Rabbi's Blog

Question

Dear Rabbi,

I am offended! I saw your email about tu B’shevat and read a bit about it. What’s this that it says in Deut. 20;19  “for the man is the tree of the field”? I am not a tree, I am a person – not an animal, and definitely not a tree.

Sincerely,

Mr. Hu Man

Answer

Dear Hu,

You are right! This Shabbat will be Tu b’Shvat, the 15th day of Shvat, the New Year for trees. This holiday is not only for trees, or a botanist’s holiday, but it is a holiday for all people. Additionally, there is a Jewish tradition to eat fruits onTu b’Shvat.

While people are not trees, there are lessons that we can learn from trees about character traits that we do not have naturally.You see, the human does not always see his or her connection to G-d - his actual life force. A human stops growing in his teens and stops bearing fruit at a certain age. On the other hand, the tree is always connected through the ground to its life force, its roots. A tree grows and continues to grow during its entire life. Furthermore, a tree does not only grow but it gives fruit that can be shared and give pleasure for all of its years.

So while you may not be a tree, you should consider becoming one. How? By implementing these three characteristics: Connect, Grow, Share.

1.     Be connected to your life-force, G-dliness.

2.     Continually grow in your service of G-d.

3.     Share what has enhanced your spiritual life with others.

So now take the passion you had when you were offended and passionately share this message with someone else.

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

P.S. Will we see you at Shabbat services?

This Seder is exclusive, only those with tickets can come! 

 Pesach (Passover), the holiday commemorating the birth of theJewish people, seems to not celebrate a people but family. We see this in the times of the Temple that the Passover Lamb was only allowed to be shared with those who were assigned to it. Usually, each group comprised of family and extended family and at times two families joined together. Now, without the sacrificial limitations, we are still enjoined by the Torah to relate the story of Pesach to our children; keeping the tradition of 'family seders', as it is written: “You must relate the story to your child".

One of the lessons learned from this is that true freed begins at home. The family—not the Temple, nor the synagogue— is the center of civilization. It is in the home where people are molded. (Want to hear more on this? reply for audio of this weeks class.)

The Torah is telling us, that everything must begin in the home. It is at home that lessons are learned and love is nurtured.

Judaism understands that what matters most, occurrs not in boardrooms, but in kitchens; not on the desks of CEOs but in the arms of mothers and fathers cuddling their children and sharing with them the story of the human potential to liberate itself from the confinements of instinct, selfishness, hate and superficiality.

On Pesach (Passover) the Torah tells us: You want to become a nation and change the world? Go home!

See you on Shabbos

P.S. RSVP for your Public seder www.HarfordJewish.com/Passover

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman 

 “Let my people go…” – it’s an inspirational message. There are those who say, that this quote from the Torah was the inspiration for the “abolitionist movement”. Looking at the end of that same verse it says “so that they may serve Me”.

Moses defined the goal of freedom from Egypt, in order to serve G-d. This is mentioned again later, as G-d himself says later “For the Children of Israel are My servants”.

What is service of G-d?

Serving G-d is more following the commandments of the Torah. That is being a slave to G-d. Serving G-d is doing something outside of your comfort zone. Its making the effort to do something that G-d wants, because that is what He wants.

Here is a link to a story that illustrates this point.

Have a good Shabbos and please join us 9:30am for a Rosh Chodesh – Shabbos service.

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman