Tu B’Shevat

The Jewish New Year For Trees
February 13, 2006 – 15 Shevat 5766

On the third day of creation, God created “seed-bearing plants, fruit trees after their kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it” (Genesis 1:11). God then put Adam in the garden to “till it and tend it” ( 2:15 ), making humans stewards of the earth.
Tu B’Shevat – the New Year for Trees – is a time when trees start drinking the New Year’s rainwater and the sun renews itself. According to the Mishna, where it is first mentioned, Tu B’Shevat – the 15th day of the month of Shevat – is the date used by farmers to calculate the year’s crop yield and determine the tithe that the Bible requires. It also marks the beginning and end of the first three and four years of a tree’s growth, during which it is forbidden to eat its fruit.

During the early pioneer movement in late 18th and early 19th century Palestine , Jewish pioneers linked the environmentalism of Tu B’Shevat with the practice of planting trees in the land of Israel . In recent years, Jewish environmentalists adopted Tu B’Shevat as a “Jewish Earth Day,” with organized Seders, tree-plantings and ecological restoration activities, as a way to express a specifically Jewish commitment to caring for nature and protecting the land.
Celebrating Tu B’Shevat with a Seder, has become traditional for families and congregations around the world. During a Tu B’Shevat Seder, seven species of fruits and grains from Israel are blessed and eaten. The seven species are wheat, barley, grapes, fig, pomegranate, olive and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8). It is also customary to dance the ‘Mayim,’ the Jewish dance for water, during a Tu B’Shevat Seder.

In Israel , Tu B’Shevat is a time for families to get together, visit forests and plant trees. A 2002 poll showed that 93% of Israelis believe that Tu B’Shevat tree plantings are essential to enlarging the country’s green belts. More than two million trees are planted annually in Israel during Tu B’Shevat alone.

About the Jewish National Fund

As the Jewish Arbor Day, Tu B’Shevat embodies the strong dedication to ecology, environmentalism and conservation that Jewish National Fund has championed since its inception in 1901. Since its founding, JNF has planted more than 240 million trees in Israel to protect the land, prevent soil erosion, green the landscape and preserve vital ecosystems. The trees maintain forest health, combat desertification, protect watersheds and manage water flow. Additionally, they create a ‘green lung’ to combat carbon dioxide emissions in the region. JNF’s success at planting trees in Israel has resulted in naturally expanded forests and reclaimed deserts. Per Russell F. Robinson, CEO, “Over the years, Tu B’Shevat has taken on the theme of planting trees in Israel , making it JNF’s holiday.”

To Plant a Tree in Israel

Visit the Jewish National Fund’s website at www.jnf.org or call 1-800-542-TREE.

The Tu B’Shevat Seder

What’s Needed:
A Tu B’Shevat Hagaddah
Wheat (bread), barley, grapes, fig, pomegranate, olive
(olive oil) and dates.
Four glasses of wine – both red and white to reflect the changing colors of Israel ‘s landscape.

The Seder:
First cup (white wine): represents October, after Sukkot when the first light-colored wild flowers – crocuses, narcissus, and sand lilies – come to life.

Recite blessing for fruit and taste grapes, pomegranate, fig, and dates (often people will eat a new fruit on Tu B’Shevat, an occasion to say the Sh’Hecheyanu blessing)

Recite blessing for nuts and taste

Second Cup (white wine with a bit of red): represents November and December, Israel ‘s rainy season, when the colors of the landscape are changing and white and pink cyclamens and early red anemones appear.

Recite blessing on bread, then dip bread in olive oil and taste

Serve Festive Meal
Third Cup (half white and half red wine): represents the time around Tu B’Shevat, winter in Israel , when the groundwater begins warming and rising through the roots into the trees. Red leaf buds appear on the fig and pomegranate trees. Almond trees start blooming pink and white flowers.

Fourth cup (red wine): represents Pesach , Israel ‘s springtime, when red buttercups, poppies and pomegranate flowers are all in bloom.