KAVANNAH (Intention) - Shevat

Shevat is the month in which spring comes to Israel. At the end of the darkest time of the year, Shevat brings an end to rain in Eretz Yisrael and witnesses the beginning of the blossoming of the shkedim, or almond trees. As we see new leaves and blossoms on the trees, we are reminded of the change of seasons and the renewal and rebirth of Spring.

Tu B'Shevat
In the month of Shevat, we celebrate the holiday Tu B'Shevat, on the full moon, the fifteenth day of the month. Tu B'Shevat, known as "the birthday of the trees" was a holiday started by the Kabbalists in Tzfat, in northern Israel, in the sixteenth century. The holiday continues until today and we celebrate nature and the trees which give us oxygen and food. It is traditional to have a Seder for Tu B'Shevat, a celebration which might contain up to fifteen different fruits and nuts which grow in the Land of Israel. For the Jewish communities of the Diaspora, Tu B'Shevat helps link us to our spiritual homeland.

Throughout our texts, the value and importance of trees is emphasized. Let us look at some of the verses from our Tradition which teach us to respect and honor trees.

Keva
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with seed in it." And it was so...And God saw how good this was. [Genesis 1:11-13]

If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit. [Leviticus 26:3]

For the Eternal your God is bringing you into a good land with streams and springs and lakes issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey. [Deuteronomy 8:7-8]

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. [Psalm 92:13]

Kavannah
How does Judaism teach us to treat our Earth? What rights and responsibilities do we have with regard to nature? How can we incorporate these values into our Jewish lives – our Shabbat observance, our eating, our work towards tikkun olam?

At the end of Seder Kriat ha Torah, the service for the reading of the Torah, we say that the Torah is a "Tree of Life to those who hold fast to it." Proverbs 3:18 The Torah sustains us and gives us spiritual nourishment. Like a tree, it is deeply rooted. Its "leaves" give us oxygen; its "fruit," food for the soul.

The imagery of trees and renewal, rebirth and hope is central to Judaism. In this month of Shevat, let us heighten our awareness of our treatment of God's Creation.

– Jessica Zimmerman, Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow

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Congregation B'nai Jeshurun
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