Tikkun Olam: Planting a Tree in Albuquerque on Earth Day

We plant for the sake of Tikkun Olam, the repair of God’s order, of God’s universe, our home...And each planting is a reminder of our responsibility. We did not make this world; we are its product and not its producers. But it is ours to enjoy, to explore, and, most of all, to protect. We protect it by planting and by remembering and by connecting, from generation to generation. We plant in order to remember, in order to remind, in order to keep and connect with God’s Creation, our home.  Excerpts from Tree Planting Ceremony from Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

The festivities for the #EarthDay Seder 2016 at the Jewish Community Center in Albuquerque included a tree-planting ceremony, led by Cantor Leon Natker from Congregation B'nai Israel and Shawn Price, who combines his Navajo heritage with the Jewish tradition.

Several children participated in the planting of the tree, symbolizing the intergenerational responsibility of protecting the Earth. Below are more excerpts from the COEJL tree planting ceremony.

"Just as you came and found trees planted by others, you must plant for your children..."

"And each planting is a reminder of our responsibility. We did not make this world; we are its product and not its producers. But it is ours to enjoy, to explore, and, most of all, to protect. We protect it by planting and by remembering and by connecting, from generation to generation." 

Children (and families) play a central role in Passover, and the Earth Day seder meal was no exception.

God built his nation by commanding not a collective gathering of hundreds of thousands in a public square but by asking Jews to turn their homes into places of family worship at a Seder devoted primarily to answering the questions of children.

It seems all too obvious. Children are our future. They are the ones who most require our attention. The home is where we first form our identities and discover our values. (from aish.com)

There are many words to describe Passover: celebration and remembrance, identity and connection (to the Earth and to everyone else on the planet), but most of all thanksgiving and gratitude.

Hodu LAdo-nai Ki Tov Ki Le-olam Has-do. O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures for ever. from Psalm 135 (Tellihim-Psalms Chapter 135   Common Worsip Psalter ).

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sustains the entire world with goodness, grace, loving kindness, and compassion. He gives bread to all, for His grace is everlasting. And in His great goodness we have never lacked anything and we will never be deprived of food for the sake of His great name. For He is God who provides for all and does good for all and prepares food for all His creatures that He created. Blessed are You, Lord, who provides for all.  -from the prayer of Grace after the meal.