Hava Nedeber Ivrit: By NIRA LEV B'Shevat And Family Ties Although I was very young at the time, that Tu B'Shevat left an indelible roshem on me. I clearly remember the somber aveera, the stifled crying, the tekes on the har, the t'feelot, the Yizkor, and the sad music. Then kol shanah, on Tu B'Shevat, we used to go together to ya'ar Hak'doshim, along the k'veesh to Yerushalayim, to plant more aitzim. Since then, Tu B'Shevat has always brought back to me the zikaron of that first Tu B'Shevat and the painful thoughts about the grandparents I never met. Nira Lev is associate professor of Hebrew language and literature at the Midrasha College of Jewish Studies. Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of Shevat, is a characteristic chag of Eretz Israel. It is called Tu B'Shevat since the otee yot tet-vav which comprise the word "Tu" have the numerical value of 15. (Tet is 9 and vav is 6). Tu B'Shevat falls on January 30. Tu B'Shevat is not mentioned in the Torah. It received its shem: Rosh Hashanah La-illanot (New Year of the trees) from the Mishnah because on this day the choref with its g'shamim comes to an end and the sap of the aitzim becomes chag active stirring the aitzim into otee yot chayim chadashim. shem On Tu B'Shevat, we celebrate choref the significance of aitzim in our life g'shamim and we demonstrate our ahava and geshem regard for them. aitzim In Yisrael, a land of aklim etz cham, every etz illan is precious. Aitzim give us mazon, pree to eat, wood to build batim, n'yar for s'farim as tzel from the hot shemesh, and yoffi noy for our olam. Aitzim also keep the karka rich and fertile and protect us from the cold winds. Although Tu B'Shevat is not the most important chag in our luach, it has always been a very special chag for me. Born and raised in Yisrael, I have special zichronot associated with it. Tu B'Shevat for me is associated with my saba and savta, my mother's horim, who I have never met and about whom I heard many stories since I remember myself. How was this association formed? In Yisrael, Tu B'Shevat has been chag-ha'n'teeot, the holiday of planting trees, on which talmeedim of every beit-sefer go forth into the hills and valleys to plant aitzim. In 1949, the first Tu B'Shevat after Milchemet-Ha'atzmaut, the first Tu B'Shevat in our newly created Medinat Yisrael, I joined my horim and many other yeladim and mevugarim, on a very touching, impressive and emotional n'seeah to plant aitzim in a new ya'ar on harey Yerushalayim. This ya'ar, called ya'ar-Hak'doshim, was planted. Le'zecher ha-kdoshim, the six million Jews who were killed by the Nazis during the shoah. Today this ya'ar contains six million aitzim. My saba and savta, my mother's horim, and her eight achim and achayot, were among those k'doshim in whose memory the ya'ar was planted. Meelon (Dictionary) L-10 FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1991 holiday letters (plural) name winter rains rain trees a tree life chayim new (plural) chadashim new (singular) chadash love ahava climate aklim hot cham a tree etz, illan fruit pree houses (plural) batim a house (singular) bayit paper n'yar books (plural) s'farim a book (singular) sefer tzel shade sun shemesh beauty yoffi noy world olam soil karka memories zichzonot memory zikaron plantings n'teeot students (plural) talmeedim a student (singular) talmid school beit-sefer Medinat Yisrael The State of Israel parents horim forest ya'ar calendar luach grandfather saba grandmother savta Milchemat Ha'atzma'ut ....The War of Independence children yeladim a child yeled adults mevugarim an adult mevugar a trip n'seeah harey-Yerushalayim ..The Mountains of Jerusalem le'zecher Ha'k'doshim The Shoah achim ach achayot achot roshem aveera tekes har t'feelot Yizkor kol shanah k'veesh zikaron Puzzle Answers From Page L-4 Dear David, Start at the modern airport where most visitors land, on an airstrip In Israel not in the desert sand. Travel in the direction Jews face when they pray, it's the capital of Israel where you will first stay. Continue on your travels to the lowest point around, don't drink the salty water where not a living thing is found. Pass Herod's famous fortress on a mountain top It stands, Jewish Zealots fought and died not to fall in Roman hands. Go south through the desert to a 3,000 year old port, the city now has snorkeling and your favorite beach resort. Back up through the country to a town by the sea, the industrial center of Israel and the second largest city. Travel along the shore going north all the way, to a city on Mt. Carmel looks like San Francisco Bay! The city of Tiberias Is west of where you've come This lake of sparkling waters is where swimming can be fun. Put all the letters together unscramble each and every clue, to find the hidden place where the tree is planted for you! Love Max 2. 3 41 5 G T ! in memory of the holy people The Holocaust brothers brother sisters a sister impression atmosphere a ceremony a mountain prayers the memorial prayer every year a road memory