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Tu Bishvat is coming

14/01/2022 09:13:46 AM

Jan14

Dear Congregational Family,

This coming Monday is Tu-Bishvat, the new year of trees in Israel. Over the centuries, Tu-Bishvat has come to mean different things to different people. On the one hand, it symbolizes the gradual change in seasons in Israel from Winter to Spring. In the sixteenth century, the mystics of Tzfat developed the original Tu Bishvat Seder, called, "Pri Etz Hadar - The Fruit of Goodly Trees." The title harkens back to the Torah's description of the Etrog, associated with the Festival of Sukkot.

To this day, many Jews celebrate Tu-Bishvat with a modified Seder. Most versions contain four cups of wine transitioning from white to white-red to red-white to red only, symbolizing the transition from Winter to Spring. Most versions also consist of four different types of fruits: with an outer shell, with an inner pit, with a skin and a pit, and with no inner or outer protection at all. Mystical and rational commentaries are offered. For me, the first three edibles remind us of the need for various layers of protection needed to succeed in this world. The last edible represents our yearning for Messianic times, a stage of utopia, when there will be no need for inner or outer forms of protection in our lives.

For many, Tu-Bishvat affirms our people's connection with the Land of Israel. As a child, I would go door to door with a JNF Tzedakah box collecting donations toward tree planting in Israel. To this day, any time I lead a trip to Israel, we make sure to visit a JNF park and physically plant new saplings toward future growth and vitality in our homeland.

For many, Tu-Bishvat represents our ecological mandate to care for the earth that has bestowed unto us by God. Humanity is instructed in the second chapter of Genesis to be a respectful tenant on this earth, to preserve the land, and to nurture it. The ramifications for today are endless, as we see so much corruption, waste, and pollution of our natural resources.

I hope that all of us will find a way to make the meaning of Tu-Bishvat relevant on its day of celebration, Monday, and every day of our lives.

Shabbat Shalom and Tu-Bishvat Sameach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Fri, 29 March 2024 19 Adar II 5784