HUMANITY'S FIRST EARTH DAY, TU B'SHEVAT
JANUARY 2016 BLUFFTON SUN
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
Shalom and greetings:
I wish you a happy, joyous, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2016.
This year in our Bluffton Sun, instead of touring around the globe, visiting exotic Jewish communities, as we did in 2015, we will take a tour around the calendar visiting the Jewish holidays and learning some universal spiritual lessons from them.
January 25th is Tu B'Shevat, the 15th of the Month of Shevat. It is one of the four Jewish new years. This date marks the New Year for trees. Hebraically this day was to mark the age of the tree, so that when it reached the start of its 5th year of existence, the fruit belonged to the owner. Prior to that date, the produce was tithed to the Temple in Jerusalem for charity.
The holiday has taken different forms of significance over the years. From a Zionist view point, trees were planted not only to help turn barren land into fruitful land, but also because in Hebrew tradition, ownership of land is obtained by improving the land with tree planting.
It has also taken on an eco-Judaic meaning reminding us that we are caretakers of the planet, and to leave the Earth in a better state for the next generation. It was humanity's first Earth Day
From a Jewish Spiritual Renewal view, Tu B'Shevat has much meaning. We celebrate it with a Kabbalistic Seder, spiritual dinner, utilizing seven species found in Israel. They are: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. We include almonds, as they blossom now in Israel.
The spiritual lesson is that "a person is like a tree of the field." When fortune has turned for someone, and they have lost all hope and are despairing, they should ponder a tree in winter. Its leaves have fallen, its moisture has dried up, it is almost a dead stump in the ground. Then suddenly, it begins to revive and to draw moisture from the earth. Slowly it blossoms, then brings forth fruits. People should learn from this not to despair, but to take hope and have courage, for they, too, are like a tree.
Tu B'Shevat celebrates the rebirthing of trees in the midst of winter, the Kabbalistic reawakening of Divine energy with God as the tree of life. The idea of having faith and moving forward with hope is a fundamental Judaic principle that has sustained us for 3300 years.
Rabbi Arthur Segal is an international lecturer, author, and teacher. Visit him at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org . Email at RabbiASegal@aol.com .
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
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