Yes, we have heard of cults throughout history who worshipped trees. Green Giants, sturdy California Redwoods, fires wiping out entire forests, what is it that we love and hate about trees? Tree cutters, sawing trees with diseases to be chopped down, George Washington who as a child chopped down a Cherry Tree.
Tu B' Shevat, a Jewish Holy Day tonight and tomorrow when we as Jews take time to appreciate trees, to love trees, but not to worship trees. To be a member at a Seder to eat nuts and fruits, to drink sweet red and white Kosher wine, hot herbal teas, to sing and to daven, to pray to Adonai and to thank Him for blessing us with wonderful trees.
Knowing about the Druids and about the goddess Asherah who was worshipped by a cult when she came to her worshipers in the form of a tree. Moses sweetened the River Nile by tossing a wooded tree branch into the waters representing The Torah. Can we as Jews worship trees? No, definitely not, but we can appreciate them, harvest them, grow them, rake their leaves, call them beautiful.
A tree outside your window can come in the shape of a Chanukiah, a Chanukah Menorah. All the branches like arms with hands reaching upwards, beckoning God for His attention, tree branches which are living as the tree itself is living, it drinks water, soaks up sunshine and photosynthesizes it, breathing in carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen, the very oxygen we as humans inhale and breathe in is from our trees. A tree can save our lives!
The tree has bark, like a dog's bark loudly to bring to us the attention we need to realize that a Birch tree bark can be pealed off its tree and cover a canoe with it so it does not sink. Wood floats in water, Noach's Great Ark he built out of wood saved the lives of humankind, as it floated on top of the water and its inhabitants did not drown and humans and animals were saved to create generation after generation, all of us descendants of the righteous Prophet Noach.
Love trees? What about Fruit Trees? We must wait three years before we can pick the fruit of a tree and eat it. To delay the reaction Adam had when he bit into the fruit, to make a decision but first waiting, to weigh the pros and cons and evaluate whether to eat an apple or not. When we wait three years before eating the fruit we are honoring the tree and not destroying it before it matures.
During times of war, we must not fall any Fruit Tree. The Fruit Trees must all be saved and not bombed, yes, we can appreciate them, and save their lives as if they were humans but we know we must not worship them.
Instead to love honor and obey.
Alcohol and drug abuse, called AA for Alcoholics Anonymous and NA for Narcotics Anonymous. The Big Book, looks like a Bible, a thick black leather book cover, a book filled with case studies of folks like you and me, who decided against the worship of the bottle or drug, and instead to turn our souls and hearts to the worship of a "Higher Power" which includes the religions of ALL people.
To be born a Nazirite, which is a Priest of the highest status, the Jewish Priest chosen as female or male by his/her father to not use alcohol, to keep the covenant with The Lord to not drink or do recreational drugs, not to eat grapes or even raisins unless you share some with a Kohayne, the ancestors of Aaron, the High Priest. To have a father and mother who wants you to keep clean and sober, to drink not from a cup any wine, no red wine, no white wine, no Scotch, nothing mood altering that is from artificial means. Coffee and tea? Okay.
Who is our higher power and why and how can we worship Him? We are not to break any promise to Him. Our Book as The Torah, is also a "Big" Book and gives us the history of people who lived their lives as Prophets, Joseph imprisoned and enslaved thrown into a pit of lions, who instead of becoming a failure because of past experiences we would today identify as post traumatic stress disorder, we see Joseph rising up out of Hell like a phoenix as becoming the closest companion to the Pharaoh of the times and ruling with him to save the people, all people from destruction because of a famine. Joseph's higher power, was much higher than the power of the Pharaoh and his goals to save humankind were answered by God.
Drink from the fountain of youth, not to imbibe in wine, to instead go into deep Hebrew prayer and meditation, to make a goal of New Year's resolutions, twice every 12 months, as we as Jews celebrate two new years. Ask our dear Lord for help to stay clean and sober, to call upon our ancestors for help instead of causing yourself liver damage from the wineskin.
Sing the Hebrew blessing over non/alcoholic beverages while dancing and not tripping over your feet in drunkenness.
Sing loudly and clearly over a Kiddush cup overflowing with golden sweet apple juice: The Hebrew transliteration of the prayer for non/alcoholic drinks: "Baruch Atah Adonai, aleiheynu melech ha' olam, she he k'ol yiyeh b'divro".
To join in Covenant with The Lord our God, to keep in Nazirite Priestly abstinence from liquor, to ask God to provide us with our "highs" and our "power" as our Beloved "Higher Power" in purity and goodness, truthfulness, and honesty, generosity and strength, a discipline to stay "clean and sober".
