JFS Friends –

Today marks the observance of Tu Bishvat on the Jewish calendar. Tu Bishvat is also referred to as the New Year of Trees and in many parts of the world is celebrated as a kind of Jewish Earth Day and trees are planted in celebration. There is also a tradition of honoring the day with a Tu Bishvat Seder – this tradition developed over many years and all of the various customs were eventually collected into a book called Pri Eitz Hadar, (The Fruit of the Goodly Tree), which was published in 1753. Most of the Tu Bishvat Seder rituals include tasting of three categories of fruits or nuts:

• Those with an inedible outer covering and edible inside: melons, nuts, pomegranates, coconuts, citrus, bananas, etc.
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• Those with an edible outside but inedible pit inside: dates, olives, plums, peaches, apples, avocados, nectarines, pears, etc.
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• Those that are entirely edible: berries, figs, grapes, etc.

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These categories are said to represent different seasons and/or ways of being in the world and each can help us reflect on different attitudes, beliefs and approaches to life.

• The fruits with a hard exterior can represent the human tendency to judge others by their outer appearance. A hardened exterior may be a person’s way of protecting themselves from hurt or a response to their fears and anxieties.  Eating these fruits reminds us that when we refrain from judging someone’s exterior – and get to know them on a deeper level – we have the opportunity to discover the sweetness within.
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• The fruits with an edible outside but an inedible pit can remind us that every flowering tree was once bare and that the means to growth can sometimes come from the innermost overlooked places. The seeds within can symbolize the potential within us that we have not yet tapped and the opportunity for growth if we nurture those talents that lay within us.
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• The fruits that are entirely edible can remind us of the wholeness of the world, where nothing is wasted and everything nourishes everything else. These fruits can give us the opportunity to look at the fruit of our own actions and consider how to deepen our relationships in the world, with the earth and others in our community.

However you choose to spend the day – whether or not it includes the observance of Tu Bishvat – I hope that you will take a few moments to recognize the incredible beauty of nature and the many gifts it provides. Please remember also, to take some time and replenish, refresh and renew your own roots so that like a well-watered tree you can continue to grow, blossom and bear fruit.

Take care,

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Carl E. Josehart, MSW (he/him/his)

Chief Operating Officer

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