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What readers are saying about Wisdom Grows in My Garden
“This delightful book by Rabbi Plotkin reveals the wisdoms waiting for us in our gardens: lessons in patience and timing, getting through difficult beginnings, listening deeply to oneself in the midst of the life around us…All this and more awaits our participation, where we find how our own dreams link us to the dreams of the world.”
– Dr. Craig Chalquist, Professor and Co-Editor of Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind.
“Wonderfully accessible and engaging, Rabbi Paul Plotkin’s memoir, Wisdom Grows in My Garden is full of lessons learned from a life of giving to others. Now retired but still focused and caring, Rabbi Plotkin nurtures an ever-present and diverse garden. And here the wisdom of a life lived reintroduces itself. Enlightening, topical and humorous, the stories in this book will make you smile and nod in recognition of life’s simplest, and at times unacknowledged lessons. This is a book you will reread again and again and find something new each time.” – Stella Harvey, author (Finding Callidora and others), mentor at Simon Fraser University Writers Studio, and founder of the Whistler Writers festival.
“I finished the book. I enjoyed it. His love and understanding of gardening and of people is highlighted throughout his book. I enjoyed his wisdom and observations of life and the parallels of gardening and living.”
– Jennifer Taylor, actress
Todd Genger –
As a spiritual leader of a suburban Florida Jewish congregation, Rabbi Paul Plotkin spent much of his professional life helping people connect with their roots. In this book, he digs a little deeper to help people discover the meaning and mystery of life through his sometimes ordinary and often extraordinary encounters with a small backyard garden. Cultivating an appreciation for the vagaries and fickleness of nature and our own understanding and awareness of the world outside our door, we can all find something to laugh about and to cry about in this heartfelt book. Whether you are a bachelor or botanist or pick your vegetables from the can or frozen food section, if you are open to hearing the still small voice that calls out to each of us, Wisdom Grows in My Garden will yield a bountiful harvest of stories to touch the heart and illuminate the soul.
Marty Silbernik –
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” is one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in a long time. I heartily recommend this to folks of all walks of life. We can all learn from the wisdom he shares.
Rabbi Plotkin has taken a seemingly innocuous hobby and draws his experiences in his garden over nearly 40 years into a primer for living a serene, happy life. From poignant moments to simply hysterical battles with the enemies of the garden, you’ll be entertained by his writing style and his story telling.
The parallels he draws between his experience in the garden and experience in life gives the reader a solid road map to the top 25 life lessons that all of us can use from our early years throughout our lives.
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” will draw you in and take you through life’s lessons on a thoroughly enjoyable trip. This book should be in all of our libraries and the top of your book club list!
Bonnie Feldman –
Learning life lessons by nurturing a garden. Especially loved Chapter 36. A home run!
Len Kaplan –
Len Kaplan – January 1, 2023
As someone who was a congregant of Rabbi Plotkin for sixteen years, I found this book to possibly be his most intriguing sermon. while opening us to his private as well as his public life through his garden.
“Wisdom Grows in my Garden” gives us many life lessons. It is well worth the read.
Gail James –
I have known Rabbi Plotkin since he had his first pulpit in about 1978. I thought even then that he had a brilliant understanding of humanity and a moral compass of values worth emulating.” Wisdom Grows in my Garden” is a joy to read. Lessons are taught with a gentle hand and subtle humor that benefit and touch the reader who listens to his deeper message. Highly recommend reading this as time well spent.
Marc Green-Lowe –
A rare find! A beautiful mixture of timeless wisdom and humor, all of which chapter by chapter grow on you like the storied Rabbi’s garden. By the end, you will have read a complete guide for a better life, regardless of your current age.
It is unusual for me to recommend a book for friends and family. However, in this case, you can’t go wrong because you already know which one’s need it.
Nancy Denberg –
“I really enjoyed the book. It made me laugh, it made me think, and used my interest in gardening to teach me about life .”
Vernon Kurtz –
Although I have known Rabbi Paul Plotkin for over 60 years as my classmate, colleague and friend, I did not really appreciate his great love of gardening and his devotion to it. As I read his book “Wisdom Grows in My Garden” not only did I learn about this particular aspect of his life but I followed the growing seasons along with him and learned to appreciate what motivates his passion. More important, as he takes the reader through his challenges of gardening in Florida, he teaches all of us, including me who has known him for so long, many life lessons which will remain with us and make our lives more meaningful. His insights from his garden helped me understand more about Rabbi Plotkin and about myself and for that I am grateful. I am positive others will feel the same way as they read the book, follow Rabbi Plotkin in his exploits in his garden, and gain from his insights and wisdom.
Janice W. –
Gertrude Jekyll writes “A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” Rabbi Plotkin’s “Wisdom Grows in my Garden” epitomizes how many life lessons gardening can teach. An endearing read that encapsulates life’s lessons learned through a gardener’s self-determination and unbridled enthusiasm to yield crops. Charming.
tal p –
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” is such an enjoyable read. I found myself chuckling at the authors jokes throughout the book and relating to many of its stories. After I read this book ( in a few hours no less, as I couldn’t put it down) I kept quoting the lessons to my family throughout the day. These life lessons are timeless and apply to all parts of your daily life. A must read for anyone looking for an entertaining book on self improvement.
Jonathan Chariton –
“Wisdom grows in my garden” is a collection of introspective life lessons, applicable to everyone, told from the perspective of a master observer as he tends his garden over the course of decades.
A super easy and fast read, it flows so well you almost forget there’s a book in your hands.
A shortcut for anyone looking to understand the type of wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experience and deliberate reflection.
The lessons taught by Rabbi Plotkin are universally applicable with comprehension normally reserved only for those with direct personal experience.
A must read for those actively interested in personal improvement or anyone seeking an enjoyable and easy read where they learn timeless life lessons without realizing it!
Howard T –
Wisdom Grows in My Garden by Plotkin is a must-read for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of their own place in the world through the insights and life experiences of a well-cultured Rabbi. The stories will give you a greater appreciation and help you find peace in your everyday life. This beautifully written book is a treasure trove of wisdom, practical advice, and inspiration. Plotkin’s writing is interesting and engaging, and his intuitions are both profound and pragmatic. The book will provide a way to relate religious concepts to everyday life, such as the importance of patience, hard work, and care in both gardening and one’s spiritual journey. Hearing Plotkin’s personal experiences in the short and easy-to-understand chapters will naturally encourage listeners to reflect on their own experiences and learn from them. You don’t have a be a seasoned gardener to enjoy and gain from this book. Highly recommended for everyone!
Lance Breitstein –
As an atheist and someone that knows NOTHING about gardening, this book made me long to explore nature, the art of gardening, and reflect upon life itself more thoroughly.
No matter your background, the life lessons distilled through the many gardening metaphors will resonate with you. It is written in a beautiful way that evokes strong imagery in the reader’s mind and I was able to flow through the book with ease.
For anyone, this book is a wonderful window into Rabbi Plotkin’s life lessons as well as a window into how nature has so much to share with us even when it might feel our society today is becoming further and further disconnected from it.
Jeannie Forrest –
A sweet treatise on the multiple parables to be found in a gardener’s life. Deceptively simple, these heartwarming little moments are full of distilled wisdom from a life well-lived. The Zen of the final chapter (a pensive look at green beans and our own eventual passing) made me a little weepy. Without any direct references to Buddhism, this book is full of reminders of samsara, which literally means “flowing around,” in Sanskrit—or a reminder of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
This book is a comforting chat with your favorite wise zayde. Lots of anecdotes filled with life lessons.
Paul Kochberg –
I was hooked just while reading the Forward and then could not put the book down before concluding the Epilogue. Rabbi Plotkin makes excellent use of a mixture of analogies, metaphors, nostalgia and humor to illustrate many important life lessons learned when comparing the planting, nurturing, growth and harvesting of the produce of his garden to a person’s growth in life. Through the use of many poignant examples, the author teaches us that, as with vegetables in a garden, we humans need careful thought, planning, nurturing, vigilance and love in order to grow and succeed. Rabbi Plotkin’s many years in the pulpit, caring for his congregants and watching them grow and succeed, have provided him with wonderful perspectives and his application of those perspectives to the elements in his garden and now in this wonderful book is indeed a gift. Enjoy it and learn from it, as I did.
Dr. Marc Kramer –
As a self-styled Jewish urban gardener and kosher foodie myself, I could not wait to dig into Rabbi Paul (aka: Pinchesell) Plotkin’s new book, “Wisdom Grows in My Garden.” What I found is more than a paean to fresh peas or a trip down mealtime’s memory lane; it is a rich, often funny and always thoughtful look at how some of life’s most profound lessons can be learned from the simplest of acts. Rabbi Plotkin serves up generous portions of highly-relatable family anecdotes, insights from a lifetime on the pulpit, and gentle reminders to find the mysterious in the mundane. “Wisdom Grows in My Garden” belongs on the shelf next to “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “Blessings of a Skinned Knee,” and other beloved books that invite the reader to pause and see things from a different – and much brighter – perspective.
Allison Rieders –
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” is an entertaining, fast read that teaches life lessons through the seemingly simple task of gardening, which turns out, is not so simple! The continuous self-reflection of Rabbi Plotkin on stories from his life, keep the reader engaged and thinking through each chapter. Rabbi Plotkin lists 25 life lessons that will make you reflect on your life experiences and want to share them with others.
Allison Rieders –
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” is an entertaining, fast read that teaches life lessons through the seemingly simple task of gardening, which turns out is not so simple! The continuous self-reflection of Rabbi Plotkin and stories from his life, keep the reader engaged and thinking through each chapter. Rabbi Plotkin lists 25 life lessons that will make you reflect on your life experiences and want to share them with others.
Jon Chester –
“Wisdom Grows in My Garden” by Rabbi Paul Plotkin was such a fun read. As a newer homeowner in South Florida I found that I had had not just a few, but many shared experiences with the author! It is amazing what lessons we can learn about both life and ourselves by simply observing the living things in our yard, and Rabbi Plotkin did an excellent job channeling these into concise, applicable points. It’s humbling how many different interactions have to occur before that perfect fruit or vegetable ends up in our kitchen! I might not be as passionate as the author about working my garden, but I can still empathize with the highs and lows that come with the hobby. There is something in this book for everyone, as Rabbi Plotkin has clearly lived a life rich with teachable moments.
Alan Fishman –
Rabbi Plotkin has written a delightfully easy to read and enlightening book using the lessons he learned from raising vegetables and fruit to provide deep insights into human behavior and life. Wisdom Grows in My Garden tells the story of how, after leading a large and challenging congregation for 30 years and raising 3 children, he found himself in need of a new challenge to use his innate talents to nurture and help in the growth of living things. In the book, zucchinis, string beans and tomatoes take on humanlike status – with challenges to their birth, development, and survival, complete with friends (nutrients) and enemies (iguanas). Rabbi Plotkin weaves simple, yet insightful lessons about life into the tale of his evolution as a home gardener. His battles with nature’s pests and iguanas made me laugh out loud, and was the pathway to his lesson No. 8 – “Never ignore your enemies or one day they may take over”.
Perhaps the biggest lesson in life in this tale is that Rabbis are also interesting human beings, with the same emotions and struggles as the rest of us.
Linda Storfer –
In his latestbook\\\\\\
In his latest book, Rabbi Plotkin discusses his love of gardening, his love of the land and how this experience brings him closer to nature. Written with wit and intellect, he deals with many important topics including family, his own nuclear one and the one he produced, food and the consumption of it, human relationships, health, Judaism and death. Amazingly, he connects all of them to gardening. The book is well crafted and through his writing the author provides his readers with a template for many of life’s important issues, problems and how to resolve them.
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