Tu B'Shevat (literally "the 15th day of Shevat) is a minor festival commemorating the New Year of Trees. (A minor festival is one that is not ordained in the Torah).
In Biblical times, Tu B'Shevat was the day for dividing the old and new tax years for the tithing of fruit. Fruit grown before Tu B'Shevat was tithed for the old year; fruit grown after Tu B'Shevat was tithed for the new year.
After the fall of the Temple, when Jews lived in exile, Tu B'Shevat became a day for remembering Jewish ties to Israel. The day became a festival, not just a day on the calendar, and was commemorated primarily by eating fruits that grow in Israel. According to Deuteronomy 8:8, there were two grains and five fruits associated with the land: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and "honey" (date honey, not bee honey).
In the 16th century, kabbalists living in Safed initiated the idea of a Tu B'Shevat seder. At this celebration, participants drank four cups of wine, ate fruits that grow in Israel, and read selections from Tanakh, the Talmud, and the Zohar. The idea of a Tu B'Shevat seder spread throughout the Sephardic world, and later to Ashkenazic communities.
In the last century, as Jews began to return to Palestine, the holiday of Tu B'Shevat was again transformed. The Jewish National Fund used the day to encourage the planting of trees in the homeland. In synagogues and religious schools outside of Israel, Tu B'Shevat became a day for learning about the importance of trees in our world and about the geography and plant life of Israel. It was also customary to collect money to be used to plant trees in Israel.
Decorations & Celebration Tips
- Plant flowers or vegetables
- Make flower pots
- Make fruit basket
- Hold a Tu B'Shevat seder
- Plant trees in honor or in memory of loved ones through the Jewish National Fund
