2021 Hazon Tu B'Shvat Haggadah

Tu B'Shvat Haggadah ‫הגדה של ט״ו בשבט‬ SEDER & SOURCEBOOK

SUPPLIES NEEDED Red and white wine or juice • Enough for each person to have two full glasses of wine (or juice) throughout the meal, one red and one white.

Fruits from trees for each level • The first cup: inedible outer shell and an edible inner core, such as almonds, bananas, coconuts, durians, citrus fruits, papayas, passion fruit, pecan, pineapples, pistachios, pomegranates, pomelos, sabras, and many more.

• The second cup: edible outer flesh and pithy, inedible cores such as, apricots, avocados, cherries, dates, mangos, olives, peaches, and plums • The third cup: may be eaten entirely and include, blackberries, blueberries, figs, grapes, raspberries, star fruit, and strawberries • The fourth cup: no supplies needed.

INTRODUCTION Tu B’Shvat falls as the first Jewish holiday in 2021. It offers a profound, liminal moment for us to look back on the pain, trauma, and chaos of 2020 while simultaneously looking forward towards our hopes and aspirations for what a new year might become. The traditional “birthday of the trees,” which has been re-interpreted countless times throughout Jewish history, offers us a powerful frame for exploring our connection to our homes, our communities, the environment, and the broader world. But we are also cognizant that, for many of us, the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles we endured in 2020 persist. We therefore have developed this year’s Tu B’Shvat Haggadah to be not only accessible from home but also responsive to the context in which we encounter Tu B’Shvat this year.

2020 was the year we endured not only one crisis but a multitude of crises. This year’s Haggadah includes reflections on Covid-19, the renewed racial justice protests that began in June and the fracturing of civil discourse, the climate crisis, and the spiritual connections to each of these. In doing so, we also acknowledge that not all of us were impacted by the same crises in the same ways, nor that these are the totality of crises we have endured. We hope however, that these reflections and resources offer something for everyone as we collectively explore the ways Jewish tradition comes alive today.

We do not take time to link and commemorate each of these crises to become defeatist or bogged down in cycles of misery and suffering. We address them head-on because the Jewish people know what it means to endure crisis, to cultivate resilience, courage, and solidarity, and to emerge stronger because of it. We bring this legacy of redemption from suffering and despair to bear on our present crises. May Tu B’Shvat 2021 provide the fertile soil in which we plant our seeds of hope and aspiration, praying and celebrating in community (whether in person or virtual) for a new year of healing, prosperity, and purpose.

Hag Tu B’Shvat Sameah!

1

-Rabbi Josh Ratner and the Hazon Programs Team

2

WHAT IS TU B'SHVAT? How did an arcane tax day for agrarian tithing become a festive birthday of the trees? The history of Tu B’Shvat reveals how this malleable holiday has been adapted by Jewish tradition in different eras for different purposes.

Tu B’Shvat first appears in Jewish literature in the Mishnah, where it is mentioned (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1) in a list of four separate new year’s festivals as the new year for the trees, to take place on the fifteenth day of the month of Shvat. Its significance stemmed from clarifying, for an agrarian society, when the tax year began and ended so that tithes to the Temple for the annual harvest could be contributed appropriately. Jewish tradition, of course, is not only practical but also steeped in meaning-making.

So when the Second Temple—the locus of tithing—was destroyed in 70 C.E. and the Jewish people lost sovereignty over the land of Israel, one of many questions that arose was: what now is Tu B’Shvat?

In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Tu B’Shvat was adopted by early Zionists as a day to celebrate Jewish connection to our ancestral homeland. JNF (Jewish National Fund) pushkes encouraged Jews across the globe to donate money for planting trees in Israel, and to this day, American and Israeli school kids celebrate Tu B’Shvat by planting trees. The environmental movement of the 1960s-70s provided yet another context for understanding Tu B’Shvat, emphasizing the natural connections between “the birthday of the trees,” conservation, and environmental stewardship.

These multiple interpretations of the meaning of Tu B’Shvat give us, today, encouragement to continue shaping its connection with our contemporary context.

The answer to that question remained dormant, as did Tu B’Shvat as a holiday, until the mystic Kabbalists of Tzvat revivified the holiday some 1500 years later. Under the leadership of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the kabbalists created a new Tu B’Shvat tradition with the multi-sensory seder we will experience today.

(We will elaborate more on this seder and its mystical meaning later, in the section entitled “How to Use This Haggadah”.)

3

4

HOW TO USE THIS HAGGADAH When developing the first Tu B’Shvat seder, the kabbalists of Tzfat correlated each of the four sections with one of the four mystical worlds. To you, these concepts might be spiritually meaningful or completely unintelligible.

We have chosen to include the kabbalistic four worlds in relation to the four sections of our haggadah both to link this Haggadah to that of our ancestors and to provide an opportunity to delve into four specific themes we hope to explore with you: the pandemic, the struggle for racial justice and the fraying of our civic union, the climate crisis, and the spiritual implications of each of these. The chart on the next page sets forth these four worlds, along with corresponding foods, themes, and other materials.

But this Haggadah is meant for everyone! We invite you to shape this Haggadah, and the festival of Tu B’Shvat as a whole, in a manner that you find meaningful and compelling.

To that end, we also are including this link to one of our classic Haggadot, from 2013, that focuses primarily on our connections to land, food, and the natural world. For those looking for a Haggadah focused primarily on our environmental crisis, we invite you to use this Haggadah from 2020. For those interested in a Haggadah focused predominantly on racial justice and reflecting on the proximity of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tu B’Shvat, please click on this link to our 2019 Haggadah.

FOUR WORLDS

FIRST WORLD

SECOND WORLD

THIRD WORLD

FOURTH WORLD

SPHERE

Asiyah/‫עשיה‬ Action

Yetzirah/‫יצירה‬ Formation

B’riyah/‫בריאה‬ Thought

Atzilut/‫אצילות‬ Spirit

THEME

Relationships with land and place

Relationships with community

Relationships with the world

Relationships with spirituality

WINE OR GRAPE JUICE

White

1/2 White 1/2 Red

1/4 White 3/4 Red

Red with a drop of white

SYMBOLIC FOODS

Inedible exterior, edible interior: orange, banana, walnut, almond, pomegranate

Edible exterior, inedible interior: dates, olives, apricots, plums

Entirely edible: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries

Only spiritual sustenance

ASPECTS OF SELF

Physical

Emotional

Intellectual

Spiritual

KAVANAH

Groundedness defense

Growth creativity

Openness abundance

Mystery wholeness

SEASON

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Finally, if you would like more materials to supplement this Haggadah click here. hazon.org/tubshvat

5

6

THE FIRST CUP We begin our Tu B’Shvat seder by considering our own personal relationships with the physical world. For more than twenty centuries, Jewish tradition has revered land and place; whether we are turning to face Jerusalem when we pray, expressing a desire to return to the Promised Land, or sharing a meal in a sukkah. This past year has brought a new, confusing, and often isolating understanding of place. Covid-19 has brought with it quarantines and social distancing, Zoom religious services and the ersasure of work-life borders.

In this section we will consider our individual relationships with land and place. We are guided by the questions:

We each fill our cup fully but will only drink half of the wine or juice in the cup. In so doing, we can ask: What does white wine represent to you on this day?

In what ways might our symbolic cups, our individual selves, be half full or half empty?

The Blessing Over the First Cup

We each fill our cup with white wine and say the blessing together: If your seder is on Shabbat, recite the Shabbat Kiddush over the first cup:

What is my relationship to my sense of home? How do I affect it and how does it affect me?

What lessons can I take from this past year of isolating in place that I want to apply to my postCovid life, from the food I eat and the purchasing decisions I make to the way I get from place to place and negotiate my work-life balance?

The first cup we drink at the seder is pure white, like winter.

For the kabbalists, it represents the beginning spark of divine creation; the time when creation began with the separation of light from darkness. White can also represent a seed or sapling, waiting patiently beneath the winter snow to fulfill its potential and grow into a beautiful tree. In a contemporary context, we might think of the white coats of physicians who have been on the front lines caring for the sick or scientists in laboratories

Friday night

Saturday day

‫וַ יְ ִהי ֶע ֶרב וַ יְ ִהי בֹ ֶֹקר יֹום ַה ִּש ִּשי׃ וַ יְ ֻכּלּ ּו ַה ָּש ַמיִ ם וְ ָה ַָא ֶרץ וְ ָכל‬ ‫אכ ּ​ּתֹו ֲא ֶשר ָע ָשה‬ ְ ַ‫ְצ ָב ַָאם׃ וַ יְ ַכל ֱאלֹ ִֹהים ַּביֹום ַה ְּש ִביעי ְמל‬ ְ‫אכ ּ​ּתֹו ֲא ֶשר ָע ָשה׃ וַ ָיְב ֶרְך‬ ְ ַ‫וַ יִ ְש ּבֹת ַּבּיּ ֹום ַה ְּש ִביעי ִמ ָּכל ְמל‬ ‫ֱאלֹ ִֹהים ֶאת יֹום ַה ְּש ִב ִיעי וַ ַיְק ֵּד ׁ​ׁש אֹ​ֹתֹו ִּכי בֹו ָש ַבת ִמ ָּכל‬ ‫אכ ּ​ּתֹו ֲא ֶשר ָּב ָרא ֱאלֹ ִֹהים לַ ֲע ׂ​ׂשֹות׃‬ ְ ַ‫ְמל‬

‫ לַ ֲע ׂ​ׂשֹות ֶאת ַה ַּש ָּבת‬,‫וְ ָש ְמרּו ְבנֵ י יִ ְש ָר ֵאל ֶאת ַה ַּש ָּבת‬ ‫ ֵּבינִ י ֵּובין ְּבנֵ י יִ ְש ָר ֵאל אֹות ִהיא‬.‫ ְּב ִרית עֹולָ ם‬,‫לְ דֹרֹ ָֹתם‬ ‫ ִּכי ֵש ֶשת יָ ִמים ָע ָשה יְ הוָ ה ֶאת ַה ָּש ַמיִ ם וְ ֶאת‬:‫לְ עֹ​ֹלָ ם‬ .‫ ָש ַבת וַ ִּי ָּנ ַפ ׁ​ׁש‬,‫ ַּובּיֹום ַה ְּש ִב ִיעי‬,‫ָה ַָא ֶרץ‬

.‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬ ‫ ֲא ֶשר ִק ְּד ָשנּו ְּב ִמ ְצ ָֹותיו‬,‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬ ,‫ וְ ַש ָּבת ָק ְד ׁ​ׁשֹו ְּב ַא ֲה ָבה ְּוב ָרצֹון ִהנְ ִחילָ נּו‬,‫וְ ַָר ָצה ָבנּו‬ ‫ ִּכי הּוא יֹום ְּת ִח ָּלה לְ ִמ ְק ָר ֵאי קֹ ֶֹד ׁ​ׁש‬.‫אשית‬ ִ ‫זִ ָּכרֹון לְ ַמ ֲע ֵשה ְב ֵר‬ ‫אֹותנּו ִק ַּד ְש ָּת ִמ ָּכל‬ ָ ְ‫ ִּכי ָבנּו ָב ַח ְר ָּת ו‬.‫זֵ ֶכר לִ ִיצ ַיאת ִמ ְצ ָריִ ם‬ .‫ָה ַע ִּמים וְ ַש ָּבת ָק ְד ְש ַָך ְּב ַא ֲה ָבה ְּוב ָרצֹון ִהנְ ַחלְ ָּתנּו‬ ‬.‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ְמ ַק ֵּד ׁ​ׁש ַה ַש ָּבת‬

‫ ֵש ֶשת יָ ִמים ַּת ֲעבֹ​ֹד‬.‫זָ כֹור ֶאת יֹום ַה ַּש ָּבת לְ ַק ְּד ׁ​ׁשֹו‬ ‫ וְ יֹום ַה ְּש ִב ִיעי ַש ָּבת לַ יהוָ ה‬.‫אכ ֶּת ַָך‬ ְ ַ‫וְ ָע ִש ָית ָּכל ְמל‬ ,‫אכה ַא ָּתה ִּובנְ ַָך ִּוב ֶּת ַָך‬ ָ ָ‫ לֹ​ֹא ַת ֲע ֶשה ָכל ְמל‬:‫ֱאלֹ ֶֹה ְָיְך‬ ‫ ִּכי‬.‫ ֲא ֶשר ִּב ְש ָע ֶר ַָיך‬,‫ וְ גֵ ְר ַָך‬,‫ַע ְב ְּד ַָך וַ ֲא ָמ ְת ַָך ְּוב ֶה ְמ ֶּת ַָך‬ ,‫ֵש ֶשת יָ ִמים ָע ָשה יְ הוָ ה ֶאת ַה ָּש ַמיִ ם וְ ֶאת ָה ַָא ֶרץ‬ .‫ וַ ָּינַ ח ַּבּיּ ֹום ַה ְּש ִב ִיעי‬,‫ֶאת ַה ָּים וְ ֶאת ָּכל ֲא ֶשר ָּבם‬

.‫ ֵּב ַרְךְ יְ הוָ ה ֶאת יֹום ַה ַּש ָּבת וַ ַיְק ְּד ֵשהּו‬,‫ַעל ֵּכן‬ ‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬ .‬‫ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬

‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬creator of fruit of the vine.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.ga.fen.

We conclude with the blessing traditionally recited on special occasions:

‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ֶש ֶה ֱחיָ נּו וְ ִק ְּי ָמנּו וְ ִה ִּג ָיענּו לַ זְ ַמן ַהזֶ ה‬who granted us life, sustained us, and brought us to this day.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, she.he.chi.ya.nu v'.ki.y'.ma.nu v'.hi.gi.a.nu la.z’.man ha.zeh.

7

8

THE FIRST FRUIT For the Kabbalists, the first cup was the world of Assiyah- the realm of the concrete, the physical. It’s about protection, about shields and defenses. By removing the outer shell, we enable ourselves to open up to those around us and to enjoy the sweetness inside. We, too, have erected countless defenses to protect ourselves from COVID-19 over the past year. May we be blessed this Tu B’Shvat, and throughout the coming year, to taste the sweetness of health and the renewal of physical proximity to our loved ones.

Our seder continues as we explore the relationship between the individual and community. Connection to community is an integral component of what it means to be Jewish, from the prayers we can only say within a minyan to the role of community in caring for the needs of its members. This past year, we have seen our understanding of community— whom we include, whom we exclude—challenged as never before. To be sure, COVID-19 placed physical limitations on when, where, and with whom we could interact. But that is only one of many ways our communities have fractured.

This world is represented by fruits or nuts with an inedible outer shell and an edible inner core, such as: almonds, bananas, coconuts, durians, papayas, passion fruit, pecan, pineapples, pistachios, pomegranates, pomelos, sabras, and many more. We each find a fruit from the first category, remove the skin or shell, say the blessing together, and then eat.

...‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe... .‫ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ָה ֵעץ‬... ּ ...creator of fruit of the tree. *.‫ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ָהאדמה‬... ּ ...creator of fruit of the ground.*

The police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many other People of Color revealed not only the ugly disparities of systemic racism but also how far we still need to go to understand the everyday realities of marginalized communities.

Our election cycle, too, displayed how divided we are as a society and the lengths we are willing to go to promote our views and denigrate the views of those who disagree with us.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.etz / bo.rei p’.ri ha.a.da.ma.* *Note: On most fruits we recite the blessing ‫ברא פרי העץ‬, bo.rei p'.ri ha.etz, creator of fruit of the tree. This blessing is reserved for fruits whose trees have a trunk and branches that remain even after the fruit's removal, and grow new fruit each year. Other fruits, like bananas and pineapples, grow on bushes or trees that whither and regenerate each year, and therefore the blessing for them is ‫ ברא פרי האדמה‬bo.rei p'.ri ha.a.da.ma, creator of fruit of the earth.

9

10

THE FIRST FRUIT In this section we will think about our relationship with community. We are guided by the questions:

We add half a cup of red wine to the half cup of white wine that is already in our cups. In doing so, we can ask:

Who is a part of my community? How do they rely on me? How do I rely on them? What does it mean to be an effective ally to other members of my community?

if white symbolizes the snows of winter and red the heat of summer, what does the merger of the two symbolize?

Who might I be excluding from my community? When was the last time I listened, with an open mind and open heart, to someone who disagreed with me or looked different than me?

What are the social mixtures or blends we most need to build the communities we aspire to create?

The Blessing Over the Second Cup We each fill our cup with a mix of white and red wine and say the blessing together:

THE SECOND CUP The second cup of wine is a mixture of white and red. For the kabbalists, the white represented the spark of Divine holiness; the red, the flame of life which has begun to burn within that spark.

The red can also symbolize a tree’s growth as she is nourished in the spring. Beginning as a small sapling, she starts to gain her physical and spiritual strength from the four basic elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Her small trunk reaches toward the sun, her roots soak up water from the ground, her tiny leaves breathe in air, and the fire of life swells within her.

11

‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬creator of fruit of the vine.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.ga.fen.

12

THE SECOND FRUIT The Kabbalists defined the world of Yetzirah as a world of inwardness, emotion, and a sense of feeling. The need for protection and reinforcement is an inner matter of the core, of the heart. It is represented by fruits with edible outer flesh and pithy, inedible cores: apricots, avocados, cherries, dates, mangos, olives, peaches, and plums.

On this next stop in our journey, we expand our focus from our own individual communities to the natural world as a whole.

Our physical planet is made up of finite resources, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we don’t destroy it. Interestingly, there was not always a word for this concept of sustainability in Hebrew.

While we endured so much communal fragmentation and hatred this past year, we also experienced new moments of profound connection and solidarity, from spontaneous rooftop celebrations of first responders to the multi-racial peaceful demonstrations across the country last summer.

Recently, the term kayamut was adopted, which literally means “foreverness” or “in perpetuity.” The human-caused climate crisis, however, shows that we have forsaken our duty to act as stewards of the environment. Scientific consensus has made clear that fires, floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and food shortages will ravage our lands, our seas, and our lives if we don’t take urgent action to stop our wanton destruction of our environment. Ecosystems, species, habitats, and natural resources will wither away, never to be restored.

May we be blessed this Tu B’Shvat, and throughout the coming year, with the opportunity and the courage to expand our capacity for openness and empathy and thereby rebuild the communities we need.

We each find a fruit from the second category, remove the pit or core, say the blessing together, and then eat.

In this section we will think about our relationship with the natural world. We are guided by the questions: What more can I do, as an individual, to ensure that our planet remains a healthy place for generations and generations to come?

What sacrifices am I willing to make to my individual consumption of resources, and what sacrifices should we as a society make, to stop the climate crisis and restore the natural world?

‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ָה ֵעץ‬creator of fruit of the tree.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.etz.

13

14

THE THIRD CUP

This cup of wine is partly white and mostly red. In the heat of summer our tree has rooted herself firmly in the earth, grown into its full being and is blooming. The shade, wood, herbs and flowers that are her simple and modest gifts to the earth and humankind allow us to now see her and embrace her as a provider.

We each add more red wine to the mixture of wine that is already in our cup, so that the cup is again full. We say the blessing together, and then drink all of the wine in the cup except for a small drop.

In so doing, we can ask: What does abundance mean to us?

What is the symbolism of refraining from finishing our cups?

THE THIRD FRUIT

For the Kabbalists Briyah is closest to the pure spirit of the three lower worlds. It is represented by any fruits that are edible throughout. Here no protective shells, neither internal nor external, are needed. These symbolic fruits may be eaten entirely and include: blackberries, blueberries, figs, grapes, kiwis, kumquats, raspberries, star fruit, and strawberries. Like these fruits, the climate crisis can be addressed directly and without hesitation. While climate change can be cause for despair, it also can galvanize us to take the actions we long have kept dormant.

May we be blessed this Tu B’Shvat, and throughout the coming year, to become inspired by young climate activists like Greta Thunberg or Isha Clarke, to listen to the sound advice of scientists and policy experts, and to take audacious actions--individually and communally-to restore the world God has entrusted to us.

We each choose a fruit from the third category, say the blessing together, and then eat it: ‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ָה ֵעץ‬creator of fruit of the tree.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.etz.

The Blessing Over the Third Cup

*Note: On strawberries, and possibly raspberries, one recites ‫בורא פרי האדמה‬, creator of fruit of the earth.

We each fill our cup with mostly red wine and some white, and bless together:

‫רּוְך ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְ​ְך ָהעֹולָ ם‬ ְ ‫ ָּב‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬creator of fruit of the vine.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.ga.fen.

15

16

THE THIRD FRUIT Now we arrive at the fourth and final level on our journey, the world of spirit. For the Kabbalists, this level of pure spirituality is the highest rung on the ladder of creation. Just like with spirituality in general, this concept might be beautiful to some but far too esoteric to others. Our spiritual selves, too, have been through a roller-coaster of ups and downs over this past year.

Some of us have been racked with theological angst about how a loving God could bring about such a catastrophic plague or enable so much hatred and misery. How can we channel the hope and resilience we need to move forward when our reserves feel so depleted?

In this section we will think about our relationship with spirituality.

We are guided by the questions:

Why do we make blessings? What do they do for us? What do they do for God? What does it mean to me to live a spiritual life?

What additional tools or resources do I need to access a deeper level of spirituality?

We fill our cups once again with red wine, adding to the small drop at the bottom that still contains some white, say the blessing together, and then drink the entirety of our cups.

In doing so, we can ask: What is the symbolic drop of white wine that persists in our core selves, sustaining us and remaining present no matter how much red wine might intercede?

What does it mean to experience completion of our cups?

You may want to bless and drink this cup of wine as the closing blessing to Birkat HaMazon, Grace after Meals.

The full Birkat HaMazon can be found in a bentcher or siddur, and various shorter texts are on page 21. If starting with a zimun, the invitation to bless, the person leading should recite this blessing over the final cup after concluding bentching.

‫ ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, .‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא ְּפ ִרי ַה ָּג ֶפן‬creator of fruit of the vine.

Ba.ruch a.ta A.do.nai, e.lo.hei.nu me.lech ha.o.lam, bo.rei p’.ri ha.ga.fen.

THE FOURTH CUP Our final cup of wine is fully red. For the Kabbalists, this cup represents the highest level of creation; the red flame completely overpowers the white light of the beginning. Our tree is in her full autumnal glory. This deep red wine is the citrus whose fruits are now ripe, the etrog whose fragrance we enjoy in the fall, and the melon whose fruit is full of flavor in the summer. The cup of red wine symbolizes the source of our strength, the source of our connection with the earth.

17

18

THE FOURTH FRUIT The Kabbalists defined the world of Atzilut as the world of pure spirit, so its symbolic food is no food at all, only what sustains us spiritually. We all have relationships with both the physical and the intangible. The fourth world is about our highest selves, when we are not eating, when we are not thinking of our bodies, when we have all the tools to bring in pure holiness in each moment. To be sure, we can be holy while eating and while grounded in our bodies. However, the fourth world, according to the Kabbalists, is the world that is floating above our earthly desires; a world in which we nourish our hearts and our souls. In an attempt to gain an understanding of the divine implications of this realm, we do as our ancestors did and look to the tree as a symbol of life – a life of ecological symbiosis, a life of replenishment, and a life of balance and equilibrium. May we be blessed this Tu B’Shvat, and throughout the coming year, to cultivate a sense of balance and calm, a sense of resilience, and a sense of higher purpose.

THE VALUE OF SILENCE Meditation practice for Atzilut As we conclude the important yet difficult conversations we have undertaken during this Seder, it may be helpful to take a few minutes for yourself to process and reflect. In place of physical nourishment for this fourth cup, we therefore offer you the following meditation practice.

Find yourself in a comfortable, upright, seated position. Begin to sit how you’d like to feel. Feel both feet flat on the ground and feel grounded. Do you want to feel uplifted? Straighten your spine and sit up. Relax and move your shoulders down your back and sit open-hearted. Allow your breath to anchor you. Take a few deep breaths, settling into this particular moment. Remind yourself, “this is what it feels like to breathe.” Get curious about the breath.

See if you can follow an entire inhale and an entire exhale.

Notice when your mind inevitably wanders, and gently bring your attention back to your next inhale. This returning, this teshuvah, is the practice of meditation. Notice when you get distracted and return to your focus, your breath. Now, feel or pretend or imagine being breathed. You can physically lean back a little bit and instead of grabbing after the next breath, let it come to you. Being breathed, resting in our breath, trusting that we are breathed, this is the world of Atzilut. With great faith, we let our breath come and go. We are held in our breath, by the breath of life.

(Pause for a moment of silence.)

May our practice be a source of strength. May any benefit of this practice not just stay here in this room, but let it radiate out into the world, through our thoughts and words and actions. May we be a blessing to the world.

- Courtesy of the Jewish Meditation Center of Brooklyn, jmcbrooklyn.org

19

20

We are commanded to bless God after we eat. Rabbinic tradition proscribes various versions of a Grace After Meals dependant on what one ate.

There are three traditional texts for Grace After meals: the full Birkat HaMazon is recited after a meal with bread (not included below). Al HaMichya is recited after eating a meal with grain products, wine, or fruit of the seven species, and would apply to a seder where no bread was eaten. The shortest is Borei Nefashot, recited after simpler meals.

Al HaMichya Add in as many color sections as appropriate for what you ate.

,‫ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬,ָ‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ י‬ ‫ַעל ָה ֵעץ‬ ‫וְ ַעל ְּפ ִרי ָה ֵעץ‬

‫ַעל ַה ֶּג ֶפן‬ ‫וְ ַעל ְּפ ִרי ַה ֶּג ֶפן‬

‫ַעל ַה ִּמ ְחיָ ה‬ ‫וְ ַעל ַה ַּכלְ ָּכלָ ה‬

:‫(בשבת) ְּור ֵצה וְ ַה ֲחלִ ֵיצנּו ְּביֹום ַה ַּש ָּבת ַהזֶ ה‬ ‫נֹודה ְּל ַָך ַעל ָה ַָא ֶרץ‬ ֶ ְ‫ּומ ִטיב לַ ּ​ּכל ו‬ ֵ ‫ִּכי ַא ָּתה יְ יָ טֹוב‬ ‫וְ ַעל ַה ֵּפרֹות‬

‫וְ ַעל ְּפ ִרי ַה ֶּג ֶפן‬

‫וְ ַעל ַה ִּמ ְחיָ ה‬

‫ ַעל ָה ַָא ֶרץ‬,ָ‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יְ י‬ .‫וְ ַעל ַה ֵּפרֹות‬

.‫וְ ַעל ְּפ ִרי ַה ֶּג ֶפן‬

.‫וְ ַעל ַה ִּמ ְחיָ ה‬

Borei Nefashot

‫ ּ​ּב ֵֹורא‬,‫ָּברּוְךְ ַא ָּתה יי ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ֶמלֶ ְךְ ָהעֹולָ ם‬ ‫נְ ָפ ׁ​ׁשֹות ַר ּ​ּבֹות וְ ֶח ְסרֹונָ ן‬ ‫את לְ ַה ֲחיֹות ָּב ֶהם נֶ ֶפ ׁ​ׁש ָּכל‬ ָ ‫ַעל ָּכל ַמה ֶּש ָּב ָר‬ .‫ ָּברּוְךְ ֵחי ָהעֹולָ ִמים‬,‫ַחי‬ 21

Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, creator of many forms of life and their needs, for all that you have created to sustain life in all that lives.

Blessed be the one who gives life to the worlds.

Since Tu B’Shvat marks a new year, the new year for trees, take this opportunity to make resolutions for your new year that will impact your relationship to home, community, the environment, and your spiritual life. Below are just a few ways you can engage individually, communally, globally, and spiritually with Hazon this upcoming year: T HAZON BRI

O

C

‫טֹובה ְּור ָח ָבה‬ ָ ‫נּובת ַה ָּש ֶדה וְ ַעל ֶא ֶרץ ֶח ְמ ָּדה‬ ַ ‫וְ ַעל ְּת‬ ‫בֹותינּו לֶ ֱאכֹול ִמ ִּפ ְריָ ּ​ּה וְ לִ ְש ּ​ּב ַֹוע‬ ֵ ‫ֶש ָר ִצ ָית וְ ִהנְ ַחלְ ָּת לַ ֲא‬ ‫רּושלַ יִ ם‬ ָ ְ‫ ַר ֵחם יְ יָ ֱאלֹ ֵֹהינּו ַעל יִ ְש ָר ֵאל ַע ֶּמ ַָך וְ ַעל י‬.‫ִמ ּ​ּט ָּוב ּ​ּה‬ .‫ וְ ַעל ֵה ָיכלֶ ַָך‬,‫ וְ ַעל ִמ ְּזְב ֶח ַָך‬,‫בֹוד ַָך‬ ֶ ‫ִע ֶיר ַָך וְ ַעל ִצּיּ ֹון ִמ ְש ַּכן ְּכ‬ ‫ וְ ַה ֲעלֵ נּו‬.‫רּושלַ יִ ם ִעיר ַה ּ​ּקֹ ֶד ׁ​ׁש ִּב ְמ ֵה ָרה ְביָ ֵמינּו‬ ָ ְ‫ְּובנֵ ה י‬ ‫ֹאכל ִמ ִּפ ְר ָּי ּ​ּה וְ נִ ְש ַּבע‬ ַ ֹ‫ וְ נ‬,‫תֹוכ ּ​ּה וְ ַש ְּמ ֵחנּו ְּב ִבנְ יָ נָ ּ​ּה‬ ָ ְ‫ל‬ .‫ִמ ּ​ּט ָּוב ּ​ּה ּונְ ָב ֶר ְכ ַָך ָעלֶ ָיה ִּב ְק ֻד ָּשה ְּוב ָט ֳה ָרה‬

Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, for the nourishment | fruit of the vine | fruit and for the produce of the field; for a desirable, good, and spacious land that you willed and gave to our ancestors to eat of its fruit and to be satisfied from her goodness.

Have mercy Adonai our God on us, on Israel your people, on Jerusalem your city, on Zion the home of your glory, on your altar, and on your Temple.

Build Jerusalem the holy city swiftly in our time, bring us back there, rejoining in its rebuilding, eating from its fruit, satisfied by its goodness, and blessing you for her holiness and purity.

Be pleased to refresh us on this Shabbat day.

For you are good and do good for all and we thank you for the land and for the nourishment | fruit of the vine | fruit.

Blessed are you Adonai for the land and for the nourishment | fruit of the vine | fruit.

As our seder comes to a close, take a moment to reflect on the journey we have taken together. Our holidays are specific markers in time that galvanize us to be mindful of who we are and who we aspire to become.

E

Birkat HaMazon: Grace After Meals

FINAL THOUGHTS

M

M IT

N

G

CLOSING BLESSINGS

TO C H A

Take personal action - Brit Hazon: Commit to Change The word “brit” means covenant; the word “hazon” means vision. The Brit Hazon is our opportunity to make a personal commitment to do better – to take a stand and take action – as we manifest our vision of a more sustainable and equitable world for all. We are in a global climate crisis and Jewish tradition compels us to respond. As part of this call to action we invite you to do three things: 1) commit to changing a personal behavior to minimize your impact on the earth; 2) speak up and advocate for change in your community or government; 3) donate your time or money to an organization that is doing something about climate change. Learn more at Hazon.org/Brit

22

7 ACTION ITEMS FOR TU B’SHVAT

Take community action - Hazon Seal of Sustainability The Hazon Seal of Sustainability is a 12-month program designed to support organizations and communities working to create a healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable world for all. We do this by linking Jewish values to substantive action toward sustainability and climate-centered goals. Jewish organizations and community groups interested in deepening their sustainability practices, joining or creating a regional cohort of like-minded institutions, or becoming part of a larger climate focused community with access to professional and peer-to-peer resources are invited to apply at seal.hazon.org/apply

Take global action - Prepare for the Shmita Year Since 2007 Hazon has been running the Shmita Project as a way to bring to life ancient wisdom that invites us to analyze some of our most pressing issues through the lens of Jewish tradition.

Rosh Hashanah (Sept 22), 2021 marks the start of the next Shmita year - or year of complete rest. During this time, traditionally, debts would have been forgiven, the land would not be cultivated, and time would have generally slowed down. Today, Shmita offers us a lens by which we can analyze the rhythms of our life and the impact we wish to leave on the world. We invite you to prepare for the shmita year by joining us at shmitaproject.org or taking any of these seven actions.

23

The shmita year invites us to rethink the world that we live in and to tune into the ways in which we can actively make a difference.

During this seventh year, G!d commands us to let the land rest, release debts, resolve disputes, and to open our hands and hearts to those in need. But how do we bring this tradition alive in an era when we no longer rely on the rhythms and harvest of our fields to survive. We invite you to explore one or all of these preparations as you look forward to the next Shmita year.

1. Speak up for National change: Subscribe to Hazon’s Advocacy Alert email list! We’ll share relevant information for proposed agricultural and climate related legislation when your voice would make a difference. We’ll guide you through how to contact your representatives and use your voice for good. Or, join or start a Dayenu Circle. These small groups of people serve as a home base in Jewish communities for taking climate action with the support of Dayenu’s expert resources and guidance.

2. Donate your time and money to organizations that are building a better world for our planet and our communities.

Consider donating or volunteering for organizations committed to putting environmental action first including Hazon, JIFA, Citizen’s Climate Lobby, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the National Young Farmers Coalition, National Resource Defense Counsel, 350.org, the Northeast Farmers of Color Network, the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, and the League of Conservation Voters.

3. Use this year to start or ramp up your sustainability journey. The climate crisis has never been more real or pressing but we have also never had more options to make a change.

Check out the Brit Hazon for easy ways you can start making a difference today. If you are ready to level up, check out the Carbon Footprint Calculator to see where your biggest impact areas are and adjust accordingly.

24

CREDITS 4. Activate your community, join the Hazon Seal of Sustainability. While changing our personal behaviors matters, the collective impact of our institutions has far greater consequences in terms of climate change. By committing your institution to the Hazon Seal you can significantly decrease the impact we have on our Earth while preserving it for future generations of Jewish life.

5. Source food sustainably. Use Seafood Watch, How Good, or Environmental Work Group Food Scores to source sustainable food no matter where you are. Overfishing and poor aquaculture practices are shrinking fish populations and stressing marine ecosystems globally. Industrial agriculture uses tremendous amounts of fossil fuels and takes more from the Earth than it gives back. Purchasing sustainably sourced food pushes suppliers to adopt more environmentally responsible practices, driving change throughout the industry. These organizations offer easy ways to understand the impact of our choices at the market and help us make better, more-informed decisions.

Editors and Designers, 2021 Edition: Rabbi Josh Ratner, Rachel Miller, Hannah Henza, Rabbi Nate DeGroot , David Rendsburg, and Hannah Elovitz.

Special thanks to Hazon staff, and volunteers, who have guided the creation of this haggadah over the years: Judith Belasco, Arielle Cohen, Anna Hanau, Daniel Infeld, Leah Koenig, Rachel Loebl, Sabrina Mallach, Elan Margulies, Ben Murane, Deborah Newbrun, Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, Elisheva Urbas, and Jake WilkenfeldMongillo.

Hazon gratefully acknowledges the support of our funders, without whom none of our work would be possible.

Copyright Š 2021 Hazon This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License. You may use the content of this haggadah in your own work, as long as you provide attribution to Hazon and (if necessary) the original author. http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

6. Become a soil advocate with Kiss the Ground. To some, it’s just dirt; but for others, healthy soil is the unsung hero that can mitigate climate change, develop a more sustainable food system, and maintain healthy ecosystems for humans and nonhumans alike. Learn to love the earth under your feet and by learning with Kiss the Ground or watching their film to learn more about regenerative agriculture and the importance of soil health.

7. Check out the Shmita Project. Sign up for the weekly parsha blog connecting concepts of Shmita to weekly Torah portions and everyday life. Find curriculum for learning about the concepts of Jewish time and our relationship to the land. Watch videos and listen to podcasts that peel back the curtain unveiling a world of possibilities as Jewish teachings come to life in new and relevant ways. Or participate in the Shmita Prizes - a competition to bring Jewish ritual and expression to life through art as we collectively prepare for the coming year of rest.

25

26