A word of Torah:    
            This week we celebrate Tu Bishvat—the New Year for the Trees. A minor holiday, its meaning has shifted over time, as have its customs. The kabbalists of Safed (16^th century) created the Tu Bishvat Seder modeled after Passover, focused on mystical notions of redeeming sparks of holiness. The Seder was structured around four cups of wine and different kinds of fruits, reflecting the mystical notion that the process of creation unfolded in four stages, from the completely spiritual to the material world. In the first stage we eat fruit with outer shells, such as oranges. In the second stage, we eat fruit with edible exteriors but with pits in the middle, like olives. In the third stage we eat fruit that is completely edible, like strawberries. When we reach the fourth stage, we enter the realm of spirituality and eat nothing. Let me suggest two kavanot for this year’s Tu Bishvat.

An environmental kavanah/intention:
            Since the moment we ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, humans and nature have been in conflict with each other. We have struggled to grow food from the land. We have faced droughts and floods. We thought mastering nature would be the solution, but we now understand that using nature for human benefit is a problem, not a solution. A fruit with a shell is a symbol of that divide between us and nature.
            In the next stage, the fruit is immediately accessible because we now understand that we must be stewards for this planet. Nature no longer needs a shell for protection because we play that role. In the third stage the fruit is completely edible. We move beyond an anthropocentric view of the universe. All life has value and needs to be taken into account when we make decisions that affect the planet. The last stage is a move to “deep ecology” an acknowledgement of the oneness of all things. We are back to the paradise of the Garden of Eden.

The conflict/relationships kavanah:
            When we first encounter other people, we wear a protective shell around ourselves. We are not willing to let our soft core be vulnerable. Then as a relationship develops, we open ourselves but still keep our deepest vulnerabilities protected. The next stage in friendship or love is to hold nothing back. In the fourth stage, the lines blur between us in moments of real union. This model can also work on a societal level. At first, we need to be open but wary when we encounter people with whom we strongly disagree. With some trust on both sides, we can move to the second level. With even more working together we may come to respect each other. At best, the fourth level will remain an aspirational vision in our imperfect world.