blogs/brentspodek

Towards the end of January, we'll celebrate Tu B'shevat, the Jewish holiday often thought of as the New Year for Trees. 

The name of the holiday is actually its date, like the Fourth of July in English. “Tu” is a pronunciation of the Hebrew letters for the number 15, and it falls in the Hebrew month of "Shevat."

In ancient times, Tu Bishvat was less of a holiday and more of an accounting date, similar to how for many organizations, July 1 is the start of the fiscal year. 

The Torah teaches, “When you enter the land of Israel and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten” (Leviticus 19:23). So nobody ate the fruit of the first three years. The fruit of the fourth year was to be offered to the priests in the Temple in gratitude for the bounty of the land, and the fruit of the fifth year -- and all subsequent fruit–was for the farmer. This law, however, raised the question of when the year began for the trees, so the Rabbis established the 15th of the month of Shevat as a general “birthday” for all trees, regardless of when they were actually planted.

It was years later, in the Middle Ages, that the kabbalists (Jewish mystics) gave Tu Bishvat greater spiritual significance. In the mystical tradition, all physical forms – including human beings – hide within them a spark of the Divine Presence, just as fruits or nuts hide within them seeds of new life and potential growth. The mystical tradition holds that human actions can release these sparks and help increase the Divine presence in the world, so on Tu Bishvat, kabbalists eat certain fruits as a symbolic way of releasing these divine sparks.

In contemporary times, Tu Bishvat has functioned as a “Jewish Earth Day,” where we center both our spiritual practices and the urgent activism needed to avert further climate catastrophe.  

In years past, we have gathered for Tu Bishvat Seders, modeled on the teaching of the mystics. This year, there are a few ways to take part:

• We’ll have Tu B’Shevat activities at Masa on January 24th. All Masa-aged kids in our community are welcome to join us: grades 3-4 at 10am, grades K-2 at 11am, and grades 5 and above at 12pm. Be in touch with Julia for the Zoom link. (email link: julia@beaconhebrewalliance.org )

• On January 27, Cantor Ellen will lead an on-line seder focused on connecting a 500 year old Kabbalist tradition with an appreciation for our planet and an awareness of various contemporary environmental issues.  We will come together through song, learning, and a seder to celebrate the beauty and magnificence of the earth. We will drink 4 cups of grape juice/wine as well as bless and eat 4 types of fruit.  With each one we will have a Kabbalistic teaching and look at a contemporary environmental issue. We will go to breakout rooms for some discussion. Please click here for more information and registration.

• Finally, our friends at Hazon are hosting the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest, with a fantastic line up of programs, including:

• Why Climate Change Must Be a Central Moral Issue of The Jewish Community

• Rethinking Creation for the Age of Climate Crisis: Rabbi Dr. Arthur Green in conversation with Dr. Stephanie Kaza

• The Forever Garden: A Children’s Book Reading with Laurel Snyder

However you mark the holiday, I pray this coming year is one of renewal for the trees as well as all of us who rely on the trees for food, air and even proof of the Divine Presence.