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January Newsletter & Announcements
January 20, 2010
SPECIAL MOVIE NIGHT THIS WEEKEND
Saturday night, January 23rd, beginning at 6 pm with Havdalah and covered dish dinner
"Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina" (Lue Simopoulos, 2008)
(Excerpt from Jewish Heritage Foundation of NC)
This documentary chronicles 400 years of Jewish life in the state of North Carolina. It provides a unique view of Jewish emigration to, and life in North Carolina. The film illustrates how the Jewish search for opportunity and religious freedom played out in a region that, while deeply rural and impoverished, was also ready for growth and change. Jews, an immigrant people, were welcomed to communities that were overwhelmingly conservative and Christian. They maintained a multicultural identity as local citizens and neighbors and as members of a global Jewish community. For more than three centuries Jews have helped transform the culture and economy of North Carolina, while the state's rich southern culture has resonated strongly with these immigrants to Dixie.
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UPCOMING EVENTS (remainder of Tevet-Shevat 5770/ January 2010)
Jan 22 – 8 pm – Evening Service
Jan 23 – 6 pm – Covered dish and movie, “Down Home: Jewish Life in NC”
Jan 29-31 Weekend with Rabbi Sarah Freidson
29th – 7:30 pm - Evening service
30th – 10 am - Morning service, followed by Brunch & Learn with the Rabbi
30th – 6 pm - Havdalah, with covered dish and Tu B’Shvat seder
31st – 10 am to Noon - Brunch & Schmooze with the Rabbi
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Tu B’shevat
By Rabbi Sarah Freidson
January 5, 2010
The environment is a hot topic these days. It seems like everywhere you look, there are stories about eating organic, growing your own garden, or concern about the effects of climate change. While a focus on ecology seems like a recent phenomenon, it has existed in Judaism for nearly 2000 years. The Jewish holiday of Tu BiShevat is a time to think about and celebrate the natural world.
Tu BiShevat literally means the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, and it is known as the “birthday of the trees.” This is the season when trees in Israel first begin to bloom. Originally, Tu BiShevat was the day for calculating the age of trees for the purpose of tithing. Each tree was considered to age one year on the fifteenth of Shevat.
Leviticus 19:23-25 states that fruit cannot be eaten from a tree for the first three years, the fourth year’s fruit was for God, and beginning in the fifth year, the fruit could be eaten. Since it would be impossible to remember when every tree was planted, a general “birthday,” was established on the fifteenth of Shevat.
Today, the holiday is seen as a “Jewish Arbor Day.” Tu BiShevat celebrates new growth. It is traditional to plant trees, an act that has long symbolized hope and eternity. An ancient rabbinic story tells of a young man encountering an old man planting a carob tree. “How long do you think it will take to bear fruit?” he asked. “About seventy years,” replied the old man. “So you think you will live long enough to taste it’s fruits?!” The old man explained, “I have found mature carob trees in the world. Just as my ancestors planted them for me, I plant them for my children.” On Tu BiShevat, we carry on that tradition by planting trees that will benefit future generations.
Many Jews also eat fruits associated with the Land of Israel on Tu BiShevat. In the Middle Ages, Jewish mystics instituted a ritual called a Tu BiShevat seder, in which the fruits and trees of the Land of Israel were given symbolic meaning. The mystics ate particular fruits in a set order and drank four cups of wine or grape juice. They believed that following this order while reciting the appropriate blessings would bring human beings, and the world, closer to spiritual perfection.
Today, the custom of the Tu BiShevat seder has been revived. The ritual is in flux, and modern seders range from traditional to liberal, with some directed towards adults and others towards children or families. Some Tu BiShevat seders have a theme, such as ecology or Israel. All are festive and joyous, celebrating the beauty and splendor of the natural world.
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