Finding God in the Garden: Backyard Reflections on Life, Love, and Compost

by Balfour Brickner

Grieving after the death of a beloved daughter, Rabbi Balfour Brickner struggled with his faith while preparing a flowerbed. One day the rabbi found himself writing down the thoughts that came to him as he turned the soil, and observing nature's abundant examples of order and renewal, miracles and beauty, Rabbi Brickner found his faith returning like a garden in spring.

Using the garden as a sanctuary and springboard, Rabbi Brickner considers the lessons to be learned from the tasks of caring for the land, the wonder of a garden in full bloom, and the connections between Biblical teachings and botanical life. Finding God In The Garden is a passionate, witty, and provocative celebration of mature religious faith derived through nature, reason, and the joys of everyday work.

Explores rational spirituality, reconciling faith with enlightened thought.

Genres: Nonfiction

225 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2002

Reviews

[Joshua Calandrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reflection on spiritual life invites a radical realignment of some religious concepts I've taken as a "given". Accessable to any religious or spiritual background. Abrahamic faiths will jive well with the spice material.
Some key concepts I leave you with:
Doubt and questions comes first, the necessary steps required for any serious inquiry or theological research. Faith in the Master Gardener comes while we participate in creation, by doing what needs to be done. Happy gardening this summer.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a religious girl, but I am fascinated by religion in its many manifestations. This book comes as close to my personal spiritual beliefs better than anything else ever has... Written by a rabbi who examines the world in terms of the microcosim of his garden: life, death, regeneration, reproduction, and even reincarnation (composting! who knew?) are addressed in this wonderful little book. One of my absolute favorite reads ever.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book "found" me at the right time since it speaks on 3 areas of current interest: gardening, reflection, and an interest in better understanding our world's religions.

Written by a rabbi who is a bit of an overachiever when it comes to gardening, I found this very thoughtful. You won't learn much about gardening per se, but the observations about gardening will resonate with anyone who has had aching muscles from it as well as personal pleasure resulting from one's efforts. More importantly, I learned more about the Jewish lifestyle and belief system that I never knew and found it all to be very approachable. My favorite sentence is that "Faith is an act of becoming."

The author draws many parallels between gardening and spiritual growth, hence the reflective part of it. Really a lovely book, but may appeal most to a smaller group of readers.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. Very little about gardening and a lot about Jewish faith by a progressive Rabbi.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbi Balfour Brickner relates the spirituality of gardening to the sacredness of all life. Inspiring, calming, and thought-provoking.