Tu Bish'vat Seder
Join us as we celebrate Tu Bish’vat—the Jewish new year for the trees! While it may still be cold and grey in New York, growth is happening, the sap is beginning to flow in the trees, and new life will soon be sprouting beneath our feet. In a time when the effects of climate change are increasingly destructive, our tradition gives us an opportunity to bless the beauty of the natural world and to deepen our spiritual connection to the trees and plants that we depend on for so much.
CBST Tu Bish’vat Seder
Sunday, February 1st | 6:00pm ET | Zoom
Guided by Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Interns Alana Krivo-Kaufman and David Elitzer, we will partake in the communal Tu Bish’vat Seder. Through song, kavanot (intentions), and blessings we will bring holiness to our ceremonial foods and drink. Our Seder will take place online only, via zoom.
To participate in the Seder, we invite you to bring:
- White and Red grape juice or wine—enough for four cups!
- Food(s) with an inedible outer covering and edible inside: pistachios, peanuts, pomegranate, bananas or citrus.
- Food(s) with an edible outside but inedible pit inside: dates, olives, apples, nectarines.
- Food(s) that are entirely edible: berries, figs, or grapes.
- Fragrant spices, for smelling.
Whether you have these items or not, we encourage you to join this beautiful ritual.
Tu BiSh’vat Teaching
by Rabbi Marisa Elana James, Director of Social Justice Programming
The Jewish New Year for the trees, Tu Bish’vat, may be based on the desert climate, where the winter rains make this the greenest season of the year, but no matter where you are, there is always something growing from the earth that’s worth celebrating.
This year, as I watch the roots and tendrils of resistance to federal invasions in Los Angeles and Chicago and Minneapolis spread to other cities across the United States, I find myself praying for those roots to grow and flourish just as much as I pray for the trees themselves to grow and thrive.
The Tu BiShvat seder is organized around the concept of creation having four distinct worlds:
- Asiyah, literally “action,” corresponding with the element of earth and with doing,
- Yetzirah, literally “formation,” corresponding with the element of water and with feeling,
- Briyah, literally “creation,” corresponding with the element of air and with thinking,
- Atzilut, literally “emanation,” corresponding with the element of fire and with being.
Earth, water, air, fire. Doing, feeling, thinking, being.
During the seder, each of these is recognized with a glass of wine or grape juice, one entirely white, one entirely red, one white with a few drops of red, one red with a few drops of white.
In these strange and fraught times, some of you have told me “I wish I could do more, but I just can’t go to protests in person.” or “I just don’t have the capacity to stand outside in the cold.” or “I can’t donate money right now.” And I want to remind you what our Senior Rabbi Emerita Sharon Kleinbaum says all the time: no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
The four worlds of the Tu Bish’vat seder reflect this. Whatever roots and tendrils you’re sending out into the world matter. If you’re showing up physically, your cup is overflowing. If you’re making calls to elected officials, your cup is overflowing. If you’re making donations to mutual aid funds or organizations working for justice, or checking in with your friends to say “I bet you’re overwhelmed – I know I am. Let’s talk about it so we’re not feeling alone,” your cup is overflowing.
For many years, I’ve been praying for the same roots of resistance that my Israeli and Palestinian friends have been nourishing, through incomprehensible tragedies and losses. And over the last several years, I’ve been especially grateful for their inspiration and support as we in the US have been learning what it means to live in profound opposition to our government.
When I lived in Jerusalem, I joined (and sometimes led) groups from Rabbis for Human Rights that showed up in support of Palestinian families in the West Bank who were trying to harvest their olives, care for their trees, and in the right season, plant new saplings in peace. The protective presence of Jewish allies – Israeli and international – made it more likely that they wouldn’t be harassed or attacked by violent settlers. That violence has only increased over the last two years. And winter, the rainy season, is the season of planting.
One way I’m choosing to honor Tu Bish’vat this year is by donating to RHR towards more trees for Palestinian families, to replace those destroyed by settlers. https://tree-rhr.org
It is always the right time to think about planting, even when the ground is frozen. Maybe your cup is mostly red with a little white, or mostly white with a little red. Maybe your action is mostly donating with a little marching, or mostly direct service with a little community support. No matter which part of the work you’re focusing on, I hope you feel the blessings running through the roots you’re putting down. May all of them grow and flourish.
Rabbi Marisa Elana James
Director of Social Justice Programming