One of the classic stories told around Tu B’shevat, the New Year for the Trees, is that of Honi the Circle Maker. One day, Honi was walking down the street when he met an old man who was planting a carob tree. Honi asks the man, “How long will the tree take to bear fruit?”

A parable. Rabbi Shimon said: When God was about to create Adam, the first human being, the ministering angels split into two competing groups. Some said, “let him be created!” while others cried “Let him not be created!” The angel of Mercy said, “let him be created, for he will do merciful deeds.”

“Blessed are we, on this sacred threshold of Rosh Hashanah, where time turns and creation is reborn. May we embrace the call to teshuvah, returning to our truest selves, with hearts open to forgiveness and renewal. Let the shofar’s cry awaken our souls to the boundless potential within. In the orchard of life, may we taste the sweetness of compassion and the richness of wisdom.

In 2021, the Pew Research Center released its Jewish Americans study that explored the changing nature of Jewish identity in America. The study found that American Jews are overwhelmingly proud to be Jewish, but their Jewish expression is more diverse than ever before.[1] No longer is being Jewish solely a matter of religiosity we all may have neighbors, friends, and family members who have largely left the institution of Judaism behind.