Rabbi's Message

Today is Tu B'shevat, the new year for the trees.  We celebrate it by eating fruits, especially the seven species of Israel, as well as taking time to reflect on and recommit ourselves to environmental concerns.  Some also mark this holiday with a Tu B'shevat Seder, which we will be doing at Shabbat dinner next Friday night, February 22, with our musicians-in-residence, Sheldon Low and Hadar Orshalimy.  I hope you can join us for that.  This year I find myself thinking about the meaning of trees themselves.  Perhaps it is because of our bucolic Midwestern roots, but trees have always been meaningful for Rachel and me.  Rachel designed the cover of our wedding bencher with a tree (that had to be redesigned because of copyright infringement concerns, but that is a different story), and much of the artwork in our home features trees.

We even named our youngest Ilan, which means “young tree.”  In addition to their beauty, there is great spiritual significance to trees.  The Torah says a person is “like the tree of the field.”  Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, picks up this idea and explains its meaning.  It says that the roots of a tree symbolize the things that root us: our faith, our essence, and our values.  The trunk and the branches represent inner and outer growth.  This happens through our relationships and the lessons that we learn in life.  And finally, there is the fruit, perhaps the most important part of the tree.  That’s because the fruit represents the good deeds and mitzvot we share with others.  I think it is worth considering this tree metaphor today, as we do our best to navigate this fast-paced and challenging world.

Returning to what roots us, working towards growth, and sharing our fruit, unique talents, and perspectives with others is how we can nourish ourselves and the world around us.  So today, on Tu B'shevat, take a moment to look out the window and consider a tree's beauty and meaning.  And then, take a look at your own reflection, and think about the lessons that Tree has to teach.