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Celebrate Tu Bishvat with Shalom Sesame: Honoring the Trees
Watch these Shalom Sesame videos with your children to learn about Tu Bishvat, then try some of the fun discussion ideas and activities recommended by Reform Jewish educators.
Celebrate Tu Bishvat with Shalom Sesame: Tikkun Olam
Watch these Shalom Sesame videos with your children to learn about Tu Bishvat, then try some of the fun discussion ideas and activities recommended by Reform Jewish educators.
Aromatic Clementine Lanterns - Bundles of Bounty and Beauty
I’ve always been fascinated and inspired by things that spoon, nestle and stack... from measuring spoons to matrushka dolls, husk tomatoes and garden-fresh peas in a pod.
Jewish Values: Protecting Natural Resources
Natural resources are defined as: “naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified ( natural) form” (Wikipedia). Natural resources are all the natural commodities and features of the earth’s physical environment that are exploited by human population.
The Apple Tree’s Discovery
A litle apple tree is jealous of the big tall oak, until one day it discovers something surprising. This Tu BiShvat story teaches that everyone has qualities that make them special in a unique way, and is a lesson about patience and the passing of time.
Jewish Values: Public Health & the Environment
The relationship between the environment and the health of living organisms is inseparable. Water, air, land, and soil are critical to the survival of all living creatures.
History: The Hanukkah Story
Although according to Jewish custom Hanukkah is considered a “minor” Jewish festival, today it ranks—along with Passover and Purim—as one of the most beloved Jewish holidays, full of light and joy and family celebration.
Hanukkah: Customs and Rituals
Learn about the music, rituals, and food associated with the celebration of Hanukkah.
Ner Shel Tzedakah: Candle of Righteousness
Hanukkah can be a time for us to rededicate ourselves to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, repair of the world.
Tu BiShvat: Customs and Rituals
The Jewish mystics of the 17th century, the Kabbalists, created a special ritual—modeled after the Passover seder—to celebrate God's presence in nature. Today in modern Israel, Tu BiShvat has become a national holiday, a tree planting festivaTu BiShvat is not mentioned in the Torah. Scholars believe the holiday was originally an agricultural festival, corresponding to the beginning of spring in Israel. But a critical historical event helped Tu BiShvat evolve from a simple celebration of spring to a commemoration of our connection to the land of Israel. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. and the exile that followed, many of the exiled Jews felt a need to bind themselves symbolically to their former homeland. Tu BiShvat served in part to fill that spiritual need. Jews used this time each year to eat a variety of fruits and nuts that could be obtained from Israel. The practice, a sort of physical association with the land, continued for many centuries.l for both Israelis and Jews throughout the world