One of the core principles of the Jewish experience is understood by most Jews who have never opened a page of Talmud, “Ein simchah b’lo achilah v’shtiyah – There is no happiness or celebration without eating and drinking (Mo’ed Katan 9a).” From platters of latkes at Chanukah to plates of hamantaschen at Purim, from mounds of macaroons during Pesach to the Bar Mitzvah buffet, food and drink are central to our idea of celebration.

     Tu B’Shevat is no exception to this general rule. When we celebrate Tu b’Shevat with our Seder on Tuesday night, February 7, there will be plenty of fruit products for us to sample and as is the case with any seder, there will be questions to answer, explicitly and implicitly: “How central is food to our happiness? Is happiness possible for those who go to bed every day hungry? How have the means by which we get our food changed from Biblical and Rabbinic times? Are we less sensitive and in tune to the changes in seasons when we can get almost any food in almost any season? How aware are we of the conditions of the workers who harvest and process the food we eat? How aware are we of the impact to ecological systems of the production of our food?

     In the spirit of these questions, we will be offering two new ongoing education classes on Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm. In January, we will be looking at Jewish views of economic justice and in February, we’ll be looking at Jewish views of the environment.

     Please make this Tu B’shevat a meaningful one, not just by participating in our Seder, but also by struggling with many of the difficult questions raised by the observance of the New Year for Trees.