Each spring, Jewish tradition invites us to say a rare and beautiful blessing upon seeing blossoming trees for the first time: "and the world lacks for nothing." In an age of climate anxiety, loss, and disconnection, these words can feel almost jarring—out of sync with our lived reality.Together, we’ll explore a surprising midrash about how God lured the first human into the world through beauty, and ask: does this blessing ask us to do the same—to see the world not as it is, but as it could be?We’ll also dig into the halachic (Jewish legal) framework of the blessing, and how its details craft a specific kind of spiritual and sensory experience.No prior knowledge of Jewish law, Talmud, or even the blessing itself is needed—just come with curiosity, and a willingness to see the world anew.

Hanna Cherlow is clinical psychologist in training and a life-long Torah learner.