Tu B'Shevat Family Seder

The Tu B'Shevat seder is an
old/new tradition. The 16th Century
Kabbalists ( who also brought us the
Friday evening service to welcome
Shabbat) gathered Erev Tu B'Shevat
for singing, dancing and fruit-
tasting. But the custom was lost for
many centuries among the Jewish
communities of the west.
Winter is a wonderful time for a
celebration, especially an affirmation
of the coming of spring and the
renewal of life.
Involve children in the
preparations. They may make wall
hangings, place cards, decorations,
set the table, help peel and cut up
the fruit. To keep the attention of
very young children, hide a walnut
at the beginning of the seder. At the
end, the one who finds it receives a
prize! You may also wish to serve
cookies and cakes or even a light
supper in conjunction with the
seder. Check a siddur for the
additional food blessings.
Here is your checklist of
necessary items for your Tu
B'Shevat seder.
• Tablecloth for the seder table
• A festive centerpiece
• A platter of at least eight fresh
fruits
• A platter of at least eight dried
fruits
• A platter of at least eight different
nuts
• A pomegranate
• Four pitchers of wine
— One pitcher of white wine
— One pitcher of red wine
— One pitcher of white wine
mixed with few drops of
red wine
— One pitcher of red wine
mixed with a few drops of
white wine
(red and white grape juices may
be substituted for very young
children.)
• A place setting for each seder
participant including a plate, wine
cup, toothpicks, fork.

The First Cup:

Taking care of the land.

A glass of white wine or juice is
poured. Olives, dates, grapes and
something made from wheat flour
are passed to everyone. Read
aloud:
Six years you shall sow your
land and gather in its yield; but in
the seventh you shall let it rest .
Let the needy among your people
eat of it, and what they leave let the
wild beasts eat. You shall do the
same with your vineyards and your
olive groves.
Exodus 23:10-11

(Tu B'Shevat Falls On January 30)

When you enter the land that I
give you, the land shall observe a
sabbath of the Lord. Six years you
may sow your field and six years
you may prune your vineyard and
gather in the yield. But in the
seventh year the land shall have a
complete sabbath of the Lord .. .
Lev. 25:2-4
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, Edo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam, sheh-heh-he-ya-
nu vhee-ma-nu vhee-gee-ya-nu laz-
man ha-zeh.
When in a war against a city
you have to besiege it a long time
in order to capture it, you must not
destroy its trees ... You may eat of
them, but you must not cut them
down
Deuteronomy 20:19

What are these verses about?
What was the land? Can we use the
ideas behind these laws in our daily
lives? How? Now we recite the
brachah for the wheat dish:

Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, Edo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-olam, bo-ray mi-nay
m'zonot. Blessed are You, 0 Lord,
our God, King of the universe, who
creates all kinds of food. Amen.
Now the brachah for the wine
and drink it:

Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, El-o-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam bo-ray p'ree ha-
gahfen. Blessed are You, 0 Lord
our God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the vine. Amen.
The brachah for the fruits:

Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, Edo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam, bo-ray p'ree ha-
aytz. Blessed are You, 0 Lord, our
God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the tree. Amen.
We eat the fruits in the order
they are mentioned in the Bible:
olive, date and grape.

planted. Write down your plans and
have everyone sign the "contract."
Say the brachach and drink the
second cup:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai Edo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam bo-ray p'ree ha-
gahfen. Blessed are You, 0 Lord
our God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the vine, Amen.
Say the brachah for the fruits:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam, bo-ray p'ree ha-
aytz. Blessed are You, 0 Lord our
God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the tree, Amen.
The figs are eaten first because
they are mentioned in the Bible.

The Third Cup •

Of trees and Sifrei Torah.

Pour the third cup using half
red and half white. Serve walnuts,
almonds, carobs and pears. Let us
sing:
Aytz hayim hee la-ma-
hazeekeem ba v'tohm-heh-ha
m'ooshar: Dra-heh-ha darhay-no-um,
vhol ne-ti-vo-teh-ha shalom. Ha-she-
vay-nu A-do-nai Ay-leh-ha v'na-shu-
va ha-daysh ya-may-nu k'keh-dem.
What is Etz Chayim about?
What is compared to an etz? How is
a Torah like a tree?
Recite the brachah and drink
the third cup:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, Edo-hay-
nu Me-Ieh ha-o-lam b-ray p'ree ha-

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The Fourth Cup:

Some fun with fruits.

The final cup is poured (red
with just a few drops of white wine
or juice) and the cherries, quinces
and crabapples are served.
Let us play a game: let us look
at ourselves and at growing things a
bit more closely than usual. One
person begins by saying if I could
be a tree, I'd be a
because
Let each person take a turn. Follow
with: If I could be a fruit, flower, etc.
The last cup of wine:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, Edo-hay-
nu me-leh ha-o-lam, bo-ray p'ree ha-
gahfen. Blessed are You, 0 Lord
our God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the vine, Amen.
The last fruits:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai Edo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam bo-ray p'ree ha-
aytz. Blessed are You, 0 Lord our
God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the tree, Amen.

B'Shevat Fruit Kugel

In Eastern Europe, a kugel was
the Sabbath dessert, a sweet
noodle or potato dish often made
with fruit. (Serves 8).

The Second Cup:

INGREDIENTS

Plant for the future.

8 ounces broad noodles
Vegetable oil
4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter or
margarine
3 eggs
1 /2 cup sugar
1 /2 pound pot cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 /2 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
with juice
1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1 orange, peeled and diced
1 /4 cup dried apricots
1 /4 cup pitted prunes
Pineapple rings
Maraschino cherries

The second cup of wine or
juice is mostly white, with a small
amount of red added. Serve figs,
oranges and apples. Read aloud
this story from the Talmud:
Honi once saw an old man
planting a carob tree and asked him
how long it would take the tree to
bear fruit. The man answered:
Seventy years. Honi then said to
him: Are you certain you will live
another 70 years? You will never eat
the fruit! The man replied: As my
forefathers planted for me, so do I
plant for my children.
Plan for those at the seder to
plant trees in Israel. Decide when,
where and how the trees will be

gahfen. Blessed are You, 0 Lord
our God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the vine, Amen.
We recite the brachah for the
fruits and nuts:
Ba-ruh a-tah A-do-nai, e-lo-hay-
nu Me-leh ha-o-lam, bo-ray p'ree ha-
aytz. Blessed are You, 0 Lord our
God, King of the universe, who
creates the fruit of the tree, Amen.

Adult: Partially cook the noodles
in salted water with one teaspoon
oil according to the directions on he
label (the oil helps separate the
strands). Rinse and drain.
Adult: In a saucepan, melt the
butter or margarine. Let cool
(otherwise the eggs will curdle).
Combine with the eggs and beat
well. Preheat the oven to 350
degrees.
Child: Mix together the noodles,
egg mixture, sugar, pot cheese, sour
cream, milk, flavorings, and all the
fruits except the pineapple rings and
cherries.
Child: Grease the baking dish
with vegetable oil. Pour in the
kugel. Place pineapple rings on top,
with a cherry in the middle of each
ring.
Adult: Bake 40-60 minutes, or
until golden.

Reprinted from The Children's
Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan
Nathan.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

L-11