By Amy Unger
An Inspirational and Informative Tu B’Shvat Seder
On Thursday, Jan. 25th, Congregation Or Atid celebrated Tu B’Shvat with an inspirational and informative Seder.
Congregant, Dr. Sam Richardson, presented a brief history of the holiday, beginning with the command from the Holiness Code of the Torah to not eat the fruit of any young tree until it is 5 years old (Leviticus 19.23-25).
He also included some commentary regarding the sages and the 16th century kabbalistic teachings as well as the intentions behind the observance of the Tu B’Shvat Seder.
With each of the four cups of the Seder, attendees discussed the meaning behind both the change in color of the wine, from white to red, as well as the traditional foods eaten at this Seder: pistachios, cherries, olives, raspberries, and blueberries.
With each cup of wine, participants reflected on how each person’s, respective life experiences reflect these types of foods. For the fourth cup, although sweet smells such as cinnamon and rosemary are generally enjoyed at this Seder, participants paused for a moment of silence to remember those whom we have lost since that morning of Oct. 7th, 2023.
After the Seder, Dr. Richardson provided a brief audio-visual review of the historical relationship between the People and the Land of Israel, the development of Zionism, and the reason the Jewish National Fund planted trees on the lands purchased since 1901.
After listening to Ben Gurion’s speech announcing the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, attendees stood for a very meaningful singing of HaTikvah.
The evening closed out with a review of some of the more popular trees in Israel such as Olive, Eucalyptus, Jerusalem Pine, Sabra Cactus, and Almond. Participants discussed how each has their own “personalitree” and which type of tree each participant most identified with.
We look forward to peace for Am Yisrael in our Tu B’Shvat celebration next year.
Or Atid’s Helen and Sam Kornblau’s Religious School Strives to Strengthen the Bonds of Community
Our Religious School continues to create and enact opportunities for the young members of the congregation and the larger community to come, learn, study, pray, and create together.
There is no better time for students and young people to surround themselves with rich traditions and fellowship.
In November, in participation with the Daffodil Project, planted daffodils at Or Atid in remembrance for the children who were killed during the Holocaust.
Simultaneously, the older students of Or Atid invited Dr. Roger Loria, a Holocaust Survivor, to speak with them at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. After a guided tour, the students also planted daffodils at the museum in memoriam for the children of the Holocaust.
The older religious school students are currently working on the Tzedakah project in which they research local and broader charities in which to donate. The students research what the non-profit’s goal is, their reliability, and whom they serve. The students will then present their chosen charities to the school and the Tzedakah collected will be distributed equally.
Lastly, the teens have been participating in a course on Israel through the American Israeli Council. Much like last year’s Holocaust program, the teens attend a class covering different topics about Israel followed by discussion.
The topics range from the British Mandate and Early Jewish Immigration to Post-1948 Developments/Contemporary Israel. After the first session, one of the teens mentioned the importance of the class as has felt a closer connection to Israel and the program is a scaffold to allow him to gain the knowledge to feel powerful in his connection.
The course is happening over various Sundays and is open to teens in the community. The next date is Sunday, March 3rd. Other dates are March 10th and 17th.
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