After four tumultuous years, many Americans saw Inauguration Day as a turning point for our nation. The swearing-in of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a new Congress marks a new chapter in U.S. history, but it should not — and can not — be seen as a “return to normalcy.” There is…
In 2021, we need to heed the tenets of Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” perhaps more now than any time in our history. Humans have always relied on nature — forests, watersheds, meadows, rivers, lakes and oceans — to create and provide a safe and viable habitat for humans and critters…
Smirking from behind my mask, I inaudibly mumbled in the direction of a stranger passing by with his nose sticking out atop his: “Did you know that your nostrils are a part of your respiratory system?” It was a moment of disbelief for me. What’s so hard about wearing your mask properly? I can’t keep…
Amid today’s climate catastrophe, Tu B’Shvat offers us a chance to consider our role as environmental caretakers. This past year, news of droughts and deluges, fires and floods, has woven itself across our news feeds in an unending parade of devastation that can only be described as biblical in proportion. But what should the role…
Many Jewish holidays have inspired the people of the book to drop tomes and pick up instruments. And, in the age of YouTube, there’s plenty of evidence for the success of that substitution. And, since Tu B’Shvat — a kind of Jewish Arbor Day — celebrates the rebirth of the natural world, it should be…
One of the most potent memories I have of Hebrew School (other than the time I got into trouble for setting the clock ahead) was our celebration of Tu B’Shvat. In addition to pasting the leaf-shaped stamps on our Jewish National Fund tree poster, I loved feasting on the dried fruits and nuts that, we…
Yields 6 loaves 4 tablespoons dry yeast 2 tablespoons organic sugar 4 cups (1 liter) warm water 5 pounds (2.25 kg) organic white flour One 12-ounce (350 g) container of date honey (silan) 1½ tablespoons sea salt 1 cup (230 ml) olive oil 1 cup (150 g) finely-diced dried figs 1 cup (150 g) raisins…
The Tu B’Shvat Seder placed special emphasis on Shivat Haminim — the Seven Species of produce native to the Land of Israel, which are mentioned in the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. Although in many parts of the world it is still winter, Tu B’Shvat — the 15th of Shvat, the…
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