Tu BiShvat or the "New Year of the Trees" is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the 15th (tu) of the Hebrew month of Shvat. Scholars believe that originally Tu BiShvat was an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. In the 17th century, Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu BiShvat that is similar to a Passover seder. The holiday also has become a tree-planting festival in Israel, in which Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in honor or in memory of loved ones and friends.

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/tu-bishvat

https://reformjudaism.org/tags/family-activities?field_jewish_holiday_target_id=22820

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/purim

My Dear B’nai Harim Family:

As the Chinese curse goes, may we live in interesting times. Events are moving so swiftly, and our nation is on such a knife’s edge, it’s hard to know exactly what message would be helpful. All I can think of right now is to share an interesting synchronicity that just happened with the Rabbi’s kids. We’ve been studying each book of the Bible and just got to the story of my namesake, King David, and a story of his absolutely corrupt and horrible behavior and the lengths he went to deny and coverup his wrongdoing. Except, the story ends with him acknowledging his sin and accepted there was a price to pay for allowing power to corrupt him absolutely, when confronted by the prophet Nathan. What a teachable moment, and right now, as we watch and fear the growing chaos, we can only pray the prophets of peace will rise up and prevail, somehow, someway.

Here’s the story we examined, with its past and present resonance. After securing Jerusalem as his capital, one night David looks down from his palace and sees a beautiful woman bathing on a nearby rooftop in the moonlight. Even after finding out she is married, and married to one of his loyal soldiers serving at the front, he sends for, sleeps with and impregnates her. Soap operas could not make up a better story than what follows.

David tries to cover-up his heinous act by recalling Uriah so he can sleep with his wife and then the child can be seen as the husband’s, not his. However, the upright soldier sleeps at the door of his house, unable to enjoy the comfort of bed and wife while his fellow soldiers sleep on the hard ground on the frontlines. He goes back to his troops, and then, David, instead of just saying, hey, the kid’s mine, sorry, he doubles down. The king sends a message to his right-hand man, his general, Joab, that Uriah should be set in the front line of the battle, and then other troops should be called back to leave him vulnerable. And Uriah carries this message dooming him to death, honorably not opening a sealed order from the king. And so, he dies.

Nathan comes to David, at the Lord’s behest, and tells him a story about two men, one rich, the other poor. The poor man had nothing, just one little lamb, which he raised and nourished and it grew with his children and was like a member of the household. When a traveler came to visit the rich man, instead of using his own flocks to serve, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man that had come to see him. David seethed with anger at the rich man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

“Thou art the man,” Nathan says to David, and tells him that God has given him all these riches, the kingship of Israel, delivery from those who would kills him, and would have done even more. “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be they wife.” The Lord continues to recite what David will suffer, and David then says to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan tells him he, David, will not die, but the child will.

I always say that Shakespeare missed the boat not writing a trilogy of plays about King David. It’s great material, and as the kids and I dove into the meaning then and now, I marveled at how the ancient texts still illuminate so much about human nature and how we can explore political and social dynamics together. Ultimately, we pray that enough prophetic courage and political will can rise to contain what could be ruinous and destructive, that we will see an awakening to responsibility and integrity and somehow thread the needle through the peril. After all, before Nathan came along, we would have thought the king was capable of doing anything he wanted for his own ends and getting away with it. It doesn’t look likely that the would be king will ever be as great as David in being able to face his worst instincts and actions, but we can hope those around him will cease propping him up.

May we be blessed and protected; may divine light illuminate our eyes; and may we find our way toward a path of peace, wholeness, and blessing, together.

L’shalom,

Rabbi David 

CDC - Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19- Step by step instructions to make your own face mask.

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·       Install handicap accessible concrete walkway along the side of building to patio and fill in needed areas in front

·       Install pavilion over concrete patio

·       Install outdoor kitchen with sink and propane BBQ

·       Install Star of David shaped memorial rose garden and handicap accessible pathway leading to it

·       Purchase and install storage shed for outdoor folding chairs and umbrellas

·       Purchase outdoor folding chairs

·       Install raised vegetable garden beds

·       Refurbish flower garden area in front of building

·       Install plaque honoring all donors that contributed to the land purchase and backyard development

·       Diamond     $10,000+

·       Platinum     $5,000+

·       Gold              $2,500+

·       Silver            $1,000+

·       Bronze          $500+

·       Copper         $100+

·       Other            ____

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