian experience, take your next set of DC visitors to the DC Ducks (www.dcducks.com) an outdoor tour of DC in rehabbed military trucks that go from street to river and back.  You can see how water and rivers dictated boundaries and limits in the past.  The corny jokes help keep you up for historical facts, and as you progress from Union Station, past the DC Harbor, and across to Reagan National airport, you should reflect on the “flow” of transport and our growing global inter-dependence.

Keep the miracle of water in mind between the Jewish Thanksgiving of Sukkot and the American Thanksgiving in November.  Find ways to help ensure that this amazing resource will be here to bless our future generations.  For ideas, go to the Canfei Nesharim web site dedicated to the Jewish obligation of taking ecology seriously (http://canfeinesharim.org/community/sukkos.php).