Shabbat Shalom! How lovely it is to be here celebrating Tu
B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees, together today. You may know that Tu
B’Shevat, the fifteenth of the month of Shevat was actually on Thursday. What
you probably don’t know is that Thursday was also the anniversary of the
publication of a book often considered to be one of the greatest novels ever
written, and one of the earliest works of modern literature. I have never read The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La
Mancha but have become fairly familiar with
the stories through the theatrical adaptation, Man of La Mancha.
The music from the play is great, and the song “The Impossible Dream,” is
particularly beautiful – I’ll come back to that in a minute.
Tu
B’Shevat is the birthday of the trees, a date that was set by the early rabbis
of the Mishnah, based on Biblical passages. Traditionally, Tu B’Shevat was
about the season of planting in the land of Israel, back when people all really
depending on their local farms and the planting season was important to pay
close attention to. Now, we treat Tu B’Shevat more like a Jewish Arbor Day and
Earth Day combined. As Jews, and particularly as Reform Jews, Tikkun Olam,
repairing the world, is a very important value for us to live by. I’ve said it
before and I’ll say it again, the environment is one of the most important
parts of this world that needs repairing. Of course, we should also try to
repair the world by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, making peace where
there is strife, but ultimately, if the environment gets destroyed, even the
well-fed, warmly clothed, peaceful communities will be at risk. This is why
even ancient Jewish law commanded Jews to respect and protect the environment
in times of war, so that the violence would not disrupt nature! Tu B’Shevat is a great time to pause and
reflect on our Jewish values and responsibility to the Earth that supports us.
Cleaning
up the environment can seem really hard. Some things we take for granted will
eventually have to completely change, like our fuel source. It is not up to any
of you alone to discover a new source of clean energy, find the money to
collect it in whatever way that new energy will be collected, or implement it
as the new fuel for most of the world to replace our current oil dependence.
However, it is up to all of you to do what you can to cut back on resources by
trying to walk, bike, or take public transit when possible. To turn off the
water while your brushing your teeth and try to fix leaks so as not to waste
water. To turn off lights and heaters or air conditioners when you leave a room
or your home. To reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible. It may seem
difficult, but it’s up to all of us together to “Dream the Impossible Dream… to
right the unrightable wrong… to try when your arms are too weary, to reach that
unreachable star.” For Don Quixote, his impossible dream was a manic quest for
knighthood, pursuing chivalry and fighting windmills he thought were giants.
For us, as Reform Jews, the impossible dream is a quest to perfect the world,
to make our own Messianic Age. To take care of each other and the Earth we
share. This Tu B’Shevat, plant something, recycle something, say something nice
to someone you know, go for a walk or bike ride, show your appreciation for the
Earth and the people you share it with. May you all live to see a greener
Earth. L’Shana l’ilanot tova and Shabbat Shalom.
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