In Jerusalem, I lived on a street lined with coral
trees. All winter long they stood, their
barren branches like spindly fingers grasping the sky.
Then, on Tu B’shvat, the New Year of the Trees, they burst
into glorious blossom. Suddenly my
street was purple and orange and red, fireworks in the air and polka dots on
the pavement. Spring had arrived, and it
was marvelous.
How does it happen that precisely on Tu B’shvat, the sap
courses through the trunk, the branches shake off winter, and the flowers
unfurl? How is it that the calendar is
encoded into a tree’s DNA?
Tu B’shvat reminds us that the Jewish calendar is
inextricably linked to the Jewish land.
And it reminds us that our lives are woven into the earth that sustains
us – the trees that nourish us and the seasons as they turn.
This is the moment to stop and appreciate the goodness of
the natural world, to savor its sights, sounds, flavors and scents. Join us for a Tu B’shvat Seder on Friday
evening (reservations required) or go for a walk through your neighborhood. Remember that we are not apart from the
natural world, but very much part of it.
Here’s to the trees!
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