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Jewish Worship, Holidays and the Environment
Acknowledging that moral and religious meaning
pervade the smallest details of everyday life;
praise and gratitude for the blessings of nature
and human community; and respect for the order
of creation — for millennia, these have
been keynotes of Jewish worship and the yearly
cycle of Jewish holidays (many of which have agricultural
roots). Today, many congregations and families
sound those notes in ways that resonate with present-day
environmental concerns and give new significance
to age-old liturgies, prayers and observances.
Among the Jewish holidays most often celebrated
with reference to contemporary environmental concerns
is Tu B’Shvat, the “New Year for the
Trees” — at the time of year when
the sap begins to rise in the trees in Israel.
Sometimes called the “Jewish Earth Day,”
it has become for many a time to lift up environmental
concerns in the congregation and community.
However, the ecological dimensions of a whole
range of Jewish holidays can be brought out in
creative ways. Hanukkah can be a time for highlighting
issues of energy awareness; Sukkoth, for reflecting
on food and agriculture; Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah
can be a time for ecological repentance and renewal;
Passover, for recalling Earth’s need for
liberation from environmental oppression.
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A variety of resources
for such holiday observances is available on COEJL's
website and in its Program Bank, as well as
from ALEPH:
The Alliance for Jewish Renewal and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
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