Dear Friends,
What a crazy winter it has been. As I am writing this Weekly Reflection, it is almost 80 degrees outside. If your yard is like mine, the trees are not sure what to do. There are new leaves on the branches while the old leaves have not fully fallen. When the idea of marking an annual anniversary for trees was conceptualized by our ancestors, none of them could ever have imagined a winter like this.
Crazy as it may be the holiday of Tu B’Shevat (15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat) is here for us to enjoy. On Monday, Jews around the world observed, Tu B’Shevat (Jewish Arbor Day), and through it, marked our collective consciousness regarding our environment.
In honor of this special day in our tradition, take some time this week to consider some of the ecological challenges that face us today. Let Tu B’Shevat serve as a means to appreciate the delicate ecological balance of the earth and its ongoing call to us to protect it for generations to come.
L’Shalom–Steve