Martin Luther King, in 1967, summed up powerfully and poignantly the interconnectedness of all creatures:
All life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
The message applies to all aspects of our lives, including our relationship with the environment. This month on the Jewish calendar we traditionally investigate our relationship with our shared habitat by celebrating the festival of Tu B’Shvat. Originally a Holiday of Trees, it has become a kind of Jewish Earth Day. The chapel will sponsor a celebration to which all are welcome, on Zoom, Friday evening Jan 22 at 6:15PM. Anyone involved in sustainability work on campus is invited, and even welcome to share informally what about their work they are passionate about.
When we are in person you’d be treated to dinner and a spread of fruits: apples, oranges, dried figs and dates, and more. This year if you let Annabel Cohen know you’ll be attending, you can pick up a little grab bag of treats at the chapel!
A community is the … spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, that the people who share [it] define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives. Wendell Berry
God led the human around the Garden of Eden saying, “Look at my works. See how beautiful they are… For your sake I created them. See to it that you do not spoil My world, for if you do there will be no one to repair it after you. Medieval Jewish wisdom
Shosh Dworsky
Associate Chaplain for Jewish and Interfaith Life