Dear Lab/Shul,

What good is a New Year’s celebration for? Renewing, Refreshing, Remembering?

How about Planting, Seeding, Blooming, Rising?

In Jewish practice we celebrate no less than four different seasons of New Years, each in a different Hebrew calendar month – including:

  • 1st of Tishrei – the start of a new calendar year, aka Rosh Hashana

  • 1st of Nissan – the season of springtime rebirth and the start of the festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot)

  • 1st of Elul – the new year for animals

And the current one, which is coming up in just a few days…

15th of Shevat – aka “Tu B’Shevat,” the new year for trees, an ancient full moon agricultural holiday that marks when the tree sap rises to nurture the fruits of the incoming Spring. Some say that at this time the trees finish drinking the waters of the previous year and begin to drink waters that have cycled through the earth and cleansed anew. Some call it the “Birthday of the Trees” and sit down to a full meal with 15 different tree nuts and fruits to explore how in fact we connect to Divine through the vital gift of botanics.

For real though, the sap is rising …can we? There is an unbreakable bond between human and plant: one exhale is the other’s inhale and we are eternally connected. Tu B’Shevat wisdom says, “Remember humans, you are not here alone.”

We invite you to gather with us at Zen Shabbat this coming Friday eve where our focus will be on appreciating what is nourishing in the midst of deep uncertainty and fear.

This is why we gather. We gather to cultivate compassion and equanimity in these times. We gather to pray for the end of ancient vengeance that has led to today’s violence. We gather to honor our heritage while we mourn our current state. Whichever new year you honor, let it be a portal into a new perspective. Say yes to it and you might find yourself connecting to each other, remembering that we are here, planetary beings blowing kisses and making wishes on the moon.

With great love,

Shira Kline
Co-Founder, Spiritual Leader and Director of Family Programming

P.S. Did you know that on Tu B’Shvat if you catch two trees hugging, anything you wish for will come true?