It is hard to believe, looking out our windows at all the snow and ice, that Monday night begins the Jewish New Year of the Trees. This holiday is called Tu b'Shevat. Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. 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). In Israel, it is still "cold", but this is just about the beginning of spring, and planting trees is a reality there, unlike here in New England.
Judaism has several different "new years." This is not as strange a concept as it sounds at first blush; in America, we have the calendar year (January-December), the school year (September-June), and many businesses have fiscal years. It's basically the same idea with the various Jewish new years.
Tu B'Shevat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for tithing. See Lev. 19:23-25, which states that fruit from trees may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year's fruit is for God and after that, you can eat the fruit. Each tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B'Shevat, so if you planted a tree on Shevat 14, it begins its second year the next day, but if you plant a tree two days later, on Shevat 16, it does not reach its second year until the next Tu B'Shevat.
There are few customs or observances related to this holiday. One custom is to eat a new fruit on this day, a fruit you have never tried before. This is a great way of getting your kids to try something they've refused in the past. Some people in warmer climates plant trees on this day. Many of Jewish children go around collecting money for trees for Israel at this time of year. Those little blue rectangular boxes you see in Jewish homes are collection boxes for the Jewish National Fund, an organization that plants whole forests in Israel. For children, collecting and then getting certificates about the trees they have planted in Israel is very exciting.
Another new custom that has come on the scene is to hold a Tu b'Shevat seder. Like the Passover seder, this meal has specific customs and foods. The meal is based upon the seven species: olives, grapes, wheat, barley, figs, dates, and pomegranates. The reason for the festive mood of the Rosh Hashanah of trees is that the 15th of Shevat recalls the praise of theLand of Israel, for on this day the strength of the soil of the land is renewed. With reference to the fruits of the trees and the produce of the soil, the Torah praises the Land of Israel: "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey. This new custom is particular popular in the Jewish day schools, where children feast on baked goods, nuts, and fruits.
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