A poem lovely as a tree.
The 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat is also known as Tu B'Shevat. It is designated as Jewish Arbor Day or the New Year of the Trees. This year this festival begins the evening of Feb. 3.
The "New Year of the Trees" was not merely a poetic phrase. It had profound bearing on Jewish law. In order to observe certain laws it was necessary to know how old a tree was. In days when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem still stood, tithes and offerings had to be set aside from all new fruit and crop produce. Fruit gathered from the previous year's produce could not be used for tithes due on fruit gathered in the next year. Tu B'Shevat was the official "birthday" for all trees and this day was the official deadline. Fruit that had been gathered up to Tu B'Shevat was considered last year's income, while fruit picked after Tu B'Shevat constituted a new crop, hence, the new year's income
Even after the Temple was destroyed the Jewish people clung to memories of the land of Israel, while searching for new ways to give expressions of their love. Tu B'Shevat. deprived of its tangible content, now emphasized the spiritual longing of a people to its land and the fervent hope for a return to its borders.
Hundreds of years ago the custom of eating fruits on Tu B'Shevat arose. By the end of the 17th century Jews living in various countries developed their own rituals and traditions. One celebration of the holiday included a festive meal where thirty fruits associated with the land of Israel were eaten.
One hundred years ago the Zionist movement brought the Jewish people back to the land of Israel. But the land bore the marks and scars of hundreds of years of neglect. Swamps, deserts and hills strewn with rocks, presented the early pioneers-with a seemingly insurmountable challenge. These pioneers took up the life of farmers, road builders and foresters. They built kibbutzim, cities and schools. The Jewish National Find (JNF) provided them with the material means, the land and machinery, to accomplish the task.
Through the contributions of people throughout the world, the JNF has planted over 250 million trees throughout Israel. Forests and parks have been established in honor of America's Bicentennial; to remember world heroes, such as President John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and in memory of the children of the Holocaust. Tu B’Shevat is a time to commit funds for this ongoing reclamation of the Holy Land. Visit: www.jnf.org.
Today Tu B'Shevat is also a time to consider our more general connection to the earth and our obligation to take care of it. The tradition of 'tikkun olam' repairing the world--can be taken in an ecological as well as a spiritual sense. On this day, then, we can renew our commitment to this philosophy by taking matters into our own hands. For example, we could commit ourselves to planting a garden, lobbying our politicians to protect our natural resources, or by planning a family recycling project.
It is our sacred duty to protect the earth, to appreciate God’s presence in nature.
As the Bible reminds us:
“How great are Your works, Lord;
in wisdom You have fashioned them all,
the earth is full of Your creations.” (Psalms 104: 24)
Or as Kilmer wrote:
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Sunday morning, February 1, at 9 AM all religious school grades celebrate our special Tu B’Shevat Seder.