Tu B’Shevat: New Year of the Trees
When
Tu B’Shevat is a day-long holiday (from sundown to sundown), typically in late January or early February
(January 25, 2024)
Biblical Reference
*Referenced in the Talmud and Mishna with Biblical implications
“The mishna taught: On the first of Shevat is the new year for trees, according to the statement of Beit Shammai. The Gemara asks: What is the reason that the new year for trees was set on this date? Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Oshaya said: The reason is since by that time most of the year’s rains have already fallen, and most of the season, i.e., winter, is yet to come, as it continues until the spring equinox, which usually occurs in Nisan.
The Gemara asks: What is he saying? The Gemara explains: This is what he said: Even though most of the winter season is yet to come, nevertheless, since most of the year’s rains have already fallen, it is considered the end of the previous year of rain, and anything that grows from then on is considered produce of the next year.”
Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 14a:9-11 (The William Davidson Edition)
Composed: Talmudic Babylon, c.450 – c.550 CE
History
The holiday of “Tu B’Shevat” does not appear in the Scriptures but is referenced in the Talmud and Mishnah - ancient collections of Jewish oral tradition and interpretation. In the Torah, God calls the Israelites to make individual and collective annual tithes, which included tithes pertaining to fruits harvested during a given year: “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it” (Leviticus 27:30-31).
For the agrarian society of the Israelites, a practical question had to then be raised: since a tithe or offering can only be given within the confines of a single year (rather than two separate years), and since the Jewish calendar year doesn’t align perfectly with the annual cycle of cropping and harvesting, what would mark the end of one year and the beginning of the next?
Here we find the establishment of Tu B’Shevat, which literally translates to the 15th (day) of Sh’vat (a month that generally coincides with late January and early February). It is known as the “New Year of the Trees” as an indication of a new harvest year.
Purpose
Although it was initially a very practical day that signified the temporal partition between two periods of time, Tu B’Shevat has grown into a more sacred day for considering the environment and celebrating the creation and provision of God. Just as Sukkot commemorates the first rains of its season, Tu B’Shevat is a day of merriment for the fruits brought forth from the rains.
On this festive holiday, we are invited to reconnect with the earth and the way in which divinity has been put on display throughout the natural world. We recall that we “are dust, and to dust [we] shall return” (Genesis 3:19). And what comes from the dust and dirt of the ground beneath our feet? Plants. Produce. Trees.
Throughout the Scriptures, trees are among the primary metaphorical objects that the Lord utilizes, particularly in relation to his people. The Almighty compares those who devour and find satisfaction in his Torah to that of “a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that [it] does, [it] prospers” (Psalm 1:3).
Tu B’Shevat is a day for jollification to abound as we partake in the bounty of delicious and colorful fruits. It’s a moment of appreciation for the lavish gifts of the earth while remembering one of our most primal callings - a calling that extends all the way back to the garden before the Fall - which was “to cultivate and watch over [Eden]” (Genesis 2:15).
We were never intended to be mere consumers of creation - indulging in more natural resources than we were stewarding - but rather to be a people who sought the flourishing and shalom of God’s good, global environment. While we may become more like “oaks of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:3) through “spiritual” practices, we also become an embodiment of this image through our righteous engagement with the “oaks” and trees and the rest of creation.
Here we are given the opportunity to ask the Lord to make us bearers of good fruit, while also humbly acknowledging that we are only able to bear good fruit to the extent we not only ingest it, but also delight in it.
The original garden’s name - Eden - literally means “place of delight,” which is just as much a descriptor of its vibrance and prolificness as it is a teleological statement pertaining to how we were made to interact with the garden. We as image-bearers were designed to delight in the very domain that God named delightful. And in this garden, amidst near countless plants and trees and shrubs and bushes, there were only two that were specifically identified: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9). Of the latter, we were forewarned not to consume of it, but of the prior - and every other surrounding fruit-bearer - we were given immense freedom to enjoy.
On Tu B’Shevat, we gather together a range of foods, from dates and grapes, to figs and pomegranates, to bask in the sensuality and flavor of a fruitful assortment, while centered on the savoriness of the Tree of Life - a term that has historically been symbolic of the Torah itself. The sweetness and multifariousness of God’s produce ought point our hearts to the sweetness of God’s Word; and the sweetness of God’s Word ought bring us back into our bodies to experience the delectable gifts of creation.
Fulfilment
Our God reigns over time, for he exists outside of time. He is the one who “changes times and seasons” (Daniel 2:21). As there is “a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), this particularly day is a time for the matter of fruitful enjoyment.
Joyful moments are, however, momentary. Times of climactic delight come and go like the wind in the air and the waves of the ocean. We move towards them with pure aspirations to be present and bask in their pleasure, but they are still only ephemeral reflections of the goodness of God himself.
The heart of Yeshua, in his incarnation, was to provide us a way that, not necessarily surpasses the transience of times and seasons, but anchors us in his perennial sustenance. In speaking to God’s people Israel, Isaiah prophesied that “the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11).
Centuries later, while passing through the Samaritan town of Sychar, Yeshua engages in a conversation with a local at a well and shares that “Everyone who drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).
What an image! No longer seeking resources in the volatile external world, we are now being filled internally with a source of endless nourishment. We are connected to and interwoven with God. As Yeshua puts it later, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last” (John 15:5, 16)
Abide is the verb form for the word “abode” which means a “home, dwelling place, residence, or habitation.” When speaking of abiding in God as the vine of the tree, we aren’t primarily talking about a kind of behavioral modification - something we keep trying to do over and over and over again - but rather entering a posture of life that is so absorbed in the infinitude of the Maker that simply exists as a dweller within God.
Simultaneously, this same God who welcomes us into his dwelling place also offers himself as a resident in us through the Holy Spirit. In our fulfilled celebration of Shavuot (Pentecost), we experience Yeshua’s Spirit enter into us and begin producing the most luscious of all fruits - “the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22)
Our journey with Tu B’Shevat is one that calls us deeper into our roots as our branches grow further out and our fruits embody that juicy, savory, zesty gusto of eternity.
Needs for Tu B’Shevat:
Fruit
Traditional fruits: dates, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives (Deut 8:8)
Other tree fruits: apples, peaches, plums, pears, mangos, pineapples
Any fruit: kiwis, berries, bananas, oranges
Tray or dish for centerpiece to display fruits
Other items may be necessary depending on selected activity
Modern Liturgical Adaptation
Opening Evening at Sundown
Matriarch, or Household Leader (places fruit display on the table & lights the candle(s) at sundown):
Blessed are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has brought us to a new harvest year. We bless you on this Tu B’Shevat celebration. You are our Creator and Harvester.
Leader:
Creation had begun. Darkness and Light. Earth and Sky. Land and Sea.
Not long after, Elohim spoke again, “Let the Earth sprout vegetation. Let plants and fruit trees yield fruit in which seeds dwell. Let each be according to its kind on earth.” And it was so.
(Read Shehecheyanu Prayer in Hebrew)
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Haolam Shehecheyanu Vekiyimanu Vehigianu Lizman Hazeh.
(Read translation in English and have Group repeat)
Blessed are You, (response)
Lord our God, (response)
King of the universe, (response)
who has granted us life, (response)
sustained us, (response)
and enabled us to reach this occasion. (response)
(Read Ha'etz Prayer in Hebrew)
Baruch atah Adonoi, Eloheinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha-aitz.
(Read translation in English and have Group repeat)
Blessed are You, (response)
Lord our God, (response)
King of the universe, (response)
who creates the fruit of the tree. (response)
Father, you are both good and beautiful. (response)
Your resplendent glory both satisfies the hunger of our stomachs with choicest fruits, while also satisfying our sensual cravings for rich colors and shapes and textures and flavors.
Your love runs down our lips like the juice of freshly-picked grapes and apples;
It’s sweeter than the dates gathered in the City of Palms;
It’s deeper and more dynamic than the scattered fruit of the pomegranate;
It’s as strong and durable as the mighty cedars of Lebanon.
Tonight, as we remember the significance of Tu B’Shevat,
A day marking the new year of harvesting and first fruit offerings,
We celebrate you as our sustainer and provider.
You are a God who meets our bodies and spirits with abundance.
Would you make us into oaks of righteousness, planted by streams of living water?
Would you satisfy the needs of your creation, and guide us along the path that leads us towards caring for the environment?
Would you fill us with wisdom and compassion as those set over the natural world to cultivate and protect it?
And, in our lavishness, would you give us a continued mindfulness of the poor, taking our first fruit offerings and multiplying their provision to those in hunger.
Elohim, you are the Vine in whom we abide; you are the Lord of the Harvest; fill us with joy and laughter as we celebrate the bounty of your Kingdom and rule. Amen.
Possible Table Questions
What might the meaning of Tu B’Shevat be for us today?
How might connecting with our 5 senses grow our connection to God?
What things and creatures do you find most beautiful in creation? Describe them in detail.
How has Western dualism done a disservice to our theology of creation and the environment? How might the Gospel of God’s kingdom redeem and reintegrate the physical and spiritual?
The Lord is always harvesting. What “harvests” do you see - either in your life, a friend or family member’s, or the world around you - that you can delight in and celebrate?
Morning
Start your day with Lectio Divina prayer using a Scripture passage reflecting on fruitfulness, trees, or another part of the created world.
During this prayer time, consider being outside (weather permitting) and holding a fruit, leaf, stick, or other natural object, using your 5 senses to connect with it throughout.
Example texts: Psalm 1, Psalm 128, Psalm 148
After concluding your prayer time, if you haven’t already, take a moment to choose your activities for the day (see list of activities at the bottom)
Afternoon
Enjoy your day connecting with nature and creation!!
Closing Evening at Sundown
Matriarch, or Household Leader (lights the candle(s) at sundown):
Blessed are you O Lord, our God, King of the Universe. You are our Creator and Provider, our light in whom no darkness dwells.
Leader:
As the gladness of Tu B’Shevat comes to a close, might our hearts rest in the nearness of the wellspring that never runs dry.
Father, we abide in you. May our branches of hospitality and generosity extend all the more to others and the world around us.
We bless you, O Lord, you are ever faithful and kind. Amen.
Possible Closing Table Questions
Recap the day. What all did we do?
How did we experience God in creation?
What did we learn?
What felt challenging?
How might we align our lives to better steward creation?
Pick one to three activities from the following list to enter into the spirit of Tu B’Shevat:
Eat traditional Tu B’Shevat foods
Get seeds & plant something (fruit tree, herbs, flowers, anything!)
Go on a nature walk
Make nature art
Learn about the types of plants growing around your home (there are plant recognition apps like “PictureThis” that can tell you all about each plant)
Practice breath prayer while sitting in nature
Visit a local urban or community garden
Read a book or watch a documentary about the environment
Explore a new environmentally-conscious practice for your household to adopt
Deliver a fruit and/or plant gift basket to a neighbor or friend
Extend a gift or meal to someone in need
Play live music and dance together
Learn about the indigenous people that first stewarded the land you now live on
Make a fun, homemade fruit smoothie