There is a deep-seated reverence for trees in Judaism, expressed in modern times by the afforestation of the land of Israel and the celebration of the festival of Tu Bishvat, the ‘New Year’ for trees, which begins tonight.
There is a story in the Talmud of Honi the Circle-Drawer: One day Honi was journeying on the road and saw a man planting a carob tree.
He asked him, ‘How long does it take for a carob tree to bear fruit?’ The man replied, ‘Seventy years.’ Honi asked, ‘Are you certain that you will live another seventy years?’
The man answered, ‘I found carob trees in the world. As my forefathers planted them for me, so I too plant these for my children.’
That is a leading motif in Jewish law.
We are guardians of the world for the sake of future generations. Trees are a symbol of the long-term nature of the human enterprise.
The world we inherit is due to the efforts of those who came before us.
The world we leave our children is dependent on what we do.
Happy Tu Bishvat! #trees #environment #environmentalprotection #responsibility #TuBishvat
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