Tu B’Shvat falls as the first Jewish holiday of the year. It offers a profound, liminal moment for us to look back on the pain, trauma, and chaos of the past few years while simultaneously looking forward towards our hopes and aspirations for what a new year might become. The traditional “birthday of the trees,” which has been re-interpreted countless times throughout Jewish history, offers us a powerful frame for exploring our connection to our homes, our communities, the environment, and the broader world. But we are also cognizant that, for many of us, the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles we endured persist. We therefore have developed this Tu B’Shvat Haggadah to be not only accessible from home but also responsive to the context in which we encounter Tu B’Shvat this year.

This year’s Haggadah includes reflections on Covid-19, the renewed racial justice protests, and the fracturing of civil discourse, the climate crisis, and the spiritual connections to each of these. In doing so, we also acknowledge that not all of us were impacted by the same crises in the same ways, nor that these are the totality of crises we have endured. We hope however, that these reflections and resources offer something for everyone as we collectively explore the ways Jewish tradition comes alive today.

We do not take time to link and commemorate each of these crises to become defeatist or bogged down in cycles of misery and suffering. We address them head-on because the Jewish people know what it means to endure crisis, to cultivate resilience, courage, and solidarity, and to emerge stronger because of it. We bring this legacy of redemption from suffering and despair to bear on our present crises. May Tu B’Shvat provide the fertile soil in which we plant our seeds of hope and aspiration, praying and celebrating in community (whether in person or virtual) for a new year of healing, prosperity, and purpose. Hag Tu B’Shvat Sameah!

-Rabbi Josh Ratner and the Hazon Programs Team


Service Section: Introduction
Source: Hazon 2021 Tu B'Shvat Haggadah