As most of you know by now, we are honoring Rabbi Berman as he enters retirement. The champagne reception will be Sunday, January 9 at 2:00 PM. Reservations are required by January 2, as well as your good thoughts to go in a reflective journal for Rabbi.  Hope to see everyone there!

Since this is a leap year in the Jewish calendar, Tu B’Shevat occurs on January 17 this year. There are many references to trees in the bible too numerous to mention here. They show our love for trees and how they were used for important religious matters. Recently, Tu B’Shevat has been embraced by Jewish environmentalists in Israel and North America as a kind of Jewish Earth Day because of its association with trees and nature. I’m partial to family trees since my last name, Baum, means tree in German.

With all the talk of climate change and global warming, this is a time to create some practices that are good for the earth. Of course, plant a tree, use recycled paper, recycle shopping bags, recycle clothes for the needy, and make your own household cleaners from environmentally friendly products. These are just a few examples but if each of us can try some then maybe we can make a difference.

See you in shul!