The holiday Tu b'Shevat is a time for Jews to affirm their connection with the land
Tomorrow on the Jewish calendar is a minor holiday, but one that, in our current circumstances, has great relevance for us. Tu b’Shevat, the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat, is known as the New Year of the Trees. Originally, at the time when Jews living in the land of Israel gave tithes on their produce to support the Levites and the poor, Tu b’Shevat served to delineate the beginning and end of the fiscal year for tithes on the fruit of trees. The date was likely chosen because it marks the time when the sap in trees begins to rise and when almond trees in Israel begin to bloom, the first blossoms of the season.
Over the centuries, Tu b’Shevat developed into an occasion for Jews around the world to affirm their connection to the land of Israel by eating fruits and grains associated with the land and to appreciate the benefits that we derive from trees, which provide food, shade and beauty and help prevent and repair the erosion of soil. Deuteronomy 8:8 lists seven species that are considered native to the land – wheat and barley, olives, grapes, pomegranates, figs, and dates. The seven species have become a very common motif in Jewish works of art; and trees, in addition to the material benefits they confer, have taken on symbolic meaning. The Torah is referred to in the book of Proverbs as a tree of life, words that are sung by Jewish congregations every Sabbath morning when the Torah scroll is returned to the Ark.
More:Here's what to do when your health insurance requires prior authorization for a treatment
It is customary on Tu b’Shevat to cite the Talmudic story of the sage who observed an elderly man planting a tree, one that would take many years to bear fruit. “Why,” he inquired, “are you planting a tree whose fruits you will likely not be here to enjoy?” To which the old man replied, “When I came into this world, I was able to enjoy and benefit from the trees that previous generations had planted. As they planted for me, so I now plant for future generations.”
Our ethics are grounded in our capacity and our obligation to transcend the self and in our recognition of our interconnectedness with fellow persons, with all living things, and indeed with all of creation. We are fashioned not as isolated, autonomous and self-sufficient beings but as social animals dependent on each other for instruction, mentoring, and guidance and at various times in our lives for material, spiritual and emotional support. It is crucial to see ourselves within a larger context. In addition to the obligation to love our neighbor, Jewish teaching commands us to be sensitive to the pain of all living things and to avoid squandering or wasting objects and resources that could be of use to others. We are connected most closely with family but also with those who live in our local community and those whose time on earth overlaps ours. Additionally, we must recognize our connection to those who will come after us and our obligation to act with wisdom and thoughtfulness to preserve and protect the resources on which they will depend to sustain their lives.
We have known about the ecological crisis and threats to the environment for more than three decades, and the need to act is now more urgent than ever. The tithes with which Tu b’Shevat was originally associated were the Israelite farmers’ way of giving back something of the blessings they had enjoyed to God and to their fellows in need. Having taken from what was here when we came into the world, we must now “plant” for our descendants by giving them the benefit of our efforts to clean up our environment, to minimize further damage to our atmosphere, our soil, and our waters, and by providing them with the resources for a sustainable life.
Rabbi Barry Marks is rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel in Springfield.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Tu b'Shevat is a time for Jews to appreciate benefits of the land
