February. 1987 . pugL'7|

Celebrating the Earth - J ewishly

bySu.zi

It is said that on the Jewish holiday of
Tu b’Shevat, the 15th day of the month of
Shevat, Feb. 14 this year, the sap begins to
rise in the fruit trees in the Land of Israel.
On this "new year for trees" it is customary
to celebrate the day by eating (naturally),
and by sharing stories, poems. and songs
deep into the night. Because the holiday
has been "rediscovered" relatively recently,
lesbian and gay Jews -- and their friends --

L/G Service

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The idea of the service has sparked
some serious discussion in the church and
uncovered widespread support. If you’ve
been searching for a spiritual home,
February 8”‘ would be a great time to
check out the Unitarian/Universalist Church.

A post-service forum will take place to
discuss thoughts and issues raised during the

can observe it imaginatively without even a
trace of discomfort about disrespecting a
long-held tradition. And being in Vermont
makes it easier (than it was for me in New
Jersey) to understand the significance -- the
renewal symbolism -- in the running of the
sap.
A 'I‘u b’Shevat seder can be patterned
loosely on the Passover seder. The basic
ingredients are: an introduction, eating in
turn from three levels of fruits and nuts as
grow in Eretz Yisrael, drinking wine or
grape juice, and singing, telling stories and
reading or telling poems about trees, fruits
or the earth’s fertility.

(It is customary in some parts to read
passages from the Bible that deal with these
subjects.)

In recent years, I admit I have only
experienced the holiday with groups of
women friends; but groups of any
configuration can tailor the seder to their
own needs easily. The key is happy
celebration of the earth and her products
Seemingly irrelevant or irreverent songs like

hour.

men.

Among those available for discussion
will be KK Wilder who is doing research for
a book on straight women who love gay

C?~Q9

0 Decree from Rome

In the short tum, though, such attempts
are painful and destructive to all who have
worked for change and all who have hoped
for that change. This is especially true of
those of us who are gay/lesbian and have
only begun to have self respect and knowl-
edge of our goodness. Add to this a love of
the church and desire to serve in it, and the
pain LS’ intense.

With this latest statement comes a com-
plication which in effect could set back the
attitude of society towards gays/lesbians
dramatically. The position taken in this
statement is that not only is sexual a'pres-
sion wrong for gays/lesbians but that also
the very orientation is disordered And while
it is not sinful per se, it should in no way
be accepted as a normal state of afairs. The
ramifications for a gay/lesbian person who
accepts this as true can only damage any
Sense of self worth. The society that accepts
this is given reason to continue its discn'mi-
nation, bias, and homophobic violence to
Persons who are gay or lesbian.

The statement does violence to the very
truth that it claims to be defending. All
truth has its source in the divine truth, yet
‘he findings of the behavioral sciences as
well as modern scriptural analysis are canna-
vened or ignored in the statement. When
the findings do not support its stanc the

paper denies their validity.

Pastorally, gays/lesbians could lose any
ground gained in the past twenty years.
Organizations such as Dignity are being told
that they can no longer minister to homo-
sexuals who do not denounce their validity
as gay/lesbians and accept a stance as second
class members of the human family because
of their orientation.

There has always been a poll of suspi-
cion over anyone who was willing to minis-
ter to the needs of gays/lesbians. This state-
ment will make it more difficult and risky to
hold out a hand in Christian love to those
most in need. At a time when the church

should be offering to serve the needs of
persons with AIDS there is a real chance
that such help will not be forthcoming or
will only grudgirtgly be given.

There is a positive possibility in all this
which the framers of the statement have not
foreseen and will not like if it happens. We
may well grow in our understanding of
faith and grow beyond a sheeplike following
of what others hand out to us. We may
learn to aamine and accept what is best for
us in the light of our aperience of faith in
our lives and the lives of those around us.
We can embrace, as adults, a faith that is
the love, hope, and affirmation which is the
message of Christ.

"Don‘t sit under the apple tree." "Found a
peanut," or "Lemon tree" are perfect. In
the realm of poetry, everyone has his or her
favorites, but one good. not-very-well-known
source is Myra Glazer. ed.. By_mjng_Air_,
gear Mind: Qggtgmpggary Israeli Wgmgn
Eoets. Publishers don't broadcast that
Adrienne Rich and Marge Piercy are Jewish,
either.

The explanation of the three levels of
food is as follows:

The levels were arrived at by Rabbi
Chaim Vital in a kabbalistic text called "Peri
Etz Hadar" ("the fruit of the goodly tree").
Each level has ten fruits in it.

The lowest level -- Assiya -- our level
of physical creation, contains the fruits which
need protection the most and are covered
with a hard, inedible outer shell: for
example, pomegranates, nuts, coconuts.

In the second level - Yezirah - the
fruits need some reinforcement from within
but not total protection. These are fruits
with a solid core or pit: e.g. olives.
peaches, dates. cherries.

The third level —- Bcriah - has in it
fruits that are closest to pure emanation and
thus need no protection: carob. apples.
oranges, figs.

There is a fourth level -- Azilut --
which is beyond representation by fruit or
any physical object. This is the highest level
of spirituality through which creation is
channeled, according to Rabbi Vital.

In my Th b’Shevat seders, we alternate
eating and drinking with singing and telling
stories. Some ideas for stories are of a
significant tree-planting, a childhood memory
of a favorite natural spot or of a strange
fruit eaten for the first time.

One order might be as follows:

introduction

blessing over wine
sheheheyanu

eating first fruits
reading/singing etc.

wine eating second fruits
— story telling etc.

wine eating third fruits

stories, poems, etc.
conclusion.

In concluding the seder, it seems to
work best when someone has prepared an
ending -- something written or thought
about for the occasion, or a special poem,
or even a paraphrased version of the Prayer
for Israel (as in the People Israel) from the
Conservative prayerbook. This keeps the
meal from just fizzling out, albeit
spontaneously, and allows tired. 31€¢l-W P¢°Pl¢
to leave the gathering with a 561156 Of
satisfaction without having to work too hard
for it!

Happy Tu b’Shevat.