By Joel A. Mintz,
My religion, Judaism, has numerous holidays. The most widely observed of those are Passover, a joyous celebration of the Jews’ departure from slavery in Egypt, and Yom Kippur, a solemn day of fasting and prayer dedicated to atonement from sins. My favorite holiday is relatively more obscure yet suffused with meaning for me: Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.
Tu B’Shevat, a holiday believed to have originated in the Middle East in the 3rd Century A.D. as an agricultural festival, marks the start of a season when the earliest blooming trees in the Land of Israel begin a new fruit bearing cycle. It is celebrated today by the planting of new trees and by the eating of dried fruits and nuts and the drinking of wine.
Tu B’Shevat holds special meaning for me because I am a lifelong lover of nature who—since 1970—has referred to himself an environmentalist. I grew up in an area of Queens, New York that was, in my childhood, semi-rural. Lovely maples, oaks and elms proliferated, and I have fond boyhood memories of collecting fallen leaves, and being taught about the different trees, by my mother’s mother. I was also an enthusiastic member of my elementary school’s garden club. After college and law school, I became an environmental lawyer and then an environmental law professor, practicing with the EPA and several NGOs and training numerous students in the fundamentals of environmental practice.
My love of trees, and other miracles of nature, continues to this day. Trees, with their myriad shapes and sizes, continuously remind me of the greatness of God, the wondrous bounty God has created for us, and the urgent need for us to protect the natural world, for ourselves and generations to come.
Joel A. Mintz is a retired law professor. He serves on the boards of several environmental organizations, writes books, articles, and op-ed essays on environmental topics, and enjoys regular walks among the palms, palmettos, poincianas and sea grapes of South Florida.
Photo of Autumn in New York by Piotr Bizior
