Tu BiSh'vat

March 19, 2010 | 4th Nisan 5770

When does Tu BiShvat occur? View the Calendar of Jewish Holidays

Tu BiSh'vat or the "New Year of the Trees" is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the fifteenth (tu) of Sh'vat. Scholars believe that Tu BiSh'vat was originally an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.C.E. this holiday was a way for Jews to symbolically bind themselves to their former homeland by eating foods that could be found in Israel. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu BiSh'vat similar to the Passover seder. Today, Tu BiSh'vat has also become a tree planting festival in Israel, in which both Israelis and Jews around the world plant trees in honor or in memory of a loved one or friend. To plant a tree in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one, please contact The JNF Online Tree Planting Center.

Tu BiSh'vat in Your Home

Enjoy a Tu BiSh’vat seder - See examples below.

Jewish Parent Page - The Tu BiSh'vat issues of this newsletter for families with children gives many ways to celebrate through cooking, reading, conversation and more.

Holiday Happenings (PDF) - For families with young children: ctivities, recipes and conversation to have with little ones.

NEW! Greening Reform Judaism website: Greening 101 - A glossary and background on environmental issues, FAQs, and what you can do in your home to help the environment.

Calculate your environmental footprint - Using a combination of daily activities, calculate your carbon footprint.

Tu BiSh'vat at Your Synagogue

Celebrate with your congregation Tu BiSh'vat Social Action Guide - Integrates social action programming related to natural resources, health issues and endangered species with Tu BiSh'vat holiday practices.

NEW! Greening Reform Judaism website - Programs and resources for "greening" congregations.

Communicate! - Extensive program bank.

Tu BiSh'vat: A Jewish Earth Day for your Congregation - Ideas for "greening" your synagogue.

Living Talmud - Using the Talmud’s method of organization, explore a biblical text for Tu BiSh’vat.

Coalition of the Environment & Jewish Life Program Bank - Activities include gardening, quizzes and understanding different types of trees.

Social Justice & Environmental Programs

Calculate Your Environmental Footprint
Visit the Jewish National Fund's "GoNeutral" website to calculate your environmental fooprint and learn how to reduce your impact on the environment.
Coalition of the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL)
In an effort to protect creation, generation to generation, COEJL provides activities, reading materials, ways to celebrate and actions you can take to protect the environment.
Kibbutz Lotan Environmental Program
Learn about the work of Kibbutz Lotan, a Reform kibbutz in Israel, where members live in an ecologically sound community and teach others through their Creative Ecology Program.
Plant a Tree in Israel
To plant a tree in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one, visit The JNF Online Tree Planting Center.
Social Justice Programs for TuBiSh'vat
From the Religious Action Center

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Tu BiSh'vat Seders

Babaganewz
This seder focuses on the holiday’s relationship with the land of Israel and planting seeds of hope.
Hagshama
This brief seder includes all the necessary cups of wine and fruits.
Hillel Seder
This seder includes rabbinic texts, blessings and meditation as well as a full explanation and history of the holiday.
KESHER Seder: Berkley’s Reform Chavurah
Combines the rituals and creative texts for a meaningful seder.
Seder created by the RAC and NFTY
This multi-generational seder, although ready to use is easily adaptable. It includes narration and congregational readings, Hebrew text, transliteration and translation as well as song lyrics and suggested meditations.

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Tu BiSh'vat on the Blog

For Kids

Happy Tu BiSh’vat
This colorful site includes explanations, songs, recipes, activities and games for Tu BiSh’vat.
Holiday Happenings -- for parents and staff of the Union's Early Childhood Programs
Creative ways to celebrate and observe the holidays with young children.
Listen to the Trees- Jews and the Earth (URJ Press)
Using Torah texts and traditional Jewish stories as a basis, this book for intermediate grades presents an exploration of ecology and the interconnectedness of all life on earth.
The Jewish Parent Page
This newsletter provides information and activities for adults to share with kids about Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
Tu BiSh’vat Songs for Kids
Creative children’s music. (Realplayer required)

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Articles

A Party for the Trees
Judaism not only enjoins us to take stock of our human relationships, as it does on the birthday of the world, Rosh Hashanah, it also wants us to examine our relationship with the wider world of God's creation, Tu BiSh’vat.
A Tu BiSh’vat Reflection
Through working the land in Israel, one man gains a better appreciation for the holiday.
Galilee Diary: Learn how Israelis celebrate Tu BiSh’vat
How Modern Ideas Grown Out of the Seeds of Tu B’shvat
Could Arbor Day and other environmental concerns be rooted, so to speak, in Jewish tradition? Explore the references to trees in ancient Jewish texts.
How can Tu BiSh’vat be an opportunity for environmental action?
This iTorah entry by Kevin Kleinman explores Jewish environmentalism in the Torah and rabbinic texts.
I Can’t Believe It’s Kosher: And the Seasons They Go Round and Round
Read about the different foods celebrated on Tu BiSh’vat and enjoy several recipes utilizing them.
The Shalom Center
An archive of articles on Judaism and the environment and Tu BiSh’vat.
The Tree of a Lifetime: Planting for the Future
Explore the connection between the Tree of Life, the Torah and physical trees.