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Choni HaMe’aggel: The Talmud’s Model for Overcoming Climate Anxiety

“Climate anxiety, or eco-anxiety, is distress related to worries about the effects of climate change…and is often accompanied by feelings of grief, anger, guilt, and shame, which in turn can affect mood, behavior, and thinking.” (Harvard Medical School) Climate change has severe implications on our safety, but to rectify the impact we’ve had on our climate will require action, and that can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, the Talmud offers a model for self-empowerment in our fight against forces as seemingly unstoppable as nature.

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Staying Rooted: A Tu B’Shvat Meditation

Tu B’Shvat, also known as the New Year of the Trees, is a Jewish holiday focused on nature and humankind’s stewardship of Earth. It serves as a time to reflect on the ways we are nurturing ourselves. Like all living things, we are constantly growing and bettering ourselves. Just as we care for the trees, we also must care for ourselves. Just as we water a garden, we must also nourish ourselves. Let’s take some time to step into nature, connect with the earth and plant the seeds of our own mental wellness.

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Staying Grounded to Keep Growing

According to Jewish law, all fruit trees need to be left to grow for a three-year period ending on Tu B’Shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat. Then, after a ritual redemptive process in Jerusalem, we may eat the saplings of the fifth year. This process is called “Orlah.” On the surface, this long and complicated process may seem tedious and unnecessary. But if you dig a bit deeper, the law of Orlah offers us a valuable lesson about the importance of patience when undergoing growth processes.

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Brachot (Blessings) and Intuitive Eating

Jewish rituals surrounding food can be a fantastic tool for developing mindful eating practices and strengthening our ability to eat intuitively. According to Jewish tradition, before and after eating any food, a blessing should be said. However, the blessing recited before eating is not a generalized prayer of gratitude. Rather, each blessing is specific to the kind of food you are eating.

Articles

Learning to Love Your Tree

By Jaime Glazerman | The Torah compares the human body to a tree and writes that "For man is a tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19). Just like we love and appreciate trees of all shapes and sizes, we must learn to love and appreciate our own unique "trees".

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Love Your Tree – Tu B’Shvat and Body Positivity

The month of February is set aside as Eating Disorders and Body Image Awareness Month. It is a time when we call attention to people who are struggling with all kinds of eating and body image-related challenges and a time to celebrate people of all shapes and forms. Tu B’Shvat and body positivity are surprisingly related within Jewish tradition.

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Planting a Gratitude Tree

The midrash in Kohelet Rabbah teaches: “When God created the first man he took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him, ‘See my works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. And everything that I created, I created it for you. Be careful not to spoil or destroy my world–for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.'” Trees, in this text, are the tool used to teach the first human beings to feel gratitude for the world around them.

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Mental Health and Climate Change

Given the reality of climate change and its accompanying consequences on our collective mental health, we need to start thinking about how we can make sure our mental health is stable as we try to figure out how to save the world at large.

Articles

Tu B’Shvat: Gratitude as Self-Care

Imbue your holiday with a sense of gratitude to improve your connection to the Earth and your mental health.

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Mental Health Tu B’Shvat Seder

Tu B’Shvat can help us gain insight into living and personal growth. It is also the perfect time to practice gratitude and appreciate what we so often take for granted.

Resource Category: Tu B'Shvat