Trees, Earth, and Torah

This anthology draws upon biblical, rabbinical, medieval, and modern sources--from art, music, recipes, and crafts, as well as fiction, poetry, and essays--about the significance and historical development of Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish "New Year of the Trees," and includes mystical writings along with Zionist and Eco-Judaism pieces. The anthology also includes several examples of preparing a "Seder Tu B'Shvat."

Ari Elon, born in Jerusalem, has taught Talmud and Midrash at various institutions throughout Israel for sixteen years Naomi Mara Hyman is a student in the Professional Development (Smicha) program of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and the editor of Biblical Women in the Midrash Rabbi Arthur Waskow is director of the Shalom Center, is a Pathfinder of ALEPH, and author of several books

Acknowledging the Orchard Keepers

xi

Introduction to the Tree The Editors

xiii

Part I THE LIVING TREE: A FESTIVAL'S GROWTH THROUGH HISTORY

1

(22)

Growing Tu B'Shvat: The Life-Juice of the Tree of History

3

(20)

Arthur Waskow

Part II ROOTS: BIBLICAL JUDAISM IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL

23

(44)

Biblical Passages

25

(25)

Israel: The Orchard and Vineyard of God

50

(17)

Howard Eilberg-Schwartz

Part III THE TRUNK: RABBINIC JUDAISM

67

(46)

Mishnah and Gemara on Tu B'Shvat

69

(1)

Midrash from The Book of Legends, Sefer Aggadah

69

(2)

Hayim Nachman Bialik

Yehoshua Ravnitsky

``Shemonah Esrei for the New Year of the Trees'': A Medieval Amidah for Tu B'Shvat

71

(12)

Joyce Galaski

Is the Tree Human?

83

(23)

Eilon Schwartz

Thou Shalt Not Destroy

106

(7)

Norman Lamm

Part IV BRANCHES: KABBALAH AND HASIDISM

113

(50)

The Trees of Eden in the Kabbalah

115

(6)

Gershom Scholem

The House of the World

121

(7)

Aryeh Wineman

The World Trees in the Zohar

128

(7)

Pinchas Giller

Peri Eitz Hadar: A Kabbalist Tu B'Shvat Seder

135

(18)

Miles Krassen

Blessing Trees Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad

153

(6)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

The Souls of Trees Nachman of Bratzlav as retold

159

(1)

Howard Schwartz

Conceiving the World R. Tzui Elimelekh Shapira of Dinov

160

(3)

Ivan Ickovits

Part V BRANCHES: ZIONISM AND THE LAND OF ISRAEL

163

(66)

Variations on the Theme of the Future

165

(4)

A. D. Gordon

Jeremy Schwartz

Zionist Ideology and the Space of Eretz Yisrael: Why the Native Israeli Is Called Tzabar

169

(19)

Tsili Doleve-Gandelman

The Forest as a National Icon: Literature, Politics, and the Archeology of Memory

188

(22)

Yael Zerubavel

A Tree for a Tree: The Aggressive Nature of Planting

210

(15)

Shaul Cohen

Poems

225

(4)

Zelda

Malka Heifetz Tussman

Marcia Falk

Part VI BRANCHES: ECO-JUDAISM

229

(114)

``I and Thou: A Tree''

233

(1)

Martin Buber

``Trees of Life''

234

(6)

Ismar Schorsch

``The Redwood Torah''

240

(2)

Arthur Waskow

Naomi Mara Hyman

``Tu Bishvat in the Redwoods: A Mediation Suite for the Earth'' (poem)

242

(4)

Marcia Falk

Nebuchadnezzar, Nahman's ``The Cripple,'' and Groundhog Day: A Mediation on Tu B'Shvat

246

(7)

Howard M. Solomon

The New Year of the Trees

253

(1)

Marge Piercy

Wisdom and the Two Trees

253

(10)

Alix Pirani

The Human, the Tree, and the Image of God

263

(13)

David Seidenberg

From The Wisdom of the Jewish Sages

276

(1)

Rami Shapiro

Re/Membering Nature

276

(5)

Rami Shapiro

Tu B'Shvat as a Visual, Mystical Rosh HaShanah

281

(3)

David Wolfe-Blank

The Rings of Growth

284

(5)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Through Tu B'Shvat to Yah B'Shvat

289

(54)

Ari Elon

Part VII FRUIT OF THE LOVELY TREE: TU B'SHVAT ITSELF

343

(106)

Blessings for the Seder

345

(1)

Marcia Falk

Cooking Up a Tu B'Shvat Seder

345

(15)

Ellen Bernstein

Hannah Ashley

A Circle of Friends: Tu B'Shvat for Small Children

360

(1)

Elisheva Kaufman

Plants and Trees in Winter: Tu B'Shvat for Older Children

361

(1)

Elisheva Kaufman

Caring for a Tree of Life

362

(15)

Elisheva Kaufman

Getting to the Root of the Tree of Life---Outdoors

377

(3)

Michal Fox Smart

Food from the Sacred Tree

380

(3)

Gil Marks

Delights of the Tu B'Shvat Table

383

(7)

Gilda Angel

Ever Since Eden: Trees, Tradition, and Tu B'Shvat

390

(11)

Everett Gendler

Tu B'Shvat Mediation

401

(2)

Susan Singer

Judaism, Vegetarianism, and Tu B'Shvat

403

(7)

Jonathan Wolf

Richard H. Schwartz

New Traditions for Tu B'Shvat

410

(5)

Rami Shapiro

Sharing God's Fruitfulness

415

(3)

Arthur Waskow

Etz Hiyyim Rabbah: 1.1

418

(8)

Joel Lurie Grishaver

Songs for Tu B'Shvat

426

(23)

Part VIII SEEDS: SOURCES FOR LEARNING AND DOING

449

(2)

Resources

451

(7)

Credits

458

(1)

Notes

459

(27)

Contributors

486

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Trees, Earth, and Torah

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials