A Garden Dedication

Our friends Debby and Chris Baker recently dedicated a beautiful garden at the Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center in memory of their son, Simon. I was honored to be asked to offer a blessing for the occasion and would love to share it with you. 

When a Jewish person dies, instead of saying “may they rest in peace,” we say “may their memory be a blessing.”

When Debby asked me to give a blessing on this occasion, I expected it to be an easy task. In the Jewish tradition, we are supposed to say a blessing before almost every act we perform, and therefore we have hundreds of different blessings. We say a special blessing before we eat a fruit, a different one before we eat a vegetable, one for bread, one for wine, and one for cakes. We say a blessing when we hear a clap of thunder and even after we come out of the bathroom—thanking God that our bodies still fulfil their basic functions. 

Planting a garden, an orchard, or even one tree is considered a mitzvah, an act of compassion and kindness, especially because it benefits not only the one who plants, but a whole group of people and animals, and even future generations. But as hard as I was digging into my memory, trying to recall the proper blessing for planting, I ended up with nothing. Luckily, I have access to an extensive library. As I was searching, I found dozens of ancient texts emphasizing the virtue of gardens and praises for those who plant them—but no blessing. 

I believe the reason for that is that the Jewish practice is to attach a blessing to an act that gives us pleasure. Before we eat a mango, we say a blessing of gratitude for having that mango, when we see a rainbow, we derive pleasure from its beauty, so we say a blessing. Now, before we plant a garden, all we have is soil, seeds, and water. And what do we have after? Wet dirt. Immediately after planting there is nothing that is visually pleasing that merits a blessing. But when we give the newly planted garden some time and water, it becomes a source of endless blessings. Each time we see the seeds germinate and grow leaves and flowers is a blessing. Each fruit, vegetable, and herb receives its own unique blessing. And these blessings renew themselves season after season, year after year. 

One of the old texts I found on my search for a blessing for planting tells us that when a seed is planted, an angel is assigned to it, and that angel constantly encourages the seed to grow and flourish. The children at the Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center are the seeds and the dedicated staff and volunteers are the angels who inspire and urge them to grow in body, in mind, in spirit, and to reach their full potential. 

So, even though there is no official blessing for planting a garden, let me offer one: 

Dear God, you planted the first garden, The Garden of Eden. You did it not for yourself but for your children, to sustain and nourish them. We pray that you bless The Simon Baker Giving Garden and The Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center, its staff, volunteers, and above all, its children. Help all of us who knew and love Simon Baker to remain inspired by him, by Debby, Chris, and Sam as we dedicate ourselves to keep planting seeds, nurturing them, and keeping Simon’s memory a true blessing. 

Amen.