Tu B’Shevat (the 15th of the month of Shevat, January 30 this year) was originally set up as an indication of when to consider the yearly tithe on crops—a midwinter fiscal new year. It was viewed as a minor holiday, even though the festive prayers of Hallel are not recited. In the last 500 years, Tu B’Shevat has taken on more significance. The mystics of Safed in the Galilee produced a set of practices for Tu B’Shevat using the Kabbalist’s images of the S’firot, or Divine Emanations, which they saw as a great Tree.

I recently saw the film “Avatar,” and it reminded me of this theme. Even though the film is clearly a metaphor for the European- American murder of indigenous peoples, the corporate destruction of the Amazon forest and other valuable ecologies, and possibly the attempted elimination of the Jews during World War II, there was also a deeper message.

On the planet Pandora, the holiest spots are inhabited by sacred trees, which are connected to each other and to the life-force of the entire planet, whom the inhabitants (known at Na’vi, the Hebrew word for “prophet”) call the Great Mother, Eywa. In Judaism, this corresponds to our understanding of God through God’s Name, Yod- Hey-Vav-Hey. If you try to just say the letters—yyyyyyyyhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhh— you realize that it comes out as a breath, the nishmat kol chai, the Breath of Everything Living.

The Safed mystics introduced the idea of eating symbolic fruits and nuts on this day, consuming the end products of trees and plants that are allowed to thrive. The plucking of these products does not cause the plant to die, but to regenerate and produce again next year. In their day, the Kabbalists believed that this symbolic eating would lead to tikkun olam— Repair (or healing) of the World. They deduced that chewing with our 32 teeth would cause God to intervene, since the word Elohim occurs 32 times in the Torah’s Creation story. Today, it will take more that this to heal our planet.

Additionally, we drink four cups of wine, colored to remind us of the rhythm of nature through the seasons. Tu B’Shevat is the promise of regeneration after a cold, barren winter.

We are encouraged to plant trees, especially through the Jewish National Fund, which helps to make the landscape of our beloved Israel greener.

I urge you to think about Tu B’Shevat as a day to be mindful of our connection with Chei Ha-olamim— The Life of the Worlds. And to think about how we treat this Life, this World.

Celebrate the trees and forests that absorb carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen for us and all animals. Think about how the climate crisis, our addiction to hydrocarbon fuels, and global scorching are choking us. Are we like the “bad guys” in “Avatar,” not believing that such things are happening, and only being concerned about the economic “bottom line?”

If you haven’t seen the film yet, I urge you to do so. Consider and talk about the message of “Avatar”—that war against people and war against the Earth are the same. How do we heal our world, so all beings can live together in peace—shalom?

Wishing you a happy, healthy and tasty New Year of the Trees. .