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January 2003From the Desk of Rabbi FreelundAll the holidays are coming this early, and our preparations in the Religious School are keeping pace! If we can celebrate Hanukkah and Thanksgiving within a day, then we can certainly mark the holiday of Tu B'Shvat before the Superbowl. Tu B'Shvat celebrates the many things having to do with nature. In ancient times it was the day from which a tree's growth and output was marked, so that you could know exactly how much to tithe for one year's time. In later times, the holiday was associated with the rebirth of nature, and the flowering of trees after the long winter (yes, a January holiday doesn't quite line up with this one). In the 16th century, a time of great mystical activity, Tu B'Shvat came to signify the connection of people to nature, and through nature to the power of God behind it. It was at this time that the ritual of the Tu B'Shvat seder was instituted, connecting the significance of the holiday to symbolic foods, just as we do on Passover. The ritual of the Tu B'Shvat seder was not limited to the mystics hundreds of years ago, but instead has grown in popularity over time. Our Religious School Tu B'Shvat Seder will be on January 29th, at 11:00 AM. All of the children will participate in our celebration of the New Year of the Trees. All parents are invited to attend with their children. If you would like to volunteer to help with the event, please contact the Religious School Office at 327-6722. FUNDRAISING NEWS… We are trying some new fundraisers this year that we hope will be successful for the Religious School, as well as beneficial to our families. Please look in this month's newsletter for a flyer detailing a new Family Haggadah, which was designed by Religious School parent, Nanci Freedberg, and edited by Rabbi Cohon. These Haggadahs are meant for families with children, and provide a complete service with all of the simanei haseder included. Your Haggadahs can be personalized with your own family's name at no cost. Please return you orders to Temple office no later than February 9th. I am also pleased to announce that Rhody Cohon has graciously volunteered to coordinate a grocery card fund raising effort for our school. This is a painless process. Once in place, every time that you use you grocery discount card at participating stores, a percentage of your purchase will come back to our school. Please look for opportunities to sign up on Sunday mornings in January. |
