Sap Rising: Tu BiShvat 5782
New from Bayit’s Liturgical Arts Working Group comes this offering for Tu BiShvat 5782, available both as a printable PDF and as illuminated google slides suitable for screensharing. Here are four new variations on Tu BiShvat’s traditional four cups of wine or juice; prayers and meditations on Tu BiShvat in this time of climate crisis; an updated variation on Reb Nachman’s “Grant me the ability to be alone” prayer for our Zoom / pandemic moment; and more.
Featuring work by Trisha Arlin, R. Rachel Barenblat, R. Dara Lithwick, Joanne Fink, R. David Evan Markus, and R. David Zaslow.
Download the PDF:
Sap Rising – Tu BiShvat 5782 from Bayit[pdf]
Preview the illuminated google slides:
The slides are also here on google drive:
Sap Rising – Tu BiShvat 5782 from Bayit
Here’s a taste of what’s inside:
In an era when we cannot easily congregate,
may we discover new ways to connect
with our communities, our friends and family,
and with our own hearts…
— “Four Cups: Awareness, Connection, Gratitude, and Hope,” Joanne Fink
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם זַכֵּנוּ לְהִתְאוֹשֶׁשׁ בְּהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת,
יַחַד מוֹשִׁיטִים יָדָיִם מֵהַרִיק שֶׁל הַנִּפְרָדוּת,
מִתְחַבְּרִים בְּאֶמְצָעוּת זוּם כְּדֵי לְהִתְקַשֵּׁר בֵּין לֵב לַלֵּב.Master of the Universe, may we merit resilience in solitude,
Together reaching out from the empty void of separateness,
Connecting by zoom, linking heart to heart…
— from ‘A Prayer for Renewing Connections,” R. David Evan Markus
We begin the seder by donning an extra hat, an extra scarf, and a mask. These additional outer garments symbolize apartness and disconnection. We remove our masks, bless grape juice or wine, and drink from the first cup…
— from “Four Cups, Four Worlds,” R. Rachel Barenblat
Of every Torah we say,
“She is a tree of life.”
There are some who say
“Every tree is a Torah too”
meant to be read…
— from “Tree of Life,” R. David Zaslow
First Cup – Live Small
You have to be rich to live small.
It ain’t cheap to shop local,
Do the poor eat organic?
But bravo to those of us who can manage it
And no shame to those of us who cannot.
— from “Four Cups, Four Ways to Action,” Trisha Arlin
We used to seek out tree fruits from afar:
pomegranate arils plentiful as mitzvot,
carob a reminder to plant for generations,
figs evoking Torah, juicy and sweet…
— from “Where We Are,” R. Rachel Barenblat
Assiyah: The first cup is that of Assiyah, the world of being and action, earth and body. Here we need protection, a hard shell. I stare out to the winter wonderland surrounding me. Spruce trees abound, the most common tree here in Canada. Sharp needles – protective, not too friendly at first – can hurt, but make a healing tea…
— from “Four Cups, Four Species, Four Worlds, Right in Front of Me,” R. Dara Lithwick
Our home shul in Brooklyn meets in a church.
We don’t have a yard or a roof or air conditioning
So for many years during the summer we have met in Prospect Park
Under two large trees that overlook the ball fields…
— from “Our Tallis Trees,” Trisha Arlin
The sap is rising, even if we can’t see it.
Is our hope rising? What if we can’t feel it? …
— from “Rising,” written by the ensemble
And if this speaks to you, you also might find meaning in our new book
From Narrow Places: Liturgy, Poetry and Art of the Pandemic Era, available now for $18.
This collection features work by Trisha Arlin, R. Rachel Barenblat, R. Dara Lithwick, Joanne Fink, R. David Evan Markus, and R. David Zaslow. Find all of our bios on the Builder Biographies page.
