Tu B'shevat is still ahead of us (it's on Jan 22), but Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, a rabbi at a congregation on the North Shore of Chicago, is already celebrating it on her blog Ima and (off the) Bima.Tu B'shevat, as Rabbi Phyllis explains on her other website 'Thoughts from Rabbi Phyllis' , is the Jewish holiday celebrating the "new year (or birthday) of the trees." The name comes from the calendar date on which it falls: Tu is the Hebrew equivalent of 15 and Shevat is the Hebrew month in which we are in right now.
In modern times, it is celebrated as a Jewish "Earth Day" - celebrating trees, planting trees, and reflecting on environmental and ecological issues.
When I was a kid in Israel, we used to plant trees every year on Tu B'shevat and it became one of my favorite holidays (well, there's also the tradition of eating dried fruits like figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds that helped in making it a beloved holiday..).
When I was a kid in Israel, we used to plant trees every year on Tu B'shevat and it became one of my favorite holidays (well, there's also the tradition of eating dried fruits like figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds that helped in making it a beloved holiday..).
Therefore I was happy to hear from Rabbi Phyllis about her green celebration and to participate in it. Eco-Libris sponsored a prize of 10 trees/stickers and in order to win them you had to comment on Rabbi Phyllis blog or on any of her Tu B'Shevat posts. You just had to say something nice about trees or the earth. And for an extra entry, you could post in your blog or tell a friend about this giveaway and Eco-Libris and link back to her blog.
Thank you Rabbi Phyllis for giving Eco-Libris the opportunity to celebrate Tu B'shevat with your readers!
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Raz @ Eco-Libris
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