Jewish Earth Day

Today is Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

As the Jewish tradition teaches, the human being is the tree of the field.

If you've never heard of this, you might be wondering, how are we like trees? When we stand upright, arms outstretched above, our limbs resemble branches, extending to the ground, and our arms reach upward, extending to the heavens. Our toes become our roots, our fingers our leaves. Yogis call this mountain pose, which can extend into tree pose.

Some say our fingers and toes are likened to tzitzit, the traditional Jewish ritual fringes adorning the four-cornered prayer shawl that remind us of our connection to Source. Our corners, the extensions of our limbs, are likewise adorned with our human version of tzitzit, digits that allow us to ground ourselves and to reach higher through positive, productive action.

Happy Tu B'Shevat people. Take action. Love the planet. Go eco.

As we say in Cool Jew,
Recycle, Reuse, Reshmooze!