Today is the New Year for Trees - Tu B'Shvat

Picture of an almond tree in bloom (Source: informedfarmers.com)

I am told that the almond tree blosssoms first in the springtime in Israel, before any new leaves are visible elsewhere...

In our house, knowing that's Tu B'Shvat means that the tune from Sally Heckelman's song comes into our minds...

"La la la la, today's the Holiday for Trees"

http://sallyandthedaffodils.com/music.html

A traditional song for this holiday is

HASH'KEDIYAH PORACHAT

T"U BISH'VAT HIGI'A

translated below:

The almond tree is blooming

Beneath the golden sun

Birds from every rooftop

Bless the arrival of the festival/tell us the holiday is here.
Tu B’Shvat is here—the festival of trees!

Tu B’Shvat is here—the festival of trees!

and sung http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0M42RHWZho&feature=related

"The custom on Tu B'Shvat is to eat fruits from the seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised: ...a land of wheat and barley and (grape) vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and (date) honey (Deut. 8:8).

Kabbalistic tradition also includes a mystical Tu B'Shvat seder service, where the inner dimensions of fruits are expounded, along with blessings, songs and deep discussion Celebrating this holiday in this way was spread by the Kabbalists in Safed in the 17th century. It was this group that introduced the custom of the four cups of differently colored wine to the Tu B’Shvat Seder, going from white, to rose, to light red, to dark red (symbolizing the ripening of the natural cycle)." source: Aish,com

Or indeed the movement from the lowest the highest of the four Kabbalistic worlds...

I also enjoyed Teddy Weinberger's reflections on the holiday's meaning for him, when living in Diaspora as well as when living in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) in this article: http://www.ocjewishlife.com/site/tu-b%E2%80%99shvat-arbor-day/

On this Tu B'Shvat, we plant this tree as a symbol of regeneration of life in the world. May the planting of tree and the proper care of our world bring hope to all who are affacted by drought or famine, by war or by climate change. May peace be as abundant on earth as the trees of the woods and the flowers of the fields, and let us say, Amen. (Reform Siddur, UK)

Music, Language of the Soul

In this week's Torah portion, being read in synagogues all around the world, we'll be reading tomorrow morning about how a group of people (the Israelites) who had been through all kinds of travails and hardships, came out on the other side of their experience and unified in song. Hence, this is called 'Shabbat Shirah,' the Sabbath of Song.

May it be a unifying day for all Creation and give rise to voices lifted in praise and thanksgiving!

http://www.chiefrabbi.org/UploadedFiles/Articals/Beshalach_5772.pdf

How good and how pleasant it is when people unite together in song and in celebration of our common humanity.

Where do we find sanctuary?

At a recent meeting of the Bristol Spirituality and Disability Forum, we discussed what 'sanctuary' can mean for each one of us.

For some, it is a matter of getting a good balance between finding time for work, for play and for 'down' time which is the sanctuary piece. This may take the form of making a cup of tea slowly and mindfully. Or meditating. Slowing down. Contemplating a mental image. Setting aside specific times to not do and to just be.

For one person, accessing 'sanctuary' can feel a bit like falling in love, with the excitement and sometimes fear mixed in. For another member of the group, there is sanctuary in setting aside a space each working day on arrival at the office to read the morning prayers and to compose a short poem that links with that day's themes.

Using certain external things can help us to feel we approach sanctuary more fully or easily. One of these can be the use of a singing bowl, whose ringing tones when sounded mark out this time as special and set apart, and creates a space. Another can be the lighting of a candle or incense.

Silence can be an essential ingredient as can singing. Singing has a special place for many of us as it is a special time of unity with others, gets us out of our heads, a kind of purposeful meditation, and it involves the body as we let the music go through us.

We also looked more closely at the word 'sanctuary' and how it can mean a place of holiness and safety (refuge, asylum, welcome) but that its very holiness can, for some, mean a kind of otherness and therefore unreachability. This opened up our discussion of how the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion (the 'Eucharist') at the altar rail can be inaccessible to some, and that how the approach to 'sanctuary' within the service can result in alienation due to one's disability.

One person mentioned how Bristol launched last year as a City of Sanctuary and what that might mean in light of our discussion. Also the teachings of Adin Steinsaltz were referred to, especially the book Simple Words: Thinking about what really matters in life.