At Tu BiShvat, Digging for Spiritual Growth
While my neighbors were putting their Christmas trees to the curb, in what seems like a ritual of replacement, I was preparing to plant for Tu BiShvat.
Those Who Plant Will Reap: A Tu BiShvat Lesson
Tu BiShvat is a reminder that we spend our lives planting seeds. Time and effort are needed for our efforts to bear fruit. Wait patiently. One day, like the seed, we will be blessed.
Planting a Seed
By Joshua Weinberg
“And when you come into the Land, and have planted all manner of food bearing trees… (Lev. 19:23) The Holy one Blessed be he said to the people Israel: Even though you have found [the land] full of plenty, you shall not say: We shall sit and not plant, rather proceed with caution in your planting… For as you have entered and found the fruits of others’ labor, you so shall plant for your children. (Midrash Tanhuma)
If you’re like me, then you may remember that pivotal moment of Jewish education when you received your very own Jewish National Fund (JNF) certificate for a tree planted in Israel. Whether it was for a birth, birthday, bar/bat mitzvah, or in memory of a loved one, a tree was planted in Israel to mark the occasion. The message was clear: with every passing milestone we want to connect Jews to the Land of Israel and to the Zionist enterprise. All of us who were the fortunate recipients of such trees knew in the recesses of our mind that somewhere in that strip of land, in some forest, was our tree, our little piece of Israel. As the certificates read, the JNF wished us the following: “We wish you the fortune of seeing it grow with much pleasure and ease.”
Building Sukkot for Ourselves and Others
Galilee Diary: Winter
It is life we want, no more and no less than that, our own life feeding on our own vital sources, in the fields and under the skies of our homeland, a life based on our own physical and mental labors; we want vital energy and spiritual richness from this living source.
Sukkot in Jerusalem: A Precarious Balance
Jerusalem is home to a unique type of sukkah: precarious and cantilevered, they hang off the sides of buildings – and between the two Jerusalems, one above, one below.
11 Incredible Sukkot You'll Love
As Jews the world over construct their own sukkahs - temporary, walled, outdoors structures with a view of the sky - we've rounded up a few especially impressive versions.
Shelter for all: The Reform Movement mobilizes around the Dream Act
Sukkot, the celebration of bounty and harvest, is the plural of the word sukkah.
Shelter for All: Reform Jews Mobilize around the Dream Act
In the spirit of Sukkot and the sukkah, the Reform Jewish community is mobilizing throughout the country to pass a clean Dream Act of 2017.
4 Ways to Spread Kindness this Sukkot
Many communities still need our help In that spirit, here are a couple of ideas you can do with your kids, also with what you probably already have at home.