Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash
By Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist
Tu Bishvat
Honi the Circle Maker is a figure in Jewish folklore. Honi is famous for drawing a circle in the sand and not moving from it until rain came and sleeping for 70 years. (A Jewish Rip Van Winkle???) One of his stories in the Talmud teaches: One day, Honi, was walking along the road and saw a certain person planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The person said: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Ḥoni said: Is it obvious to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? The person said that they found a world full of carob trees. “Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.” (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a)
I admire Honi for the ability to sleep, and for the reminder that how we treat our world today isn’t just about us, rather, it’s for those who come after us. As we look to Tu Bishvat (Jan 25th), the “New Year of the Trees”, and one of four Jewish new year experiences throughout the year, there is much that we can do to symbolically plant for the next generations. Things like nurturing civil discourse, working on climate change, and investing in a greener planet will make sure that there is a world to pass down to those who come after us. Stepping outside our technology and going outside to appreciate nature and the people right in front of us will help us value what we already have. Judaism gives us a day to emphasize the importance of trees and the environment, it is up to us to take advantage of it.
What are you planting this year?
What new year’s resolutions do you have for helping the environment and our surroundings?
What gifts do you want to leave for the next generations?
