I hope that by discovering and learning more about the religious feast days and holidays that are a part of our faiths, I will continue to learn to connect with my Jewish roots as a Christian and help understand my Catholic faith at a deeper level as well. Sometimes, I struggle with accepting big holidays because they seem to have lost all religious meaning, so I hope that by highlighting the importance of some of the less main stream holidays, I will give my family a way to connect with their faith in a real, meaningful, spiritual way. The biblical holidays are truly beautiful ways to experience and show thanks for God's presence in our lives and most of them are celebrated by special prayers, meals, and spending time with your family. What better way to celebrate God then by drawing your family closer together through Him? And what better way to feel connected with Jesus' time on earth, then by celebrating the holidays that He celebrated?
January just happens to hold two holidays that I LOVE to celebrate. When you're not sharing a home with someone (yet- hurry up September 1st) it can make it difficult to really start implementing new traditions and practices, so some of my ideas will have to wait until Aaron and I are actually married, but its never too early to start thinking!
January 6- The Feast of Epiphany
January 26- Tu B'shevat
I am going to start with Tu B'shevat because it is fresh on the mind :) We just honored it this past weekend!
Celebration: The New Year for trees
Historical background:
It was regarded as the time when spring re-emerged in Israel. It marked the start of the growing season and served as the day when the "first fruits" of the trees were offered as thanks. After the second temple was destroyed, people began celebrating by eating of the fruits and nuts that grew in the Promised Land. Then, in the 16th century, people used Tu B'shevat to represent a time to "repair" the origin of sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. They developed a seder meal that focused on the Tree of Life which they understood to mean the spiritual powers that impart divine energy to the physical world. The wine, food, and blessings chosen for the seder are said to help release the "divine sparks" hidden within the seeds of the fruit helping to restore the balance of the soul. In 1948 when Israel became an independent state, settlers celebrated Tu B'shevat by planting trees which led to the tradition of reforesting the lands during this time. it is customary to eat "first fruits" from the land of Israel during this time, to recite various blessings, and to discuss values such as tikkun olam (repairing the world), tza'ar ba'alei chayim (alleviating the suffering of living creatures), bal taschit (do not destroy), and others.
Biblical basis:
The bible discusses many times how God is the creator of life including vegetative life and says that it is our duty to care for all life. The below passages show that clearly God cares for trees and natural life and commands us to do the same. Throughout much of the gospels, the world is often compared to a great tree with people being its fruit.
Genesis 1:11-13
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[a] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
Genesis 1:29
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Leviticus 19:23-25
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.[a] Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 20:19
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?
Matthew 7:16-20
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So,every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Psalm 96:12
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
Story from the Talmud:
Ways to celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Finger paint trees and flowers and hang them inside your home or send them to friends and family to share the joy
**Take your camera outside and practice your photography skills by taking pictures of nature
**Press flowers to display in your home or to make cards to send to family and friends
-Fun family ideas:
**Plant trees
**Volunteer at a local community garden
**Go berry picking
**Just play outside
**Go on a bike ride
**Share a meal outside as a picnic
**Visit a local arboretum
-Religious traditions:
**Share a seder meal with family and friends- see the below link for a great guide (http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Winter_Holidays/Tu_B_shevat/Seder/seder.html)
**Write special prayers for our earth on 100% latex helium balloons (latex is biodegradable) and release them into the sky so they go "up to God" for blessings to come "down on our earth"
How we celebrated:
We planted our own herb garden! We also spent a big part of the day outside. We took our dog to the park to play and we played with the kids at the foster home we volunteer at outside for a long time. It was a perfect day to celebrate and honor this beautiful world that God has given us. Next year, when we are married, I hope we can share a seder with family and friends and all give thanks for the beauty that surrounds us every day.
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