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.

The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht

The Song of Names is the story of two young boys who are brought together in England shortly before the beginning of World War II. One boy, Martin, is the son of Mortimer Simmonds, a very successful owner of a music store and talent agency. The other boy, David, is a young violin prodigy from Warsaw who has come to stay with the Simmonds so that he can study with a famous violinist residing in England. The Simmonds serve as David’s surrogate family, his own family remaining in Poland. Soon, however, David’s family becomes trapped in Warsaw as the war escalates.

David and Martin become fast friends. Martin, however, is the follower and David is the leader. The relationship is decidedly one-sided, with Martin worshipping his friend.

As the boys become men, David becomes adventurous and explores London, tasting its seamier side ~ gambling and prostitution. His music, however, continues to consume his being.
At the age of 21, Mortimer Simmonds arranges for David to make his big musical debut at the famous Albert Hall. David’s name is changed, for purposes of publicizing the concert to Eli, which seems somewhat less “semitic” to the British public. The day of the big, and highly publicized concert arrives. David disappears.

Book begins in the early 1990s, when Martin is in his 60s. After David’s disappearance, all the life seemed to drain from Martin. He becomes obsessed with his friend’s disappearance and settles into the mediocre life of taking over his father’s music business. Martin’s interest in the business is not all consuming, and he has barely managed to keep the music company afloat.

One day, while in northern England, he is judging a music competition. One of the contestants used a particular musical style that convinced Martin that David must have been his teacher. He tracks down the teacher and is, indeed, confronted with his old friend, who has now become a Talmudic scholar living in an ultra-orthodox community.

The Song of Names is a first novel by music critic Norman Lebrecht. This book combines music with the complex psychology of a young boy losing his family to the Holocaust, as well as the interrelationship between two friends. A lovely book.

Tefillin

On the morning of January 21, 2010, a flight from New York to Louisville was diverted to Philadelphia after the flight crew believed one of the passengers posed a terrorist threat. The alleged terrorist turned out to be a 17-year old Orthodox Jew who had donned his tefillin shortly after the flight took off.

The plane landed and was immediately surrounded by Transportation Security Administration personnel as well as the Philadelphia Bomb Squad. A search of the plane uncovered no bomb. Police questioned the young man, who successfully convinced them that he was praying. No charges were filed against him.

No one on the crew was apparently familiar with the Jewish practice of prayer.

So what are Tefillin?

The word Tefilin is a Hebrew word that is etymologically related to the word for prayer (tefilah). Tefillin are the two small black square boxes, attached to leather straps, that are worn during morning prayers every day except for Shabbat or most Jewish holidays. (Tisha B'Av is the only holiday in which the Tefillin are worn during afternoon prayers instead of morning prayers.)

One Tefillin box is centered on the forehead; the other is tied on the left arm, so that it rests near the heart when the arm is down.

The Tefillin box contains a hand-inscribed parchment that consists of four Torah verses. One verse is the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:8): “Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead.”

The other Torah verses include Exodus 13:1 ~ 10; Exodus 13:11 ~ 16; and Deuteronomy 11:13 ~ 21.

The Tefillin’s functions to remind us of G~d’s mitzvot, through the words of Torah.

Havdalah

This is a Havdalah Service that I wrote for a Jewish organization. The prayer in this service are traditional Havdalah prayers.

Havdalah Service

In Judaism, the concept of making distinctions and separations permeates many facets of religious life. We distinguish between the Holy time and the mundane or ordinary time. The Havdalah Service marks the end of Shabbat, the separation into our worldly week days.

There are three primary symbols of Havdalah:

The braided candle
The Kiddish cup containing wine
The spice box (b’samim) containing sweet-smelling spices

The lighted candle symbolizes the light of Shabbat. Kindling flame is a symbol of our first labor on earth. As Shabbat departs and the rest of the week resumes, we kindle our own fire. We begin to separate ourselves from the Shabbat by lighting the way into a new week with this candle.

The strands of the braided candle have been interpreted as the many types of Jews in the world, all of whom are part of one unified people.

The wine is a symbol of joy. We take one last sip of the joy of Shabbat as we bid the Sabbath goodbye for another week.

The sweet-smelling spices symbolize the sweetness of Shabbat, whose pleasant aroma we breathe in one last time so that it might last us throughout the week to come, until we can welcome the Shabbat again.

The Blessing over the Wine:

Wine gladdens the heart. In our joy, we see beyond the injustice and violence that stains our world. Our eyes open to the unnoticed grace, blessings until now unseen, and the promise of goodness we can bring to the world.

ברוך אתה ײ אלהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן אמן

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, borei pe-ri ha-gafan. Amein.

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

(Drink the wine.)

The Blessing over the Spices:

The Kabbalists teach that during Shabbat, we receive an extra soul, or spiritual sensitivity. This extra soul of Shabbat leaves us now, causing us to feel faint. The spices revive us and remind us that the six days will pass, and Shabbat will return. Their scent makes us yearn for the sweetness of rest, and the dream world healed of pain, pure and wholesome as the first Shabbat, when God, finding things good, rested from the work of creation.

ברוך אתה ײ אלהינו מלך העולם בורא מיני בשמים אמן

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, borei minei v’samim. Amein.

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates a potpourri of spices. Amen.

(The spice box is shaken to dispel the scent, and then is passed around so everyone can enjoy the fragrances.)

The Blessing over the Fire:

The Havdalah candle is unique. Its multiple wicks remind us that all qualities can be joined together. We have the power to create many different fires, some useful, others destructive. Let us be on guard never to let this gift of fire devour human life, sear cities and scorch fields, or foul the pure air we breathe. Let the fire we kindle be Holy; let it bring light and warmth to all humanity.

ברוך אתה ײ אלהינו מלך העולם בורא מאורי האש אמן

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, borei m’orei ha’eish. Amein.

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the light of fire. Amen.

(Everyone raises their cupped hands and looks at their fingernails in the light of the flame and watches the play of shadow and light on their palms.)

One explanation for the tradition of holding one’s hand before the flame is to enjoy the pleasure derived from the light. Another is that the reflection of the light on the fingernails casts a shadow on the palm, which shows the distinction between light and darkness, as in the end of Shabbat. The legal reason for this practice is to make use of the light after blessing it. It would be improper to recite a blessing and for the fire then fail make use of the fire.

The Final Blessing of Separation:

Havdalah is not for the close of Shabbat alone; it is for all days. Havdalah means to separate oneself ~ to separate from the unholy and to strive for holiness, to separate from hatred and violence and to promote peace among people and nations. May God give us understanding to reject the unholy and to choose the way of holiness.

ברוך אתה ײ אלהינו מלך העולם המבדיל בין קדש לחול בין אור לחשך בין ישראל לעמים בין יום השביעי לששת ימי המעשה המבדיל בין קדש לחול ברוך אתה ײ אמן

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam,ha-mavdil bein ko-desh l’kol, bien or l’choshech, bien Yisrael l’amim, bien you hashvi’i l’shet ymei ha’ma’aseh. Barukah ata Adonai Hamav’dil bein Kodesh l’chol. Amein.

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who separates the Holy from the mundane, light from darkness, Israel from the other nations, the seventh day of rest from the six days of work.

(The candle is then extinguished in the wine.)

Concluding Song (Traditional Song):

Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov.
A good week, a week of peace, may gladness reign and joy increase, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov.



© Smolinsky, 2010