Rabbi Howard Morrison

Today is Rosh Chodesh Shevat. In ancient times, the school of Shammai declared the first day of Shevat as the new year for trees in Israel. The school of Hillel declared the fifteenth day of Shevat as the new year for trees in Israel, commonly referred to by its date - Tu Bishvat. Over the years, the view of Hillel became the norm. We will celebrate Tu B'Shevat in a couple of weeks.

Connection to the land of Israel and a concern for nature in general become two major themes of Tu-B'Shevat. Whether it is planning a trip to Israel or contributing funds so that trees can be planted in Israel, these and many options are available to support Israel. On our shul website, we list a wide number of charitable ways to support Israel during these challenging times. There are countless other ways to help as well.

Locally, we can use the "nature" theme of Tu B'Shevat to be more cognizant of our use of technology and our mastery of the environment. I am sure we can all do a better job in refining our use of gas, oil, and electricity. As we grieve over the loss of trees due to wildfires in Los Angeles over the last two weeks, we can learn value lessons on cultivating an environment which will be less likely to result in such natural tragedies.

I wish everyone a joyous and meaningful Tu-B'shevat.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison