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Humanistic Tu Bi'Shevat Seder
Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism Hosts a Humanistic Tu Bi'Shevat Seder
The Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism will host a Tu B’shvat seder with a vegetarian buffet on Saturday, February 11 at 2:30 pm at the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 468 Rosedale Avenue, White Plains. Cost is $10pp for non-members. The service will be led by Rabbi Frank Tamburello.
Tu B’Shvat, a Jewish winter holiday, has been gaining popularity in recent years as the “New Year of Trees”, and with today’s concerns over the environment, this holiday takes on greater meaning.
In ancient times this “new year” was connected with a tax levied on fruit trees in Israel. Because of its secular nature, the rabbis treated Tu Bi’Sehvat (literally, the 15th of the Hebrew winter month Shevat, as a very minor holiday. Jewish mystics in the 1600’s linked this holiday with the Kabbalistic notion of the “Tree of Life”, and began holding seders, or celebratory meals in its honor, using wines of varying colors, fruits and nuts, symbolizing the passage of the seasons.
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With the rise of environmental movements Tu Bi’Sehvat has taken on another dimension, and is now considered the “Jewish Earth Day”. Our responsibility for the earth has its roots in the Jewish ideas that we are partners in creation, and Jewish environmentalists have developed the concept of “eco-kosher” as a synonym for “environmentally and socially responsible” or “green”.
Please visit the Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism's website, http://www.wchj.org, for more information.
