Rooted in Darkness, Reaching for the Sun (Tu B'Shevat 5784)

Jews who grew up in the Southern Hemisphere, as I did, have something in common: We are used to Jewish holidays being upside down. The Jewish community of Cape Town, South Africa, celebrates Pesach, the Holiday of Spring, in the autumn; folks in Sydney celebrate the advent of rain on Sukkot as their driest season starts; and the Jews of Buenos Aires, Argentina, mark Chanukah with little fanfare — while it is a central holiday on the North American Jewish calendar, brightening the dark of winter, in South America it occurs during the scorching hot summer vacation from school.

Click here to read more of my Tu B'Shevat message in eJewish Philanthropy.