ChaBaD Tu BiShvat in a Minute
ChaBaD Tu BiShvat in a Minute
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Tu BiShvat in a Minute When’s the last time
you wished a tree Happy New Year? The 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat is
a great opportunity. It’s known as Tu BiShvat, the New Year for
Trees. Why do trees celebrate
their New Year so much later than ours? It has to do
with the rainy season in Israel, which commences with the festival
of Sukkot. It takes four months for the rains to saturate the soil,
nurture the trees and coax them into producing fruit. This is important to
know if you are planning to give your tithes of fruits, as is done in the
Land of Israel, because the required tithes vary from year to year. It’s also
important if you are a tree and looking for something to celebrate. We humans can also
celebrate along with the trees We humans can also
celebrate along with the trees. After all, the Torah says, “Man is
a tree of the field.” We are nurtured by deep roots, as far back as Abraham and Sarah;
we reach upwards to the heavens while standing firmly on the ground; and when
we do all this right, we produce fruits that benefit the world—namely, our
good deeds. Traditional Observances: Eat some fruit on this
day. Best if you can get some of those fruits for which Israel is famous:
olives, dates, grapes, figs and pomegranates. The blessing on fruit: Ba-ruch atah Ado-nai,
Elo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam, borei pri ha-etz. [Blessed are You, L‑rd
our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.] If tasting a fruit for
the first time in its season, recite the Shehecheyanu blessing
before saying the fruit blessing: Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai,
Elo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam, she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-ye-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu
liz-man ha-zeh. [Blessed are You, L‑rd
our G‑d, King of the
universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this
occasion.] Some have the custom
to eat carob. The master Kabbalist Arizal would eat fifteen types
of fruit on this day! Click here for
more on Tu BiShvat,
including insights on its mystical significance. Illustrations by Yehuda Lang.
To view more artwork by this artist, click here. © Copyright, all
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policy. More in this section You may also be interested in... Tu B'Shevat A Tu B'Shevat Lesson |
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