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Tu B'Shevat At A Glance

tithing year, and fruit from blossoms that formed
after the 15th were designated for the next year.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleRee Editor

How We Observe: Whether in or outside of Israel,
there is no tithing because there is no Temple.
For most Jews in ancient
times, Tu b'Shevat was simply a
What The Name Means: Shevat
bookkeeping day. Through the
is the name of a month on the
generations, however, the 15th
Jewish calendar. Because in the
took on spiritual characteristics.
Hebrew alphabet each letter also
It was especially embraced by
represents a numerical value, the
Sephardic Jews, and in the 16th
number 15 is written as tet vav,
century, by Jewish mystics of
06- ON wit-
which forms the acronym Tu.
BISIEVAT Tzefat (a town in northern Israel,
The second part, b'Shevat,
often transliterated as Safad),
means "in Shevat." Thus, Tu
and the authors of the Kabbalah.
b'Shevat means "15th of Shevat."
They later developed many cus-
toms for the day, including litur-
Why We Observe: In Halachah
gical readings and a festive meal
1111111. 00111,71354 ILL USTLITIONS Unit
(Jewish law), the 15th day of the
based on the Pesach seder, com-
month of Shevat is the cutoff
plete with four cups of wine. For
date for tithing fruits from trees. Every Jewish
most Sephardic Jews today, Tu b'Shevat is a festive day.
farmer in ancient Israel gave a percentage of his pro-
Among all Jews, it is customary to eat fruit from
duce to the priests and Levites to maintain the Holy trees, especially fruit imported from Israel, or that
Temple in Jerusalem. In Hebrew, this is known as
by tradition are native to Israel. If eating a fruit for
teruma, or tithe.
the first time this Jewish year, the Shehechiyanu
Tree-borne fruit that came from blossoms formed
prayer is recited. In Israel, some people like to plant
trees on Tu b'Shevat.
before the 15th of Shevat belonged to the current

When The Holiday Occurs: This year, on Tuesday,
Jan. 25

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AND

TU

Rules And Regulations: Tachnun, the penitential
daily prayer, is not recited. Some say Psalm 104
(Borchi Nafihi), and the 15 psalms (120-134) that
begin Shir Ha-Maalot ("Song of Ascent").

Recommended Reading: Be sure to look for the
new Grandpa and Me on Tu b'Shevat by Marji E.
Gold-Yukson, with art by Leslie Evans. Published
by Kar-Ben (on the Web at vvww.karben.com)
This is the story of a boy and his grandfather,
written in the clever sing-song style of "I Know An
Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly."
In this version, the grandfather and grandson
plant a seed "with a green curlicue" into the peat,
into a hole, into the grass. At last it grows into a tree
and later bears fruit:
This is the sapling (from the small seed it grew!)
that drank up the water, splish-splashy and blue,
that moistened the soil, rich through and through,
that covered the seed with a green curlicue,
tucked into the peat, a warm, mulchy stew,
that lined the hole (but that you knew!)
that we dug in the grass, 'neath a blanket of dew,
that was cleared with the shovel, shiny and new,

by Grandpa and me on Tu b'Shevat.

Accompanied by colorful, bold illustrations, this
makes for terrific reading for the holiday. ❑

Tree Talk

A few handy terms and explanations, and some tree ideas
the Torah you might never have considered.

Photo courtesy WZPS/Keren Kayemet leIsrael.

P.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

AppleTree Editor

T

he Hebrew language includes numerous
expressions and idiomatic phrases that involve
the use of the word "tree" (in Hebrew, etz), not
a few of which have their roots (dreadful pun intend-
ed) in the Tanach, the Jewish Bible.
Here are some examples:
• The Torah often is called etz chayim, a "tree of life"
(in Genesis 2:9 and also Proverbs 3:18, which actually
refers to wisdom, but in Judaism the source of all wis-
dom is the Torah). Etz chayim also is used to describe
one of the two wooden handles on a Torah scroll (the
plural is atzei chayim).
• An ultimate source of information and wisdom is
called an etz ha da'at, a "tree of knowledge," which
harkens to Genesis 2:9, where you can read about the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad in the Garden of
Eden.
• A person who is sterile or infertile, in terms of
child reproduction or even ideas, is called an etz yavesh,

Planting seeds is just one activity seniors and students
have done together over the years to mark the holiday..

Children plant a tree in the northwestern Negev.

a "dry tree." The source of this term is in Isaiah 56:3,
where a eunuch is called a "dry tree."
• The Torah, in Leviticus 19:23, states the law regard-
ing the etz makchah or "food tree." But don't think the
Torah is giving you information here on which kinds
of maple and oak or other wood might make a tasty
dinner. This refers to trees that bear fruits and nuts.
• On the holiday of Sukkot, Jews take the etrog (cit-

ron) and Inlay (bundle of palm, myrtle and willow).
Yet the the Divine commandment regarding this holi-
day, as stated in Leviticus 23:40, actually discusses an
etz hadar, or "beautiful tree." (From ancient times, it
has been understood that the etz hadar is the citron
tree, which produces fruit of a pleasant appearance and
heavenly scent).
• The prophet Nehemiah (10:38) calls the grape vine
etz tirosh, or "wine tree." This should not be confused
with the words of the prophet Ezekiel (15:2), who
speaks of the etz ha-gen, or "vine tree," which is a
thick, heavy vine of the forest that does not bear fruit.
• That idiot politician you don't agree with, or that
blockhead who won't see your brilliant point of view is,
in Hebrew, a bul etz, a tree stump (Isaiah 44:19). ❑

1/20
2005

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