Renewal On Tu B'Shevat

Shevat, the Hebrew month that usually coincides with February, is the beginning of Spring in Israel.  The rains lessen, the sun comes out, and the sap beings to rise in the fruit trees.  Tiny leaf buds appear and almost overnight, the almond trees seem to burst into bloom. This is a time for rejoicing, for celebrating the New Year of the trees on the 15th day of Shevat, or Tu B’Shevat, corresponding to the Hebrew letters “Tet” (9) and “Vav” (6), which add up to 15.

The holiday of Tu B’Shevat is not mentioned in the Bible.  It marks the beginning of a new cycle for the tithe on fruit trees.  Before the great Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem in 70 CE, ten percent of all produce was set aside for the priests and the poor.  When the Temple was destroyed, this tithing ceased.  Yet, the principles are still relevant today and it is why we continue to observe Tu B’Shevat by planting trees, sharing the bounty of the land with those in need, and allowing fields to lie fallow during the sabbatical year (every seventh year), and taking care of the earth so it will sustain future generations.

The early chalutzim (pioneers) in Israel celebrated Tu B’Shevat by planting trees.  This practice continues today.  Jewish communities around the world also celebrate Tu B’Shevat as a kind of Jewish earth day, organizing events that express a Jewish commitment to protecting the earth.

In the early 1600s, The Kabbalists, the Jewish mystics of Tzfat created a new tradition.  They saw Tu B’Shevat as a holiday which connected the revival of nature after the long winter and the revival of the Jewish people.  They created a seder which included readings about trees, planting and nature, the ingathering of the Jewish exiles and the covenant of the people of Israel with God; and the eating of fruits and nuts. So, the birthday of the trees is also the birthday of the tree of life, a moment when God needs our human presence to witness the annual renewal of life. As we eat fruits and nuts, drink wine or grape juice and read from a special Tu B'Shevat Haggadah, we celebrate the new year of the trees, rejoicing in the abundant gifts of nature which give our senses delight and our bodies life.

Tree of Life - Tu B'shevat and Rejewvenation

Tu Bishevat - the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat in the Jewish calendar, falls this year on February 8th.  Tu Bishevat is the New Year of the trees.  We rejoice in the fruit of the tree and the fruit of the vine.  In the Talmud there is a legend about Honi, who came upon an old man planting a carob tree.  When Honi saw the old man, he at once questioned the old man’s actions, saying, “Foolish man, do you think you will still be alive to eat of the fruit of this tree?”   The old man replied, “I found trees in the world when I was born.  My grandparents planted them for me.  Now I am planting for the generations that will come after me.”  The story goes on to tell us that Honi fell into a deep sleep, from which he did not awaken for 70 years.  When he awoke he was surprised to see an old man picking the fruit from a fully grown carob tree.  When he inquired of the old man, “Are you the man who planted this tree?” the old man answered, “My grandfather planted it for me.” (Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 23a)

The Talmud says that the root is the soul and the branch is the body.  Just so, there is a branch of the tree of life representing each and every Jew.  How marvelous are these branches, for while nourished by the same roots, the fruit of every branch is completely different.  Our rabbis taught that one who sees a multitude of Jews should recite this blessing: “Blessed is the all-wise and mysterious God, for each person’s opinion is different and each person’s appearance is different,” and yet they are all Jews (Talmud Bavli, Berachot 58a).  United by the tree of life, the Torah, we each create our own Jewish life.

All too often these days, however, too many of us feel that our active participation in Jewish life and Jewish community does not matter.  I am saddened when I hear this phrase: “As long as I feel Jewish, what does it matter if I do anything or not.”  I am saddened because it is not enough to “feel” like a branch of the tree of life.  Judaism is about doing, and living Jewishly.  A feeling is intangible.  It cannot be transmitted or passed to another without real, physical contact.  The fruit of Jewish life  means seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, and acting in order to live as a Jew and to have an impact on the world around us.  We are obligated to live Jewishly in order to fulfill the commandments and to sow the seeds of future Jewish living.   

Tu Bishevat calls us to action because it asks us to plant.  We too are like trees, requiring constant nourishment in order to flourish and grow.  While certain aspects of our own trees of life can take nourishment from any ground, there is a second system, a root which reaches hungrily for the teaching of Torah.  Being Jewish requires constant rejewvenation from the soil of Torah.  We are commanded to take action and participate in doing Jewish life in order to flourish and grow.  We have planted and transplanted this tree time and again.  May we keep the soil fertile that our faith in God and our Jewish acts may grow.  May we strengthen our roots with the past, and may our branches reach towards the future to bear sweet fruit.