Tu B'Shevat Seder

Tu B'Shevat: The New Year for Trees
Rosh HaShanah Ha-Ilanot

Tu B’Shevat is the New Year for Trees. Why do we observe Tu B’Shevat with a Seder? Throughout the centuries, Kabbalists have used the tree as a metaphor to understanding God’s relationship to the spiritual and physical worlds. God was viewed as a tree of life, whose roots were in the heavens, and whose branches extended toward earth, bringing all of us life and blessing. In the 16th Century, the Kabbalists of Safed compiled a Tu B’Shevat Seder, similar to the seder for Passover. It involves enjoying the fruits of the tree, especially those found native to Israel, and drinking four cups of wine. The Seder is a great way to appreciate the bounty that we so often take for granted and to develop a good and generous eye for the world around us.

About Trees:

“And God planted a garden in Eden … and from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food.” (Genesis 2:8-9). From the beginning of creation, the Holy One was first occupied with the planting of trees. The Talmud says, “You too, when you enter the Land, must occupy yourselves first with nothing else but the planting of trees, as it is written, ‘When you come into the land, you shall plant trees.’ (Leviticus 19:23).”

Trees give us oxygen and wood, shade and fragrance, fruits and forest, paper and syrup, landscapes and nuts. We could no more live on this earth without trees then we could live without sunshine, air, or water. Since the power to plant and destroy trees is in our hands, Judaism gives us a holiday to celebrate them.

An ancient custom reaching back to the Talmudic period suggests that on Tu B’Shevat, we plant a cedar for every boy born in the previous year and a cypress for every girl. As the children grow older, so do the trees. When a man and a woman marry, branches from their trees are cut and used to weave their chuppah ~ their wedding canopy. As the wood from the two trees are joined, so too, are the bride and groom in their marriage.

Today we come together to reaffirm our bond with the Land of Israel and rejoice in its rebirth. Tu B’Shevat ~ the Rosh haShanah ha-Ilanot ~ marks the awakening of nature after its winter sleep. As we celebrate this Seder, we renew our pledge to share in the rebuilding of Israel. We are also reminded that we are stewards, not owners, of the land.

The Four Questions:

Why do fruit trees need a New Year?

Tu B’Shevat began as a legal mechanism for counting the age of a tree, which was important for two reasons: Orlah and Ma’aser. Orlah is the name given to fruit produced during the tree’s first three years. According to Jewish law, that fruit may not be eaten or sold; it is set aside as a reminder that all food comes from God.

The question then, was: How do we know how old a tree is for the purpose of counting orlah? Since a tree can be planted at any time of the year, it would be difficult to remember the age of each individual tree. Jewish law established the 15th of Shevat as the birthday of all fruit-bearing trees. On this day, all trees are one year older.

Ma’aser means “one-tenth” in Hebrew. In Temple times, every year the people had to give a tithe of one tenth of their new fruits to the priests and the Levites. This was an offering of thanks to God as well as a way to support the priests and the Levites, who could not own land or trees. The rabbis determined that for the sake of tithing, the agricultural year would begin on the 15th of Shevat.

Why have a Seder for Tu B’Shevat?

For many Jews living outside of the Land of Israel, it was not possible to plant a tree on the 15th of Shevat, because it was not spring where they lived. Instead, Jews would eat the fruit of the trees and remember the day.

Why eat so many kinds of fruit?

We eat the fruit of the trees of Israel, which include almonds, dates, figs, raisins and carob. It is considered a mitzvah to eat these fruit during Tu B’Shevat.

Why drink wine of four colors?

The Kabbalists placed pitchers of white and red wine on the table for Tu B’Shevat. For them, white represented hibernation, the waning of life’s power during the winter months of shrinking sunlight. Red represented the reawakening and gradual strengthening of nature’s life force. Through the seder, they pre-enacted and fostered the ascendance of this life force. With the triumph of the red, spring would not be far behind.


Planting Hope: The First Cup of Wine and Fruits and Nuts with Inedible Shells

Pour a glass of white wine or white grape juice.

Reader: The first cup of wine / grape juice is completely white. This symbolizes the white of winter, the sleeping earth. The growth of the past year is completed; the potential for next year’s growth lies dormant until the time is ripe. Let us recite the berakhah together:

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, borai pree ha-gafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the first cup of wine.

Reader: The Jewish people are blessed with abundant sources of hope. Our tradition teaches that four thousand years ago, God established a covenant with the Jewish people and promised that we would become a great nation. Jews have maintained our life-affirming values and commitment to justice throughout the generations, often against great adversity. We find hope in each other, sustained by the care and solidarity of fellow Jews around the world. Our ability to see beyond the barren and dormant field of winter and dream of a fresh new future gives us our strength.

The First Plate of Fruit, which contains almonds with inedible shells

Reader: The fruit we eat are the most weighed down by their physicality. They are fruits and nuts with and an edible inside, but in inedible outer shell or peel.

Reader: The almond represents a fruit with an inedible shell. In Israel, the almond tree begins to bloom around Tu B’Shevat. Its white blossom brightens the country side. Israeli children call the almond tree the “King of Tu B’Shevat.” The Hebrew name for the almond is sha’ked (שקד), from the root meaning “early rising” or “vigorous wakefulness.” An almond tree is one of the first to rouse itself from hibernation with leaves and blossoms while other trees still linger in their winter sleep. Let us recited the blessing for the fruits together, thanking God for the fruit of the trees as well as for God’s commitment to protect and embrace us:

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, borai pree ha-eitz.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.

If eating a fruit or nut that is new or one that you have not yet eaten this season:

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu malekh ha-olam, shechechiyanu v’kiyamanu v’higiyanu la’zaman ha-zeh.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, preserved us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

Eat the fruits and nuts with inedible outsides: pomegranates, citrus fruit, and nuts that have hard shells, such as walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.

Inspiring Hope: The Second Cup of Wine and Fruits with an Inedible Core

Pour a glass of white wine or white grape juice and add a few drops of red wine or grape juice.

Reader: The second cup of wine / grape juice is white with just a touch of red. The second cup symbolizes spring, the time of rebirth. The color reminds us of the swelling blossoms on the trees that will eventually become the fruit.

Drink the second cup of wine.

Reader: Today is the New Year of the trees. Now, when the trees begin to renew themselves and prepare to produce new fruits, we should consider how to renew ourselves to produce “new fruit” in the service of God.

The Second Plate of Fruit, which contain inedible pits: dates, olives, plums, peaches, mangos, apricots, avocados, cherries, persimmons.

Reader: There is no relationship between the size of the seed and the size of the tree into which it grows into. From this we learn that we cannot anticipate how much our small actions may mean to another person.

Reader: The Talmud teaches that once Honi was walking along the road when he saw an old man planting a carob tree. He asked: “How long before it will bear fruit?” The old man answered: “Seventy years.” Honi asked: “And will you be alive in seventy years to eat from its fruit?” The man answered: “Just as I found the world full of carob trees planted by my ancestors, so will I plant for my children.” (Ta’anit 23a).

Eat the fruits with inedible pits: Dates, Olives, peaches, cherries, etc.

Spreading Hope: The Third Cup of Wine and Fruits that are Completely Edible

Pour a glass that is half white and half red.

Reader: The third cup of wine / grape juice consists of equal parts of red and white. It symbolizes summer ~ the time of luxuriant growth, of nature in full bloom. This glass of wine gives the brightest hue of red because it shines with more light that red wine alone.

Drink the third cup of wine.

Reader: God created every plant with a strategy for scattering its seeds. We spread the timeless values of our people by joining Jews around the world in celebrating Tu B’Shevat, eating fruits and thinking about Israel.

The Third Plate of Fruit, which contains figs and fruit that are entirely edible.

Reader: The Mishrash says: “Why is the Torah likened to a fig? All fruit have something inedible in them, but the fig is good to eat in its entirety. So the words of Torah have nothing worthless in them.”

Eat the fruits that are entirely edible: figs, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, quinces, carobs.

If eating a fruit that comes from the ground (grapes or strawberries):

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha-olam, borai pree ha-adamah.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the ground.

Living Hope: The Fourth Cup of Wine and Fruits with a Fragrance

Pour a glass of red wine or red grape juice.

Reader: The fourth cup of wine / grape juice is completely red. This symbolizes autumn, the deepest shade of red. It is the color of life’s blood, the color of leaves at their most brilliant, bust before they fall to the ground. The red is the color of fruit fully ripened and now ready for harvest, ready to pass on their life essence to nourish and sustain. It is the last color of the setting sun and the first color upon its rising.

Drink the fourth cup of wine.

Reader: The final fruit we will enjoy is one that is fragrant. The Rabbis taught that a pleasant scent delights and benefits the soul.

The Fourth Plate of Fruit, which will fragrant fruit, like such as oranges.

Eat the fragrant fruit.

Completing the Cycle

Reader: We have now walked together through the full cycle of the year. And so, arriving at the end, we find ourselves once more at the beginning. Each Fall’s harvest must carry the seed for the next Spring’s planting. Our responsibility lies always ahead of us – with our future and our hope.

Reader: A tree endures many winters; it dries out and seems to have reached its end – yet it lives to produce fruit again. The Jewish people have survived many harsh winters and we have held our hope in God. We trust in God’s mercies, for God will not abandon us. As we produced fruit in the past, so will we do so in the future.

Reader: Hope, like trees, starts out in little packages and blossoms if nurtured. Just like people.


© Smolinsky, 2010

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Hatikvah: Israel’s National Anthem

Kol od belevav penimah As long as deep in the heart,
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah The soul of a Jew yearns,
U’lefa’atey mizrah kadimah And towards the East,
Ayin le’Tziyon tzofiyah. An eye looks to Zion.

Od lo avdah tikvatenu, Our hope is not yet lost,
Hatikvah bat sh’not be’artzenu The hope of two thousand years,
Leh’yot am hofshi be’artzenu To be a free people in our land,
Eretz Tziyon, Virushalayim. The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Leh’yot am hofshi be’artzenu To be a free people in our land,
Eretz Tziyon, Virushalayim. The land of Zion and Jerusalem.