Sunday, January 30, 2011

Tu BiShvat: New Year for the Trees (Level 1)

In Judaism trees are special, so special they have their own New Year. There are 4 New Years in Judaism (the New Year for Kings and Festivals (1 Nisan), New Year for Animal Tithes (1 Elul), the year for calendar, sabbatical years and jubilees, planting and sowing (1, 2 Tishrei-Rosh HaShana), and The New Year for Trees (15 of Shevat)

In the Torah, Israel is praised for being:  "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Devarim 8).

Tu BiShvat occurs on the 15th day in the month of Shevat. Since there are regulations on how to benefit from the fruits of the trees, this helps count the years for trees. There is a special seder where fruits are eaten.

A special meaning behind this holidays is that it celebrates potential, the potential of the trees to grow, become beautiful, giving flowers and producing fruits. From the trees, one can learn to recognize the potential of a tree for growth even before there are signs that its leafs emerge.

The message of this holiday is about learning to be optimistic.

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