Awakening the Earth and Awakening the Soul: Celebrating Tu B'Shevat in the Heart of a Polish Winter

The entry you are about to read can also be found by clicking on this post's title which will direct you to the new blog created by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (a.k.a. JDC or The Joint).

The Joint is the organization that has afforded me the opportunity to spend a year of my life living and working with the Jewish community of Poland. If you are a Yid who has graduated from college and are interested in spending a year of your life working with other Yids in remote corners of the globe (such as Poland, Romania, Turkey, India, Austria and Ethiopia), the Joint blog may be of particular interest to you. If you are not a Yid, you still might find the Joint blog interesting.

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“Every blade of grass has its angel bent over it whispering ‘Grow! Grow!’ ”
- Bereishit Rabbah 9:6

Marked by chilly winds, icy sidewalks, wool hats, and myriad mugs of herbal tea, Winter in Poland remains in full-swing. But on Tu B’Shevat (The Jewish New Year for Trees), the Jewish community welcomed the awakening of nature and ushered in a season of growth and renewal. On February 13th, seniors and volunteers gathered together at the Jewish Senior Club in Warsaw for a Tu B’Shevat Seder to celebrate the fruits of the earth and reaffirm the Jewish obligation to care for the environment.

With four cups of wine to drink and four new fruits to taste, the Seder was aimed to draw connections between the seasons of nature and the human life-cycle. The first cup of wine was white, symbolizing the color of winter. As we blessed the wine, we recalled that nature has been dormant for many months in anticipation of the warmth of spring and the annual cycle of rebirth. The first kind of fruit we ate was the fig, a fruit that can be eaten entirely. As a fruit without a protective shell, it reminded us of some of the distinct characteristics of childhood: innocence, sensitivity, and vulnerability to be hurt.

The second cup of wine was white but tinted with red symbolizing the beginnings of springtime and the earth’s reawakening. Together we imagined the pink and white flowers in Israel that dot the hills and mountains during this season of the year. We blessed the date, a fruit that has an inner pit which cannot be eaten. Its tough inner core reminded us of the need to reinvigorate our hearts. With a strong heart and a pure vision, our lives grow richer and deeper. Like the date palm that bears her name, the Biblical woman, Tamar, had to reach deep down within herself to draw upon energies to make her fruits grow. Just as a tree draws water through its roots, Tamar drew upon an inner strength that enriched her life and helped sustain future generations. Similarly, each member of the Polish Jewish community must reach deep within herself to nurture strength for the continuity of Jewish life.

The third cup of wine, mostly red but with some white, represented the full arrival of spring. Together we imagined the red tulips and buttercups blooming in Israel and brightening the countryside. We took comfort in thinking about the soil that is warmed and softened as spring arrives. It is so very different from the frozen soil in our own community Warsaw! The third type of fruit we ate was the avocado, a fruit with both an inner pit and a hard outer skin. This fruit was meant to remind us of the tensions that come from both the inner and outer forces of our lives. We reminded ourselves that joy is often found in and around these tensions.

The fourth cup of wine was completely red, symbolizing the full glow of summer. During the summer, both in Israel and in Poland, the crops are growing and flowers are in full bloom. We looked forward to the months ahead when nature will provide many varieties of fruit for our delight and sustenance. The pomegranate, the fourth fruit in our Seder, has a hard shell and is difficult to open. This fruit reminded us of the traps of adulthood, of being closed and hard to our world, and of the things that often make us feel frightened and vulnerable. Rather than being closed and shut off, we committed ourselves to staying open, to welcoming new ideas, to sharing new experiences, and to nurturing relationships with people in our community.

After a few rounds of Hashkeidiya Porachat* and Etz Chaim Hi** sung in several different melodies and in three different languages, we made drzewa kreatywne (creative trees) out of plastic water bottles and other recyclable material. It would have been ideal to plant trees, but alas, the February chill is not particularly conducive to planting a community garden. Our artistic trees are showcased on the Senior Club window ledge next to the community hanukkiah. They serve as a quintessential reminder of the richness of the Jewish tradition and of the creative energy that we draw upon from our Polish Jewish roots.

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; they shall thrive like a cedar in Lebanon. Even in old age, they shall bring forth fruit. They shall be full of vigor and strength.” - Psalm 92

* A song about an almond tree
** A song called “It is a Tree of Life”