By Richard H. Schwartz Tu B’shvat, the “New Year for Trees,” is the most environmental Jewish holiday. For many Jews, it has increasingly become a “Jewish Earth Day,” Tu B’shvat Seders can be used to consider how we can effectively respond to current environmental crises that threaten all life on the planet, In other…
Tu B’Shevat gets its name from the date on which the holiday occurs, the 15th of the month of Shevat. In 2021, the holiday begins at nightfall on Jan. 27. Traditionally, Tu B’Shevat was not a Jewish festival. Rather, it marked an important date for Jewish farmers in ancient times. The Torah states, “When…
Each month, Oregon Jewish Life will ask a group of four or five rabbis, cantors and/or members of the community a question relevant to the season or a theme in that issue. Our first issue falls in the same month as Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for the Trees, which is often called the Jewish…
