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NOAH's Celebrations! edited by Janet Burden An important aspect
of The Noah Project's work is creating opportunities to increase environmental awareness through the Jewish Shabbat and Festival Cycles.Accordingly, we have "adopted" three key festivals and have
regularly held events in connection with them. For current events being planned, please watch our regular newsletter. This space is only to give you some background information about the festivals we have chosen. We
hope it will also give you an idea of what kind of things we have done in the past - and what you might like to participate in (or organise!) over the coming cycle of festivals. Sukkot/Hoshana Rabbah.
At the autumn harvest festival of Sukkot, we are given the opportunity to thank God for the natural abundance that sustains us and all life on the planet. We celebrate having had rain and sun in appropriate
measure, which has led to a good harvest. Sadly, however, we must acknowledge that not all places on the earth have been as fortunate. We hear increasingly of droughts and of devastating floods, which many scientists
believe are signs of global warming. As we dwell in the sukkah, the harvest booth, we are made acutely aware of the fragility of the eco-system in which we live. The festival thus offers us an excellent framework
through which to reflect on our relationship to the environment. This year, why not take some materials on Jewish environmentalism into your own or your synagogue's sukkah for a special study session on
the Shabbat that falls during Sukkot. The Noah Project has copies of Let the Earth Teach You Torah available for sale, which contains everything you need to make a start.
Alternatively, why not check out our resource reviews
? Traditionally, it was on Hoshana Rabbah, the last day of the holiday, that Jews began to pray for the rain that would
be necessary for the next growing cycle. In recognition of this ancient custom, The Noah Project has sometimes held special minchah (afternoon) services on this day, combined - weather permitting - with a walk outdoors.
One year, for example, we selected Oxleas Wood for our event, to celebrate the fact that environmental campaigners were able to save this beautiful woodland. Tu B'Shvat
is the fifteenth day of the month of Shvat, which has been recognised at least since Talmudic times as the New Year of the Trees. It marks the official "birthday" of the trees, which falls each year at what was deemed to be the very beginning of the new growing season. So, why did our ancestors feel that the trees needed a "birthday"?
We won't bore you with the convoluted details of the ancient tithing and taxing of agricultural produce, which no doubt led to the institution of the holiday. Suffice it to say that, as with racehorses
today, there was a need to determine when new trees reached maturity. Trees were allowed time to develop naturally, and their fruit was forbidden for a set number of years. This is but one example of the limitations set
on the human use of nature. The sages of the Mishnah recorded many principles which could still teach us much about our relationship with the earth. Some of these dealt with bio-diversity, warning against the dangers of
hybridisation and the consequent reduction of species. Go along to any local supermarket and see the standardisation of the fruits and vegetables that has been the legacy of modern farming methods. Sadly, the ancient
wisdom of those who lived closer to the land is being ignored, leaving us with produce that is as much the result of human intervention as it is of nature. By this point in the calendar (usually late
January/early February) the early winter rains are over and the first buds of the new growing season appear. It is a time of renewal in the natural world, which also calls upon us to reawaken ourselves to the beauty and
wonder of Creation. One thing everyone can do to mark Tu B'shvat is to go outside - preferably with a group of friends - and look for the signs of Spring. There are many customs related to Tu B'Shvat. Some
communities have begun reviving the kabbalistic custom of a Tu B'Shvat seder meal, with ritual fruits and nuts, together with red and white wines. The Noah Project encourages Jewish communities across the religious
spectrum to hold such seder celebrations, using the occasion to discuss our responsibility as Jews to the natural world. We can suggest materials for putting together your own seder booklet and give advice on how to
organise the event. As with many Jewish holidays, one is also encouraged to mark the day by giving Tzedakah, a donation to charity. Why not consider a gift to an environmental organisation as a way
of honouring the holiday? Another tradition is to plant something, or to go outside and feed the birds. It is so easy for those of us who live in cities to lose our connection with nature and the seasonal rhythms. By
observing Tu B'Shvat, we can begin to redress the balance. Shavuot
Once the people went into exile, the festival of Shavuot lost much of its agricultural context, becoming primarily the holiday on which we celebrate the giving of the Torah. Biblically, however, it was also a harvest festival, like Sukkot. In Israel, this aspect of the holiday has begun to be reclaimed, but for those of us living in the Diaspora the primary theme of Shavuot remains the Revelation on Mt. Sinai.
That God is revealed to us through the Torah is a belief shared by all religious Jews. Yet there are few who would dispute that we can also learn of the Creator through active engagement with the Creation,
that is; through the natural world. Accordingly, we at The Noah Project have borrowed an idea from Jewish environmental groups in the United States, and have led special environmental awareness walks called "Adamah
Walks." During the walk, participants are encouraged to take part in a number of exercises designed to sharpen our awareness of the world around us. One of our favourite places to do this is on Hampstead Heath. If
you have never taken part in one of these, it can be a real eye-opener. Great for both adults and children. This past year, we organised a 'Celebration of the Green Belt' in High Barnet, followed by a tea
and talk at the home of Aubrey Rose, a long-time Jewish campaigner for the environment. We feel that one of the best ways to show town planners how important green belts are to our live is to get out there and use them!
Articles about Jewish festivals:
SuccotTu Bish'vat
Shavuot |
