Happy Birthday to the Trees

This week, Rabbi Miriam Lorie joined BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought talking about Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees!

Listen below:

My father in law Hilton - top guy - has been really into trees for the last few years. He shakes his head sadly when he sees that trees are up for removal. “Who are we to take away this life that has been here for longer than us?” He’ll say. Hilton is one of a few people who have helped me appreciate trees more. The artist David Hockney is another - I don’t think I’ve looked at trees in quite the same way since seeing his tree paintings with their incredible reverence for every twig and leaf. 

I’m telling you this because today is the Jewish birthday of the trees - tu b’shvat. We celebrate by eating fruit and nuts, drinking wine of different colours and saying blessings on everything. It might seem like a strange time of year to celebrate trees, when most of them are still bare, but look close up at a tree this week, and you’ll see buds hiding there, getting ready for the promise of spring. 

And when you think about it, trees are awesome. They definitely deserve a birthday and a bit more adoration. 

Trees make the air breathable, casually turning CO2 into oxygen. Each one is a whole ecosystem - homes for birds, bugs, fungi, squirrels, moss. They’re free therapists - being around trees literally lowers stress and helps people think more clearly. They’re generous; fruit, nuts, wood, medicine, paper, shelter - trees give us so much. They look amazing with spring blossom, autumn colours, and dramatic silhouettes. They even talk to each other, sharing warnings of disease and danger through their root network. And they can grow to be ancient, just quietly watching humanity do its thing.

Hilton’s own favourite tree is the Neem tree, which he calls a “one stop pharmacy” because it can be used for cosmetics, medicines and pesticides, and its bark makes a handy toothbrush. Amazing. So happy birthday to the trees. I’m going to take today as my prompt to have even more reverence for them. To give them a little nod of thanks or a gentle touch. I’m fine with being the weirdo communing with trees. And anyway, I’ll have company from Hilton.