Dear DOMIM-aLike friends and colleagues,
 

The Hebrew month of Shvat provides an opportunity for us to discuss our responsibility toward our environment and our world. Texts and stories from our ancient and recent past illustrate this principle.

One of the best-know parables in this context is the story of Honi the Rainmaker. Someone saw Honi planting a carob tree and asked him why he was bothering to do this, since the tree would not bear fruit while he was still alive. He replied: “I found carob trees in the world; just as my ancestors planted those for me, so I too will plant for my children.” This parable powerfully expresses our responsibility to the coming generations, to a time when others will live in the world.
But planting trees does not only reflect the Jewish responsibility for time, but also our responsibility for space. Since the emergence of the Zionist movement, Jews all over the world have made donations so that trees can be planted in the Land of Israel, often using the JNF’s famous little blue boxes.
Whether planting a tree that will only bear fruit after you have gone, or donating money so that a tree can blossom far from your own home, you are showing responsibility toward the continuity of our world and our people.

We hope that this responsibility – to nature and to human life, in time and in space – will color the partnerships we work every day to nurture in the DOMIM project.
We invite you to read and use the collection of Israeli texts and songs for Tu Bishvat on the DOMIM website.