A FEW WORDS FROM CANTOR ROBBI

 

Tu-Tu-Tu B’Shevat!  (Or WHAT? Another Seder?)

 

Another New Year?

 

On Tu B'Shevat we celebrate a New Year for the Trees, rejoicing in the fruit of the tree and the fruit of the vine, celebrating the splendid, abundant gifts of the earth.  “Tu,” is the number for 15 in Hebrew, and Shevat is the Hebrew month.  It seems strange to label a holiday by a date, unless you consider that we celebrate the “4th” of July. 

 

Tu B'Shevat marks the beginning of spring in Israel – it is said that the roots of the almond trees stretch after a long winter and the sap begins to rise. The rains come.  In Israel, school children plant trees. Here in the U.S., how many of you planted parsley in little cups in Sunday school that came home with you? When the parsley grew (for those who didn’t have a ‘black thumb’ like me), that parsley was used for the Passover Seder.  Tu B’Shevat is also an excellent time to give tzedakah,  (righteous giving) to the “little blue box,” (which my mom called the “Pushkah”)  These boxes are offered by the Jewish National Fund, founded in 1901, which has planted over 250 MILLION trees in Israel.

 

For Jews outside of Israel, Tu B'Shevat is a celebration of the renewal of vision and awareness, a celebration of connections and connectedness--to our own inner-selves, to the social world of human beings, and to the natural world and its Source.  Although celebrated for centuries, in the last 20 years, we have found a way to make it very contemporary, with themes of gratefulness, health, ecology and more. The Tu B’Shevat Seder is now a big part of Jewish culture around the world. It’s one of my very favorite holidays – who doesn’t love fruits & nuts?

 

Tu B’Shevat History 101: In the 17th century, the Kabbalists, the Jewish mystics of Safed, developed a special Seder (order) service. Their efforts were influenced by the esoteric meaning (I like to call it the “meaning in the white spaces”) in Torah verse Deuteronomy 20:19: "For man is like the tree of the field". 

 

Modeled on the Passover Seder, the Tu B’Shevat Seder included drinking four cups of wine with varying percentages of red and white wine, representing the shifting of yearly seasons. The Seder also included readings on trees and fruit from a range of Jewish literature. The new form of celebration spread from Safed to Sephardi communities in Turkey, Italy and Greece, and later in Europe, Asia and North Africa.  Today, we also add lively song to the Seder.

 

A Shopping list!

 

In addition to both red and white wine/grape juices, the Seder is required to have 15 different types of fruits and nuts; five from each of the following three categories:

 

1) Fruits or nuts with an inedible outer shell and an edible inner core: pineapple, coconut, orange, pomello, banana, walnut, pecan, grapefruit, star fruit, pinenut, pomegranate, papaya, brazil nut, pistachio, or almond.

 

2) Fruits with edible outer flesh and inedible cores: olive, date, cherry, loquat, peach, apricot, jujub, persimmon, avocado, or plum.

 

3) Fruits which are edible throughout. Here no protective shells, neither internal nor external are needed. The symbolic fruits may be eaten entirely and include: strawberry, grape, raisin, fig, raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, carob, apple, pear, kiwi or quince.

 

Our own Seder will be a blast up at Ben & Beth Wegbreit’s home.  We always get a great turn-out and Debbie Alpern is the Queen of finding all that we need!  Please plan to join us!

 

Cantor Robbi

 

 

JOIN OUR NEW B’NAI BUTTE FACEBOOK PAGE!!

Please “Like” us on Facebook and tell your friends to do so, as well. You will find us under “B’nai Butte Congregation.”  We are looking for photo submissions, and anything that will help the world find the “Best-kept Jewish secret in the Rockies!”  You can send photos & info. to Cantor Robbi at: robbisherwin@me.com.

 

FAMILY HAVDALAH, PIZZA AND A MOVIE

 

Join us Saturday night, February 11 at 6:30PM for a brief Havdalah service, pizza and a movie at the home of Ofra and Chuck Reynolds, 218 Blackstock, CB South. 

 

This multi-award winning documentary is an engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film PRAYING WITH LIOR introduces Lior Liebling, also called "the little Rebbe." Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. Is he a "spiritual genius" as many around him say? Or simply the vessel that contains everyone's unfulfilled wishes and expectations? Lior - whose name means "my light" - lost his mother at age six, and her words and spirit hover over the film. While everyone agrees Lior is closer to God, he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration, and an embarrassment, depending on which family member is speaking. As Lior approaches Bar Mitzvah, different characters provides a window into life spent "praying with Lior." The movie poses difficult questions such as what is "disability" and who really talks to God? Told with intimacy and humor, PRAYING WITH LIOR is a family story, a triumph story, a grief story, a divinely-inspired story. It is appropriate for all ages.  Call 349-5211 with questions.

 

THANK YOU!

 

Thank you to Monica and Nathan Bilow for hosting our January Shabbat dinner!

 

Thank you to Bobbie and George Reinhardt for generously hosting Cantor Robbi for her January visit.

 

 

MAZEL TOV!

 

Mazel Tov to Roger Rolfe on his 70^th birthday!

 

Mazel Tov to Herb Weitzman and Donna Arp on their January 22^nd wedding!

 

CONTRIBUTIONS

 

B’nai Butte gratefully acknowledges the following generous contributions in response to our annual appeal. Won’t you please join them? B’nai Butte depends on your financial support:

 

Religious School Fund:

Debbie and Bruce Alpern in honor of Roger Rolfe

Beth and Ben Wegbreit in honor of Ingrid Crowl

In honor of the marriage of Herb Weitzman and Donna Arp:

Becky and Joe Williams

 

OUR SUMMER EVENTS

 

Please mark your calendars!  Cantor Robbi will be in Crested Butte for Shabbat weekends:

 

June 8-10

July 13-15 (Bat Mitzvah service for Beth Wegbreit and Ingrid Crowl)

August 17-19

 

She will also be leading High Holiday Services for Rosh Hashanah (September 16-17) and Yom Kippur (September 25-26).

 

SIFRIYAT YELADIM

 

With thanks to Monica Bilow, we are adding a lending library to the After School Shul program.  Monica will have books the children can check out each week.  We are looking for donations of new or gently used Jewish children’s books!  Call Monica 349-0703 to discuss your tax deductible contribution.

 

HOUSES NEEDED

 

We need housing for Cantor Robbi’s summer visits!  We also need homes to host Friday night Shabbat dinners in June and August.   Please contact Bruce 349-7742 to discuss the dates Cantor Robbi will be here.  Please volunteer!  It’s a great experience for you and your family.

 

ACTIVITIES IN CRESTED BUTTE

 

Planning a trip to Crested Butte?  We’d like to call your attention to the Valley’s website:  www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com where you can find activities and events—including ours!

 

CANCELLATION POLICY

Because we do not normally ask for RSVPs to our events, it is not possible to contact everyone when we need to cancel an event.  If we need to cancel an event we will post it online on our website: www.bnaibutte.com no later than an hour before the scheduled start time.  This includes Sunday School, Shabbat dinners, and Cantor Robbi’s events.  Look on the Newsletter tab and if an event has been cancelled notification will be there in RED.

WHY WE NEED YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!

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