Tu B’Shvat is a smallish Jewish holiday that occurs in January or February (depending on how the Hebrew month of Shevat falls) and is usually celebrated by the planting of trees and the eating (a Jewish holiday with food involved – well I never!) of dried fruits and nuts.
This holiday has usually passed me by, but with two little ones now in the picture I’m guessing things will change. On Tu B’Shvat it’s actually not uncommon to see packs of kindergarden and young schoolkids crowded round a strip of soil, doing their very best Percy Thrower impressions. In fact, thanks to the Jewish National Fund and Jewish Teachers Union, over a million Israelis take part in some kind of tree-planting activity every year.
And why is it known as the New Year for Trees? Well, according to Jewish law, Tu B’Shvat marks the cut-off date in the Hebrew calendar for calculating the age of a fruit-bearing tree. Note that fruit borne in the first three years of a tree’s life is considered not kosher, and observant Jews won’t eat it. Hence the cut-off date to indicate the tree’s age. In addition, the Torah commands every Jew to take a yearly tithe from the fruit of his trees and it is forbidden to calculate the tithe from one year using produce of another year. Another good reason to determine the date of the New Year for Trees.
So, as you walk past those gnarly old tree trunks in Tel Aviv, or stare out over the overgrown plants and flowers in your garden, don’t forget to wish them a Happy New Year!