Tu B'Shvat

Tu B'Shvat literally means the 15th day of the Hebrew lunar month of Shvat, which falls between mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. In many regions of Israel, Tu B'Shvat is ushered in by clouds of pink and white flowering almond trees, the first fruit trees to blossom in Israel.

When the Temple stood and tithes were paid on the produce of the land, Tu B'Shvat was simply the cut-off date for the fiscal year on the tithing of fruit, "the new year of the trees." A ten percent tax (tithe) was paid on all fruits harvested between the 15th of Shvat of one year and the next. But after the Romans conquered Israel and destroyed the Temple - the heart of Jewish national sovereignty - the Jews of Israel scattered into the countries of the Diaspora and Tu B'Shvat remained an esoteric date, remembered only by Talmudic scholars.

More on this holiday's history can be found in the book "Nature in Our Biblical Heritage" by Neot Kedumim's founder, Nogah Hareuveni.

What is a Tu B'Shvat Seder?
As the centuries passed, the longing for the homeland of Israel transformed Tu B'Shvat into a date on which fruit from the land of Israel was eaten as a reminder of the bounty of the land that was once ours. By the early 16th century, the mystic Kabbalists living in Safed instituted the custom of a ceremonial meal - the Tu B'Shvat "seder."

In addition to the fruit of Israel (ranging from seven to 49 different kinds!), they drank four cups of wine. But unlike the Passover seder, the color of the wine in each cup was important: the first cup - white wine, the second cup - white mixed with a bit of red, the third cup - red wine mixed with white, the fourth cup - all red wine.

Thus the Kabbalists symbolically noted the predominant changes in the palette of Israel 's colors: from the white squill that blossoms in August to the deep red of the pomegranate flowers in May, with all shades of pink in between. The Tu B'Shvat seder is a celebration that Neot Kedumim has helped revive in modern Israel .

At Neot Kedumim, groups sit around a table or on the ground with a white table cloth and taste the many dried fruits spread before them, reminding them of the richness of the land. Cups of wine or grape juice are drunk at the appropriate times, interspersed with Biblical and Talmudic texts about the various fruits.

Throughout January and February, Neot Kedumim offers guided tours on the subject of Tu B'Shvat, climaxed by a Seder. Advance reservations required.

Haggadot for Your Own Tu B'Shvat Seder