Yesterday, we celebrated Tu B’Shvat, the fifteenth day of
the month of Shvat, the New Year of the Trees. Usually Tu B’Shvat is the day
when the Israeli youth groups go out on field trips and plant trees. This year
is a Shmita (Sabbatical) year where planting in the
is forbidden so the children did not plant trees. However, the youth groups
still found a way to plan Tu B’Shvat trips so that the children would have an
opportunity to build a deeper connection to the
as well as have an excuse to skip a day of school.
I was busy conducting a Tu B’Shvat seder, a tradition that
was initiated by the Kabbalists in Tsfat in the 16th century, for
the elderly residents of
We ate the seven species of the
about their significance in the Tanach, Midrash and Talmud. We sampled fifteen
types of fruits and nuts, drank grape and pomegranate juices and a guitarist
led us in songs connected with nature. While driving home I listened to the top
of the hour news on the radio and was surprised that some of the news stories related
to Tu B’Shvat.
One piece of news was that the rabbis warned the nursery and
kindergarten teachers to be careful while serving dried fruit as it is a
choking hazard for kids under the age of five.
In other news the Bayit HaYehudi (Jewish Home) party was
caught giving out dried fruit violating the election laws which state that
campaigning “cannot be connected to giving out food and drink.”
When I had a chance to take a look at the Hebrew newspaper,
Yediot Achronot I was surprised to see President Rubi Rivlin conducting the
first Tu B’Shvat seder ever to take place at the president’s residence.
This year there were some interesting innovations that were
introduced:
Ben & Jerry’s is producing a limited edition special
flavor of ice cream in honor of Tu B’Shvat called To B Nuts made up of vanilla
ice cream, different types of nuts and chocolate.
Community centers all over
trips with a focus on appreciating nature, ecology and recycling as part of a
series of environmental activities that have been taking place throughout the
Shmita year.
It is clear that Tu B’Shvat is still very much celebrated
even during a Shmita year.
The fact that it is a Shmita year actually makes us more
agriculturally aware all year long as opposed to on just one day. On a daily
basis, we are investigating how, where and when all of our fruits and
vegetables were grown before we buy them. After we eat fruits and vegetables
that have Kdushat Shviit (holiness of the seventh year), we must be careful how
we dispose of the parts that are wasted as it would not be respectful to put
them in the regular garbage can.
The Shmita year in some ways actually feels like a year long
Tu B’Shvat. Now if we could only get Ben & Jerry’s to keep the Tu B’Shvat
flavor all year long!
