During the last few weeks, MJCDS learners prepared themselves for Tu B'Shvat, the New Year of the Trees.
They learned that according to the rabbis, there are actually FOUR New Years, not just one. In addition to Tu B'Shvat there are Rosh HaShanah in Tishrei, Passover in Nissan, and the first of the month of Elul, which at one time dealt with animal tithing, but now acts as a reminder about the upcoming High Holidays.
In the 17th century, the Kabbalists accented the holiday of Tu B'Shvat by coming together, studying, and eating. They ate fruits and nuts that have peels/coverings, fruits that have pits, and fruits that are completely edible. These different types of fruit symbolize different aspects of human nature. They compared people and plants as suggested by the verse, Deuteronomy 20:19: "For man is like the tree of the field." They also sang and danced.
Likewise, MJCDS students studied, sang, and learned about and ate various fruits and nuts. Students learned many fun songs and a particular verse that mentions the seven species that are tied closely to Israel.
Additionally, the students planted seeds with Israeli Shlicha Maya Pney-Gil and sampled even more fruit! They also learned about trees from our wonderful tree expert, Darrell, of Capital City Tree Experts Incorporated. We thank both Maya and Darrell for enriching our students' learning!
During this unit of study, students wrote stories in Hebrew about trees, produced beautiful pictures, created matching word and picture game pieces and decorated picturesque plates with various fruit and nut groupings.
Needless to say, by the end of the learning students seemed stuffed! They digested both the fruit and the learning and relished the opportunity to celebrate together.
-Meisha Leibson
