Tu B'Shvat
Tu B'Shvat is on the Fifteenth of the Hebrew
month of Shevat and is the "New Year for the Trees"
or Rosh Hashana La-ilanot. In Israel everything is
green and it is the start of spring.
It is just the right time to plant trees. On the
fifteenth (Tu in Hebrew) we plant trees which will
grow strong and tall.
An ancient custom in Israel when a baby was
born, the parents planted a tree in its honor. The
tree was planted on Tu B'Shvat following the
child's birth. If the baby was a boy, a cedar was
planted. If the baby was a girl, a cypress was
planted. As the children grew so did the trees.
When children got married the wood from the trees
built their chupah (wedding canopy). As the wood
from the two trees were joined in the chupah so
were the bride and groom in their marriage.
Many hundreds of years Tu B'Shvat has been
celebrated throughout the world. Even when we had
no homeland we still remembered and celebrated Tu
B'Shvat. Although many could not plant trees
because it was not spring during the fifteenth of
Shevat where they lived, they ate the "fruit of the
trees" and remembered. The fruits of the trees they
ate were like those in Israel: almonds, dates,
figs, raisins, and carob. It was considered a
mitzva to eat these fruits during Tu B'Shvat and
recite the blessings.
A modern tradition for people who live outside
of Israel is to plant a tree in Israel by
contributing to the Israel National Fund. They will
plant a tree for you in Israel.
--
Akhlah
Tu B'Shvat links
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