The winter snow in Jerusalem and the ice storm in Toronto made me yearn for Tu B’Shevat (15 Shevat= טבשב ו”ט), the holiday that is the harbinger of spring. As it approaches, I am reminded of the song familiar to Jewish children around the world: 

    The almond tree is blooming
    and the golden sun is shining,
    birds atop each roof
    proclaim the festival,
    Tu B’Shevat is here,
    the festival of trees. 

Not only is Tu B’Shevat associated with almonds blossoming, it is also linked to birds chirping and Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song. On that Shabbat, we chant the Song by the Sea (Exodus 15) to celebrate the crossing of the Red Sea and the liberation from Egypt. A legend imagines birds joining the people of Israel in song at the splitting of the Sea and the recently liberated children joyfully feeding the birds.

The bio-geography of Israel also explains the association of birds, Tu B’Shevat, and the migration of the people of Israel from Egypt. Israel is a land bridge where Africa, Europe and Asia meet, and the Syrian-African Rift (6,000 kilometres from the edge of Turkey to Mozambique) is a natural flyway that directs birds into the airspace of the Land of Promise enabling the avians to avoid the arduous crossing of the Mediterranean Ocean.  

Each autumn and spring, almost one billion birds, representing over five hundred species, traverse the airspace over this sacred strip of land. As the prophet Jeremiah stated, “The stork in the sky knows her appointed times; and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe their time of migration.” Tu B’Shevat occurs at a time of high migration patterns, so the birds have a natural association with the season and a symbolic connection to the historic departure from Egypt. The birds are also portents of peace; movement between Israel and the Palestinian territories is not always possible for those on two feet, but the migration of those with two wings knows no borders. There are still some spaces to join our “edgy” Path of Abraham study mission (March 4-14) to Israel and the Palestinian Territories (see ad on page 38). 

For me, Tu B’Shevat is also linked to the idea of Israel Engagement, a project that I have championed in our congregation and community. It represents a time when Rav Adam studies at the Hartman Institute and we plan our many Israel-oriented programs for the coming year. It is also when we select our Shinshinim, the Young Emissaries who bring so much enthusiasm, energy and excitement to Beth Tzedec. This year, Rabbi Cutler, our Youth Director, Aily Leibtag, and our President, Carolyn Kolers, will be in Israel with our partners from Robbins Hebrew Academy to select next year’s two Shinshinim. 

The Tu B’Shevat time is also when young people from our Congregation begin to think about spending the next year studying in Israel at TRY (Tikhon Ramah Yerushalayim) for high school students, study/volunteer programs (such as Nativ, Aardvark or a yeshivah) for a post-high school gap year, or university study as a visiting student at one of the fine academic institutions of Israel. 

Recently, Josette and I spent time in Jerusalem, enjoying the delights and duties of being Savta and Sabba to our two-year old granddaughter, Ilana, and our newly born grandson, Amichai Menashe. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, running errands, and serving as a temporary shelter (during the snowstorm) were our joyful responsibilities. While there, I was able to meet with five young people studying this year in Israel: Sara Kahn (Hebrew University), Noam Cotton (Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva), Aaron Cherniak (Hebrew University), Zachary Zittell (Aardvark gap year program) and Arielle Opler (Nativ gap year program).  

I also had the opportunity to take a group of our former Shinshinim (Young Emissaries) out for dinner. I expect Israel to have a powerful impact on our youth, but I was struck by the effect that a year at Beth Tzedec, with our families and young people, had on the Israelis. At dinner, the Shinshinim spoke about the relationships with our families, the importance of maintaining those friendships, the connections Beth Tzedec families made with their families back in Israel, a new awareness of the strength and vitality of Diaspora Jewish life, and a deep connection to Judaism practiced in a way they don’t experience in Israel. We are grateful to the Weisdorf family for their generous contributions which have supported our participation in this vital program.

Bonds are forged that go far beyond what we anticipated when initiating the program and extend far beyond the year of service to Beth Tzedec. After five years, we see that our host families often spend time with the Shinshinim and their families on subsequent visits to Israel. Equally important, after they leave us, the Shinshinim enter Army service, but they remain connected to Beth Tzedec. They remain in contact via Skype and Facebook, attend b’nei mitzvah, grieve with our families, introduce significant partners to host families, and meet for vacations in Europe and Israel. As one of the former Shinshinim said during dinner, “Anyone who wants to understand me has to grasp how this year at Beth Tzedec changed my life.”

At Beth Tzedec, we plant for the future. The almond trees blossom in Israel, and Jewish life blooms on Bathurst. 

Listen to the Tu B'Shevat song.