80 - The Purple Rhodedendron

As Rabbi Oud Ramonides falls asleep, images of his two grandfathers haunt his thoughts. In the half state between wakefulness and sleep, he hears their voices in discussion. The Ashkenazi patriarch gives the Thanatos view. Yield to the inevitable. Decay is your fate. Accept it. His Sephardi ancestor, the old Sage of Turkmenistan, the Eros of Bay’ramali, gives answer. Seize the day. Be the rare purple Trilby rhodedendron that survives despite all that threatens it. And letting that floral image fill his mind, the rabbi falls into a deep and untroubled sleep. With mindfulness, he has made his way through the troubled trajectory of the day. The rhodedendron rules, okay.