With the holiday of Tu B’Shevat coming up (sunset February 9 to nightfall on the 10th), we have another fun way to celebrate Jewishly. Called the New Year for the Trees, Tu B’Shevat marks the time when the sap begins to rise in trees in Israel. While Tu B’Shevat Seders are popular, I wanted to share easier, more active ways for you to celebrate. Here are some ideas I culled from articles in Tablet, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore website, and OurJewishCommunity.org. #1 Try a new fruit Love this one! Take the kiddoes to the market with you to choose something they’ve … [Read more...]
The “Fruity & Nutty” Jewish Holiday - Tu BiSh’vat
Ah, the almond tree in Israel. In bloom again. Time for Tu BiSh’vat, the New Year of the Trees. (Sorry - this isn't an almond blossom, but you get the idea.) To get you in the spirit, read these lines from Rabbi Vicki Hollander’s lyrical “Ode to the Moon of Sh’vat.” (It’s definitely worth clicking on the link to read the rest of it.) And as the full moon rises, on the 15th day of Sh’vat, so comes her holy day, Tu BiSh’vat, the new year of the trees. When according to legend, that very night, the moon pulls and sap stirs within the trees, rising upwards. Full of Possibility Tu … [Read more...]
Tu B’Shevat - Celebrate Trees
Ready for a celebration that enlivens the winter? Tu B’Shevat is a one-day holiday, often called "The New Year for the Trees," that starts this year at sunset on January 24th. In brief, this holiday celebrates the season when the sap begins to rise in trees in Israel, like almond trees. But if it’s freezing cold where you live, and your trees are covered with snow, you can give a very simple nod to the holiday in your home by adding some of the fruits and nuts that grow in Israel to your dinner table – like grapes, figs, olives, dates, pomegranates, and almonds. Stewards of our … [Read more...]
Tu B’Shevat - Make It All About the Trees
For centuries, artists (and photographers like me!) have tried to capture the beauty and majesty of trees. So to have a holiday where we can honor them makes a lovely break from the gray days of winter. Check out Max Greenberg's take on the celebration in his article with the funny title from the National Wildlife Federation, “How to Celebrate New Year’s for the Trees, OR: Obscure Jewish Holiday of the Month.” As the article shares, many Americans who celebrate focus on the seven species of foods that the Torah tell us were grown in ancient Israel, including grapes, figs, dates, … [Read more...]
Celebrate Tu B’Shevat with Food and Fun
Natural Approach to Tu B’Shevat Some people call Tu B’Shevat the Jewish Earth Day. Or New Year for the Trees. Or the Jewish Arbor Day. Since Tu B’Shevat signals a time of rebirth, the possibilities of reveling in nature with our children are endless. According to Chabad.org, “This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.” Chaya Burstein envisions an even larger way of understanding the holiday: “We must expand our celebration to embrace the whole earth. We must make it a time to … [Read more...]
