Building Roots and Branches for the Next Generation

            As the snow and the ice pile up and the cold temperatures continue to plummet, it’s time to celebrate Tu Beshvat, Jewish Arbor Day!  This year Tu Beshvat will be held on January 25^th.  It’s a day when we thank God for the gifts trees provide us by eating various fruits and nuts and reflecting upon our commitment to care for the environment.  In Long Island, it seems strange to celebrate the natural world when a snowstorm just hit!  But in Israel, the almond tree is beginning to open its buds, the first sign of spring in the Holy Land.  Even though spring is far off, there is much that we can learn from this minor holiday about our responsibility to build roots and branches for the next generation.

            One story often told during Tu Beshvat, is the tale of Honi the Circle Maker.  One day, Honi saw an older man planting a Carob tree in his garden.  Honi approached him, asking him: “Why do you plant a tree that will not produce its fruit for seventy years?  Do you think you will be here to harvest the first crop?”  The man answered him: “No, I don’t think I’ll still be here to eat the fruit of this tree.  Just as my grandparents planted trees for me to eat from, so too is it my responsibility to plant trees for the next generation.”

            We too recognize our responsibility to create roots and branches for the next generation.  Just as our parents, grandparents, and ancestors provided us with a world in which to thrive, a community in which to find sustenance, and a family to find love and acceptance, so too must we continue to build upon that foundation for those that follow us.

            May this Tu Beshvat serve as an opportunity to create new roots and branches for the next generation.  And may we provide our children and grandchildren and all who follow after us, with a world filled with compassion, justice, and peace.