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A Good Read
For Tu 13'Shevat . . . page 69

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W 4P 4

Little Susan,
The Lonely Girl . . . page 77

T

Also About Tu B'Shevat

•

• Arts & Entertainment p. 92
Find creative holiday recipes
in Jewish Gardening Cook-
book — Growing Plants and
Cooking for Holidays & Festi-
vals, by Michael Brown.

ving

The roots
of a holicay
ce eorating
the new year
for trees.

Elizabeth Applebaum
Apple TreeEditor

N

ew parents are not
known for behaving in
a normal way.
Where once conversation
focused on world events, work
and upcoming vacations, there's
only one subject of interest now:
the baby.
Where once they scoffed at
infomercials and reruns of "Mat-
lock," suddenly they find them-
selves thoroughly immersed in
each; late nights with an infant
aren't good for much else.
And in Israel, couples often
begin their lives with baby by
doing a little digging in the dirt.
In fact, it's traditional.
For years, parents in Israel
have been planting trees in
honor of a new child -- and

with a hope for the future. When
the boy or girl weds, the branch-
es of the tree will be removed •
and used to make poles for the
wedding chuppah.
Tu B'Shevat, the holiday of the

trees, takes its name from the
day on which it's observed: the
15th of the month of Shevat. This
year, Tu B'Shevat is from sun-
down Sunday, Jan.31 to sun-
down Monday, Feb. 1.

• Community Calendar p. 46
Find Tu B'Shevat activities
and religious observances.

• Editorial p. 31
The Jewish National Fund's
getting younger.

• Cyber Spot p. 67
Visit a how-to Tu B'Shevat
seder Web site.

You may be wondering why
the 15th of Shevat should be the
new year of the trees?
In the Torah, Jew.s are directed
to pay tithes each vear; in other
words, to set aside some money

nese Will Grow On You

A few fun tree facts.

Oil used for lamps in the Tabernacle was made in a unique way. Workers would beat down
olives from the trees, then use their feet to smash ihe olives, thus separating the fruit from the oil.
Genesis 27:27 says, "the smell of my son is as the smell of a field blessed by the Lord." Most
scholars believe the field mentioned here is one of apple trees.
Though we all recall one famous tree from the Garden of Eden, in fact the garden was filled
with trcos which bore fruit. God forbade Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of knowledge of
good anc bad — which they promptly ignored. The tvvo were then banished from the garden lest
they eat from the tree of life, which was forever after guarded by "the fiery ever-turning sword." II

AM:

u.