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.
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