Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

Happy Tu Bishvat!

Today is the “New Year of the Trees” on the Jewish calendar. As we were dressing the Torah this morning, our cantor sang one of my favorite Israeli songs — “Hashkedia Porachat“.

The almond tree is blooming            The golden sun is shining             Birds on the rooftop             Announce that the holiday is coming!         Tu Bishvat has arrived, the holiday of trees!

And speaking of “birds on the rooftop” did you know that this coming Shabbat, in addition to being known as Shabbat Shira, is also known as “The Sabbath of the Birds”. There is a Jewish custom to feed the birds on this Shabbat. We can only guess at the origins of this custom. Some say it is connected to the verse in Psalm 150. “Kol Haneshama Tehallel Yah” — “Let everything that breathes praise God”. The birds sing beautiful songs to God every day. In order to reward them, we feed them on the day that we recite our most glorious song, the song we sang on the crossing of the Red Sea.

The Jewish people is also compared to birds. The Talmud teaches, “Just as a dove is saved from her enemies by its two wings, so Israel is saved by the merit of her mitzvot.” (BT Berachot 53b)

Have a “tweet” Shabbat.