In Jewish tradition there are major and minor holidays. Yom Kippur: truly our major holiday. Chanukkah: a minor holiday, though try telling that to a child! Once, Sukkot was simply called “The Festival” because it was the most important holiday of all. Over centuries and centuries of religious development, the relative importance of our holidays shifted based on historical events (the end of Jerusalem Temple focused Judaism) and theology. Shavuot, for example, is less widely observed among most Reform Jews.
Perhaps a holiday whose time has come for revisioning is Tu B’Shevat (15th of the month of Shevat—January 17th this year). Called Rosh Hashanah l’illyanot (ראש השנה לאילנות), or the New Year for Trees by the ancient rabbis, it marked the counting of the years of a fruit tree’s life to indicate when the tithing of its fruits would be obligated. At that time, a gift of gratitude was made to the ancient Temple for the produce of the tree. With no Temple in existence now, Tu B’Shevat has become the Jewish Arbor Day. It is the custom to plant trees in Israel and there is also a Kabbalistic custom of having a Tu B’Shevat seder emphasizing the produce of Israel. (Read more here.) It has also become an Earth Day of sorts in modern Israel.
As the effects of climate change become ever-present and we are more acutely aware of the extraordinary impact it will have on all of us, our priorities must be directed towards the massive effort that must be taken globally to mitigate the situation. Judaism’s day for nature is Tu B’Shevat and it is no longer merely a day to celebrate trees, it is a day to commit ourselves to making sure our forests endure for all generations.
— Rabbi Ron Stern