By Cindy Mindell

Rabbi Sarah Tasman

NEW HAVEN – Sarah Tasman knew she wanted to be a rabbi by the time she celebrated her bat mitzvah. Now, a year after receiving her ordination, she serves as a “freelance” rabbi, educator and community organizer in New Haven, where she recently moved with her husband, who is pursuing an MBA at the Yale School of Management.
Tasman received her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, then spent six years at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, a trans-denominational program in Newton, Mass. She studied in Israel for a year and served in numerous leadership positions before receiving rabbinic ordination and a master’s degree in Jewish education in 2012.
Tasman will present “A Talmudic Tree Blessing: How the Talmud Can Offer Us Blessing for Our Modern Lives” at the annual “A Taste of Honey” adult Jewish learning event at JCC of Greater New Haven on Saturday, Jan. 26.
She spoke with the Ledger about this special blessing and why it is the perfect blessing for Tu B’Shevat.

Q: First, can you explain what sort of work you do as a non-pulpit rabbi?
A: As a trans-denominational rabbi, educator, and community organizer in New Haven, I have had the wonderful opportunity to start a community program from the ground up. I am the founder and director of New Haven Rosh Chodesh, a monthly women’s spirituality group that gathers to learn about and celebrate Jewish holidays. I started New Haven Rosh Chodesh to meet the needs of the growing group of 20- and 30-somethings, mostly graduate students and young professionals, many of whom are in transitional periods of their lives having recently moved to New Haven for work or school, and may only be here a short time. Many are looking to build connections and explore their spiritual practice and creative growth but who, for their own reasons, have chosen not to formally affiliate with a synagogue at this time in their lives. I love my job, which is helping build relationships and providing support for the spiritual, pastoral, and rabbinic needs of young Jews.
As the partner of a graduate student, and also in a transitional time in my life like many of the 20- and 30-somethings in the area, I am in the gratifying position to do this kind of on-the-ground engagement, outreach, and community-building. By creating opportunities for young Jews to connect, learn, and celebrate at our monthly Rosh Chodesh gatherings and Shabbat dinners in our neighborhood, I am opening the door for young Jews to more comfortably integrate Judaism into their lives, find a Jewish practice of their own, and create community with other young Jews.
I also officiate at lifecycle events for unaffiliated families, and teach at a congregation in Glastonbury. Last fall, I led the Reform High Holiday services at Yale. I was selected as a member of the 2012-13 cohort of the American Jewish University’s Rabbinic Management Institute, through which I will receive a certificate of non-profit management.

Q: What is the “Talmudic Tree Blessing” that you will discuss at A Taste of Honey? How and when is it used?
A: The blessing, which we’ll be studying from Tractate Ta’anit, is actually a blessing given by one rabbi to another upon parting. In this section, two rabbis are about to part, and one asks the other for a blessing. His friend offers him a beautiful blessing in the form of a parable. He compares his current feelings of sadness upon leaving and gratitude to his friend to having been traveling in a desert. In the parable, he comes upon a tree, which provides him shade, shelter, and sustenance. To the tree he says, “O Tree, with what shall I bless you? Shall I say, may your fruit be sweet? Your fruit is already sweet.  That your shade be pleasant? Your shade is already pleasant! That a stream of water flows under you? A stream of water already flows under you! Therefore, I say, may all the shoots taken from you be like you.” He then blesses his friend in a parallel way by saying, “With what shall I bless you? Knowledge? You already have knowledge! Shall I bless you with riches? You already have riches! Shall I bless you with children? You already have children! Therefore, I bless you that all of your offspring be as blessed as you are.”
It’s a beautiful blessing – a way to recognize someone who is already quite blessed, and to bless them that their children be blessed as well. The Hebrew literally says “offspring” but I like to understand “offspring” in a more inclusive and expansive way to mean children, but also students, employees, or even friends. When my study partner and I were learning this in rabbinical school, we were so delighted to come upon such a sweet story and blessing between friends. We’ve taught or offered this blessing in different settings, offering it to a teacher or mentor upon our graduation. My study partner adapted this blessing for my husband and me at our wedding. And just last week, I offered this blessing to my grandmother on her 90th birthday, since her birthday falls only two days before Tu B’Shevat this year and it was a fitting blessing for her.
I chose this topic for A Taste of Honey because the event falls on Tu B’Shevat and I thought it would be fitting for the theme of the evening. Also, the phrase “A Taste of Honey” often refers to the notion that studying Torah should be as sweet as the taste of honey in your mouth. My hope is to offer a short and sweet taste of Talmud and to provide an opportunity for others to study Talmud in a way they may never have before.

Q: How does the Blessing of the Trees “offer us blessing for our modern lives,” as your presentation is titled?
A: Many people I encounter have not had an opportunity to study the Talmud before, and I want to offer students a chance to “get a taste” of learning Talmud in an accessible and meaningful way.
Today we may often say to friends or family, “I love you” or “safe travels” or “best wishes” at the end of an email or phone call, but how often do we give or receive a special blessing? In our session, we’ll be thinking about how we might be able reinstate the lost art of offering blessings to those we love. How might we use the image, symbolism, and wisdom of the tree in a blessing we might offer those we love? Reading this Talmudic blessing reminds us to be grateful for the friends in our lives, and blessings can often come in the form of people who teach us and support us in different ways.

Q: In what other ways does the Talmud offer us such blessings?
A: The Talmud is not straightforward law code; rather, it is a kind of literature of its own, recording arguments and unresolved issues, often putting rabbis of different generations in direct conversation. The Talmud is more often something we study, discuss or argue about. Compared to other genres of biblical or rabbinic literature, Talmud is not often something from which we quote, especially for blessings. In this way, the serendipity of finding something in the Talmud that is so suitable to use as a blessing, and that connects to one’s personal life, especially in this day and age, is a blessing in itself.

“A Talmudic Tree Blessing: How the Talmud Can Offer Us Blessing for Our Modern Lives” with Rabbi Sarah Tasman: A Taste of Honey, Saturday, Jan. 26, 7-11 p.m., JCC of Greater New Haven. For information call (203) 387-2522, ext.300 or visit www.tasteofhoney.jccnh.org
For more information on Rabbi Sarah Tasman: www.rabbisarahtasman.com/

Comments? Email cindym@jewishledger.com