It's Tu B'Shevat!

Sunday will be Tu B'Shevat - the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, a holiday known as the "New Year for Trees." It is spring in Israel now, the prefect time for planting, but there are a lot of ways that those of who are still in winter can celebrate:

1. Plant a tree in Israel

My husband and I had a tree planted last year in honor of our son, and in memory of a special family member who had passed away through the Jewish National Fund organization. The trees start at $18 and include a beautiful certificate. For more information check out their website at:

http://www.jnf.org/support/tree-planting-center/.

2. Plant Parsley Now for Passover

I guess this is pretty common with Jewish preschools, and I love the idea. I am going to try it this year with my son. We found a nice window sill starter kit and the local Home Depot where there were all kinds of options. I am not much of a green thumb, but I think it will be fun to begin teaching my son about plants - and something fun to watch in the weeks ahead.

3. Tu B'Shevat Seder

Another fun idea for those who like to experiment in the kitchen- planning a dinner that showcases the many fruits of Israel, as mentioned in the Bible: figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, grapes/raisins, wheat and barley.

4. Learning About the Environment

Make this weekend an earth-friendly weekend - serve a vegetarian menu, renew your commitment to recycling, take a nature walk and find different textures of things, what does the day smell like? Go to the library and find some new books to read about trees, plants and even new kinds of fruits and vegetables. I am always looking for new recipes and ideas for dinner - this is a great opportunity to try something new.

That Soda is for God

Last week my son and I were lighting the candles for Shabbat and as I set the table, my son began eating the Challah - one of his favorite foods. I told him he needed to wait, we needed to say the prayers first. I poured the "wine" in the Kiddish cup and Joshua started to reach for that saying, "I want that soda." (Fear not, it contained no wine, we prefer sparkling juice.) As toddlers like to do, he repeated his request saying, "I want that juice." I said, no, that is for God. Then he says, "I want God's soda." I could not help but laugh and found myself looking upward, thinking I hope God was enjoying this! It was the first time I have heard my son say the word God.

Santa is Watching...and Did He Bring You Everything You Wanted?

Last month, my son and I were at a number of events with children before the Christmas holiday. More than once I heard a mother tell her child not to be naughty "because Santa was watching." Now that I am the mother of a Jew, hearing that made me pause. It is not something I will ever be telling my son. I thought about my own childhood, and never remembered being told to be good because Santa was watching, although that was quite awhile ago! I stopped and thought about this, as I do whenever I am faced with something that used to be the norm in my life growing up as a Christian. Now those things make me stop and think because it is not the way I will be raising my son. Its like a blinking light that goes off and I think about how it connects to my own experiences as a child and then how my own child will experience something(or not). I stop, then think about what it means to be different -because that is the way I often think about the fact that my son is being raised differently then I was, at least religion wise. It is not a bad thing, but something that makes me think about my decision and more often than not, reaffirms my decision to raise him as a Jew. Oh well, I eventually think, I guess Joshua will have to learn to be good because his parents are watching!

Another similar blinking light moment was hearing adults ask my son if he had a nice Christmas and if Santa brought him everything he wanted. The first time we were asked this I think my son and I had the same blank look on our faces. He is 2 1/2 and often is shy around adults he does not know, where my blank face was the result of me trying to think quickly - something I am usually pretty good at doing. The adult quickly moved on to ask another child the same question, but I was left wondering how best to answer the question. Part of me wanted to say something like, "Not everyone believes in Santa." Or maybe, "He is Jewish." Part of me wanted to remind people that not every child thinks of Santa in December, but another part of me didn't want to offend the speaker either. After all, up until a few years ago I am sure I would have said the same thing. We do celebrate Christmas with my family, and that is an important part of tradition for me. So do I say something like, "No Santa this time, but Grandma and Grandpa were very good to him!" Weeks later I am still pondering my response to this - I want to be ready next year. I have not come up with anything yet, though.