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.”
In Jerusalem, Tu BiShvat Offers a Welcome Respite from Winter
Coming a month and a half before the spring equinox and two months before Passover, Tu BiShvat provides a glimmer of springtime at a time when winter can often be at its cruelest.
The Four Children of Climate Change: A Passover Seder Insert
When Are We Free? A Seder Activity for All Ages
This Passover, I'm Breaking Free to Reclaim My Creativity
I went zip-lining and bungee-jumping. I would have preferred sitting by the pool with a book, but there I was, catapulting myself into a canyon.
Don't Pass Over These 8 New Books for Spring
This Passover, here are eight intriguing new Jewish books, in a range of genres, that you can grab right now - printed on crisp papyrus or downloaded directly to your, ahem, tablet.
A Social Justice "Dayenu" for the Modern Era
This year, American Jewish World Service created a new video that offers a social justice twist on this traditional Passover song. What would you add to their modern-day list?
5 Ways to Be an Advocate for Racial Justice at Your Passover Seder
Our retelling of the exodus from Egypt is incomplete if we don’t recognize that others are still enslaved. It is our moral duty to continue working for fairness for our fellow Jews and for those who remain enslaved by racism.