3 Elul: BUGS by Rabbi Robin Damsky

BUGS

Bugs. Cabbage moths on the collards. Decimated them. Harlequin bugs, another lover of crucifers, have taken the horseradish and turnip leaves. Squash bugs are laying eggs on the hubbard and red kuri squash, and squash borers have been eating through the stems. Some kind of beetle that I haven’t yet seen is making lace out of the leaves on my new, fragile grape vine leaves. 

It has been a prolific year. My first in our newest, budding food forest. And it’s as if the New York Times put a front page ad out to all the predatory insects: “Get your food here, free!”

I’ve harvested garlic, and collards early in the season. What a crop of parsley for Pesach! The cucumbers are prolific, and our yellow baby watermelons are just yum. It’s not all lost. But I wonder about the intensity of the insects this year. Certainly, I am growing in this North Carolina Piedmont for the first time, but that can’t be the only answer. It’s not my first food forest.

What does this have to do with teshuvah? 

Perhaps at its simplest, we can ask about what our earth is needing to return it to balance as it deals with the stresses of climate change. I am so happy to see the bees pollinating the herbs and fruits we’re growing. What a blessing. And yet, I am startled at this overwhelming invasion of insects. Reading about the Japanese beetles overtaking the wine grapes in Italy, I realize that while, of course, there are years where insects do overtake plants, I deeply wonder about how to restore equilibrium so insects and plants are not overtaking – either one or the other. 

Yes, I use permaculture techniques. Yes, I do companion planting. Yes, I use organic soil and supplements. I compost. I seek to enrich and feed the soil so there is a budding ecosystem of healthy plants. Perhaps these organically grown plants are more attractive to the insects than the ones planted by neighboring farmers who use glyphosate and pesticides. Perhaps the bugs are just going for the yummiest, healthiest plants. 

Okay. I’ll hold it like that. At least for the moment. Because I want those bugs to be here on the planet. They are important. They are part of the web of life; expressions of our Divine Creator. So I’ll reframe. Maybe they are like the internal angst I live with. Sometimes it seems like it’s taking over – I am overrun with pain or fear that is restrictive or destructive. Other times that angst is the food for my growth; my letting go, my pathway to discover deeper wholeness within.

What are your bugs? Where have they taken control? What paths do you have available to you to bring them back into balance? And perhaps most importantly, what might they teach you so you can radiate the beautiful essence that you are, shining your leaves and light more fully?