What roots do you want to tap for your community’s future? What seeds do you want to nurture?
This community-tree “seder” was crafted during Snowzilla and seems appropriate to share on another snowy day in DC. This may seem odd timing – celebrating trees when branches are bare and everything is covered with a thick layer of snow. But the holiday; marks the point when last year’s leaves are long gone and new buds are still weeks away. The challenge is to celebrate future blooms when things look bleakest.
Even though the holiday has come and gone (Jan. 24-25, 2016) this year, the cold, tree-less conditions have not abated in many places. And envisioning new growth and planning for new blossoming is never out of season.
This seder can be used to consider any community’s seeds, roots, and hopes for fruit. It was written specifically for the area east of DC’s Anacostia river, however, and the full story is available on-line and in PDF: Frozen to Bloom).
More in the Jew in the Pew” series, currently appearing in East of the River magazine.
New Year for Trees — Tu B’Shvat
The New Year for Trees is one of four new years in the Jewish calendar. It generally falls at a time when much of the northern hemisphere is at its most frozen and inhospitable.
"A Song Every Day" 