All About Tu B'Shevat

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Tu B’Shevat is kind of like a Jewish Arbor day that rings in the new year for fruits and trees in the land of Israel. Learn about this special day and celebrate it with joy. You’ll be glad you did!

Now understanding and celebrating Tu B’Shevat is as easy as A,B,C…

A - All about the festival, a simple overview

B - Biblical references concerning the holy day

C - Celebration information on how to make the day special

A All about the festival

v Tu B’Shevat literally means the fifteententh of Shevat. Shevat is the eleventh month of the Biblical year, starting in Avib.

v The word "Tu" is not really a word; it is the number 15 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July "Iv July" (IV being 4 in Roman numerals).

v It has its origin with the tithing of the crops produced in Eretz Yisrael

v It is during this month in Eretz Israel that almond trees blossom and oranges ripen.

v The 15th of Shevet, also called Rosh Hashanah L’llanot, was set aside by the Sages as the time to tithe the harvest of plants. “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Yahweh’s: it is holy unto Yahweh,” Exodus 27:30

v On this day, in Eretz Yisrael, the tithing year for plants begins and ends.

v It is during this month that the heavy rains in Yisrael begin to end and in comes spring. With the change in seasons the sap in the fruit trees starts to rise.

v It is customary for farmers in Israel to set aside a small part of their crops for holy purposes. The new crop starts each year on Tu B’Shevat. It has also become tradition to plant trees in Israel on Tu B’Shevat.

v Shevat is considered to be the time when Yochannan the Immerser was put into prison and Yahshua began His ministry in Galilee. (See John 4)

v This is a type of Rosh Hashanah for the trees of Israel and this day calls for a reflection of gratitude to Yahweh for the land of Israel.

v “The dates of ripening of different agricultural species, say wheat, on one hand, and apples and oranges representing the "fruit-of-the-tree" group, are different. Also, since one may not calculate the "tenth" for a given year using produce from a different year, it is important to know the calendar definitions of ripening which apply to the various species. Our Sages have designated the 15th of Shevat as the boundary, for trees, between one year and another, since most of the rains of the previous year, in the Land of Israel, have already fallen,” says www.ou.org.

v "There are four new years. On the first of Nisan is the new year for kings and for festivals. On the first of Elul is the new year for the tithe of animals. R Eliazar and R Shimon say on the 1st of Tishrei. On the 1st of Tishrei is the New year for the years, for the shmitta (Sabbatical) and Yovel (Jubilee) years, for the sapling and for the vegetables. On the 1st of Shevat is the New Year for the tree according to Beis Shammai, Beis Hillel say on the 15th," Tractate Rosh HaShana of the Talmud.

v The Talmud recounts this story about trees, “Once a man walking in the desert was tired, hungry and thirsty. He found a tree with sweet fruits, bountiful shade, and a stream of water flowing by it. The man ate the tree’s fruit, drank from its stream and relaxed in its shade. When he was refreshed and ready to leave, he said, "Tree, tree, how can I bless you? If I were to bless you that your fruits should be sweet, they are already sweet. If I should bless you with plenty of shade, you already have shade. A stream already flows by you, so I can’t bless you with water either. I can only bless you that all the trees planted from your seeds should be just like you."”

B Biblical references concerning the holy day

v Leviticus 19:23-25, “When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to Yahweh. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

v “A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless Yahweh thy Elohim for the good land which he hath given thee,” Deuteronomy 8:8-10.

v “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Yahweh’s: it is holy unto Yahweh,” Exodus 27:30.

v "The Land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine" (Leviticus 25:23).

v "The earth is the Eternal's and all that it holds" (Psalms 24:1).

v "A person is like the tree of a field," Deuteronomy 20:19

v "For as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people," Isaiah 65:22

v "He will be like a tree planted near water," Jeremiah 17:8

v “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her,” Proverbs 3:18.

v Zechariyah 1:7, “On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shevat..”

v "When you besiege a city for many days, to wage war against it, to seize it, do not destroy its trees by swinging an ax against them, for from them you will eat, and you should (therefore) not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man that it should be a victim of your siege? Only the tree of which you know that it is not a fruit tree, it you may destroy and cut down, and use it to build a bulwark against the city that makes war with you, until it is conquered," Devarim 20:19-20.

v "He shall be like a tree deeply rooted, Alongside brooks of water, That yields its fruit in its season,
And whose leaves never wither; And everything that he does, Meets with success," Tehillim (Psalms) 1:3.

v Tehillim (Psalms) 92:13-16, "A righteous person will flourish like a date palm, Like a cedar in the Lebanon he will grow tall, Planted in the house of Yahweh, In the courtyards of our Elohim they will flourish; They will still be fruitful in old age, Vigorous and fresh they will be - To declare that Yahweh is just, My Rock, in Whom there is no wrong."

v Yochannan 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

C Celebration information

v Families may have a Tu B’Shevat party where games are played and festive food is eaten. This is certainly not a day for fasting!

v One great way to celebrate this day is to plant your own parsley. If you plant on Tu Be-Shevat, your parsley will be ready in time for your Passover seder. Do this in a small pot and watch it grow!

v Eat nuts and fruits on this day and praise Yahweh for creation.

v The Sephardic Jews have a Tu B’Shevat Seder. During this celebration the children drink four cups of “wine” which symbolize the changes nature undergoes in the four seasons

v A quick game Torah students can play is to have someone name a fruit or nut and then challenge everyone to find it in the Bible.

v A lot of Jewish children go around collecting money for trees for Israel at this time of year.

v This can also be a day to celebrate the Torah – the tree of life! “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her,” Proverbs 3:18.

v You can also research the seven species of foods that are named in Deuteronomy 8:7. Why are these species given special mention in the Bible?

v Congregations may also take up a special offering to send to Israel for the planting of new trees. This offering is made to the Jewish National Fund, which has been planting trees in Eretz Israel since 1903. (For information on how your family or congregation may plant a tree in Israel go to www.jnf.org or call the Jewish National Fund at (800) 542-8733.)

v The Talmud teaches that, “Rabbi Choni Hamagel was walking on the way, and he saw a man planting a carob tree. Choni asked someone "How long will it take for the tree to bear fruit?". The man answered "Seventy years". Choni then asked him, "And are you sure that you will live seventy more years and eat the fruit?". The man responded, "I found this world planted with carob trees. Just as my fathers planted those trees for me, so too, I must do the same for my children after me."

v A Tu’Bshevat seder can be downloaded at www.jewish.com/holidays/tbv_hag1.html

v The dates for Tu’BeShevat for the next few years are:

· February 7, 2004 (Jewish Year 5764)

· January 25, 2005 (Jewish Year 5765)

· February 13, 2006 (Jewish Year 5766)

· February 3, 2007 (Jewish Year 5767)

v A special blessing may be said over the meal on Tu B’Shevat, which is as follows:

Baurch Atah Yahweh Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam, Borei P’ri Ha-etz

Bless are You, Yahweh our Elohim, Ruler of the Universe who creates the fruit of the tree.

v Here is a children’s craft that can easily be made for Tu’BeShevat:

To make a Leafy Tree Bank you’ll need:

One empty coffee can with plastic lid, Scissors, Construction paper, Glue, Markers or crayons, Leaves, flowers and small twigs

How to Make It:
Ask a grownup to help you cut a slot in the center of the plastic lid and to cut a piece of construction paper to fit around the coffee can, with an inch or so overlap for the seam. Cover the coffee can in the construction paper, and glue the overlap down to keep the construction paper cover firmly in place. Decorate the paper with markers or crayons. Glue leaves, flowers and small twigs to make a beautiful nature bank for your tree savings. (See above for ordering trees to be planted in Israel.)

v Here is a special blessing that can be said upon planting a tree in Yisrael or when sending money to plant a tree there:

“Heavenly Father, Thou who buildest Zion and Jerusalem. Take pleasure in Thy land and bestow upon it of Thy goodness and Thy grace. Give dew for a blessing and cause beneficent rains to fall in their season, to satiate the mountains of Israel and her valleys, and to water thereon every plant and tree. And these saplings which we plant before thee this day, make deep their roots and wide their crown, that they may blossom forth in grace. Let your blessing be amongst all the trees in Israel, for good and for beauty. And strengthen the hands of all our brethren, Who toil to revive the sacred soil and make fruitful its wastes. Bless, O Yahweh, their might, and may the work of their hands find favour before Thee. Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless this land That it may flow again with milk and honey. Amen.”

*for all things Biblical go to www.emetministries.com