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TU BISHVAT
NEW YEAR OF THE TREES
What is Tu Bishvat and when do we celebrate it?
The name ‘Tu Bishvat’ means ‘the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat’. Tu Bishvat is the Jewish New Year of the trees, and we celebrate it at the time that most trees in Israel begin to bud. This is the time of year when the winter has just ended and spring is coming.
Tu Bishvat is the birthday of the trees and it reminds Jewish people of our close ties to the Holy Land of Israel.
Historical Background
Tu Bishvat is not mentioned in the Torah, but rabbis set its date at the time of the Mishnah. They developed all the main customs and traditions of Tu Bishvat and then the Jewish people took these with them when they went into exile. Celebrating Tu Bishvat helped Jews remember their homeland.
On Tu Bishvat they would put on their tables fruits from the seven species of the Land of Israel: raisins (grapes), nuts, figs, dates, pomegranates and the grains (wheat). Eating these sweet fruits helped to take away some of the bitter life the Jewish people experienced during exile and reminded them that Israel was waiting for them to come back. As it is written in Devarim 8: 7-8, "For the Lord God will lead you into the good land, a land flowing with waters... A land of wheat and barley and vine, of fig and pomegranate, the land of the olive and honey".
Today, Tu Bishvat is not only a day when fruits from Israel are eaten, but also a day when Jewish people plant trees, as it is written in Vayikra 19:23, "And when you shall enter this land (Israel), you shall plant fruit-bearing trees".
How do we celebrate Tu Bishvat?
Today we celebrate Tu Bishvat by eating fruit and planting trees.
Eating fruit
On Tu Bishvat we celebrate by eating fruit, especially fruits grown in Israel. We try to eat the first of each fruit from the seven species (listed above) because these were the ones brought to the Temple in ancient times. We also eat other fruits that are associated with Israel, such as almonds, citrus fruits, and apples. Many Jews believe that eating fruit spiritually improves a person.
Planting trees
Tu Bishvat is the Jewish birthday of the trees, so it is also a day when we plant trees. In Israel at this time the sun shines and the sky is clear blue. Israeli children take shovels and hoes, and go singing happily to plant trees. They have parties when they have finished, where they sing more songs, eat fruit and dance around the trees.
In the Diaspora (countries outside of Israel) Jewish people plant seeds or trees where we live, or send money to Israel for people there to plant trees for us.
The Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is a huge Zionist organization that started in 1901 buying land in Israel and planting trees on it for the Jewish people. The Knesset (Israeli parliament) celebrates its own birthday on Tu Bishvat, which was the day of its first session, in 1949.
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