by Rabbi Jennie Rosenn
Tu Bishvat feels especially important – and poignant – this year. As every day brings new assaults on our natural world (and more), we welcome this holiday to step back and consider our profound relationship to trees – and the Etz Chaim, the Tree of Life itself.
Kabalistic mystics understood Tu Bishvat as the “birthday” of the Tree of Life – a time to celebrate and pray for the flow of life into the universe.
Those of us who are committed to climate action are dedicated to protecting that life force – in the face of destruction, injustice, and greed.
Last month, we watched as a far-right, climate denialist trifecta took power in Washington, DC – and immediately set about smashing norms, overturning hard-won climate victories, and setting us on a path toward more climate destruction.
At a moment that cries for us to transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future, this is a sharp and painful turn backwards. The result is sure to be a hotter and more dangerous future – for the earth, for all creatures, and for humanity.
This is nothing less than an assault on the Tree of Life. However, we are not backing down; indeed, we are doubling down, marshalling the moral and collective might of our American Jewish community.
While hope for climate action at the federal level has dimmed, there is critical progress that is possible and urgently needed on the state and local levels, accelerating our transition to a clean energy future.
Join us to kick off Dayenu’s bold action to meet this moment.
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When the kabbalists revived Tu Bishvat as a celebration of the Tree of Life, they established a Tu Bishvat seder – a sacred meal at which people ate specific fruits with blessings, in order to release and uplift the sparks of holiness hidden in the fruit.
If ever there was a time for us to rise up and release our own sparks of power – to protect all that is sacred to us – it is now. This Tu Bishvat we must come together to fiercely defend the Tree of Life – for us, for all people, for our children and grandchildren.
In this perilous time, I’m grateful to be in this work with you, protecting the Tree of Life and all we hold dear.
rabbi jennie rosenn
A visionary and leader in the non-profit sector, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn founded Dayenu in 2020 to mobilize the American Jewish community to confront the climate crisis with spiritual audacity and bold political action. The organization has since grown exponentially, and now mobilizes thousands of Jewish climate activists.
Rabbi Rosenn has spent more than two decades leading Jewish non-profit organizations, advocating for social change and creating dynamic new initiatives at the heart of the Jewish social justice movement. Before founding Dayenu, she served as vice president for community engagement at HIAS, where she built a robust Jewish movement responding to the global refugee crisis.