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Dear Editor:
January 22 celebrates one of the four Jewish New Years: Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees. It celebrates the rebirthing of trees in the midst of winter, the Kabbalistic reawakening of Divine energy with God as the Tree of Life: His roots in Heaven and His fruit, ourselves and the universe.
A spiritual lesson is that "a person is like a tree of the field." When fortune has turned for someone , and they have lost all hope and are despairing – then they should ponder a tree in winter. Its leaves have fallen, its moisture has dried up, it is almost a dead stump in the ground. Then suddenly, it begins to revive and to draw moisture from the earth. Slowly it blossoms, then brings forth fruits. People should learn from this not to despair, but to take hope and have courage, for they too are like a tree.(adapted from Rabbi Yisrael of Chortkov in 'Ginzei Yisrael')
This holiday is the first Earth Day. The Talmud declares: ''If you have a sapling, and someone says that the Messiah has come, complete the planting, and then go welcome the Messiah.'' "If you find the land full of good things, you should not say, 'We will not plant.' Just as you found trees planted by others, you must plant for your children. As you found trees, plant more, even if you are old."
The importance of humankind being stewards of the Earth is as old as Judaism itself.
Shalom,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
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