Reuven Rubin
GUIDE
ORIGIN STORY
On 15 Shevat is the New Year of Trees
We honor this day by eating more fruits (which has not tasted for a year) on which the blessing will Chééhéyanou.
Tu B'Shvat is a time of prayer and trial, even for the tree under
The D.. Creator, is to sketch each new year, all the moments until the end of the existence of his creatures is also a time to pray for the success of this tree.
Torah likened to the human tree of the field, and therefore, the Day of Judgement of the tree, somewhere is also a Judgement Day for Man, despite the austerity of judgments, we are still gays and Merry.
This new year of trees inaugurated the revival of the nature of the land of Israel where the sap rises in the trunks of the trees come into flower and beautify the landscape.
Tu B'Shevat, contains no prohibition on working, or feast, or extra prayer. Today, we mark it by the consumption of seven fruits which was blessed by the Land of Israel, and are:
Wheat, Barley, Grapes, Figs, Pomegranates, Olives, Dates
There are four "New Year": Sarah
Weizman
The Nissan is the first New Year the account of the years of kings and the pilgrimage festivals; 1 Elul is the new year for tithing cattle; 1 Tishrei, on behalf of years, sabbaticals, jubilees, plantations and vegetables, the Shevat is the first New Year's tree, according to the School of Shammai, and the 15th of the month, according to the School of Hillel. "(Talmud Rosh Hashanah 1.1)
Tu B'Shevat (Tu is composed of the letters Teth and Vav, the sum of numerical values is 15) is a holiday that falls on the 15th of Shevat. It's the New Year Trees: every fruit that grows from that date count for the coming year for collection the tithe of the fruits of the tree. This date is subject to discussion between the two Talmudic sages Hillel and Shammai. Chamai for the New Year of Trees must be fixed the 1st of the month, like other New Year Hillel believes that the renewal of nature is started around the 15th of the month, which is why he attaches to this date, and it was his opinion that the Act will retain, as in most cases. Date has been set for the account of the tithes of the fruits of the tree. And this is no accident: it considers that in the climate of the Land of Israel, the rainy season draws to a close, the sap is rising in the trees that are beginning to bud (this is what explains Rashi, the medieval commentator on the text we have quoted above). This very technical aspect of this New Year's Day was evaporated from the sixteenth century by the Kabbalist from Safed. New Year's trees now dons a suit and symbolically reiterates the commitment of the carnal Jewish exiles to their land.
SOME CUSTOMS
The Kabbalists of 15 Shevat have a real holiday. They introduced a ritual known as "The Tu B'Shvat Seder." This is described for the first time in the mystical book "Hemdat Yamim" which was published in 1763, and it is in the consumption of red wine, white wine, "fruit of Israel" (these are the fruits of which the Land of Israel was blessed, namely wheat, barley, dates, figs, pomegranates , grapes and olives). All this is done in a specific order and accompanied by the reading of texts from the Bible or the Zohar (the main work of the Kabbalah). This custom soon spread throughout the Jewish diaspora, and it became a major moment in the expression of nostalgia for the Jewish people from their land, through the centuries and countries.
Efforts to consume seven fruits of Israel and at least one new fruit. Several
customs were adopted Tu B'Shvat, the day of celebration not idle. We are used to make a family meal in which one tastes the most fruit possible, at least 15 for some. Efforts to consume seven fruits of Israel (which does not necessarily come from Israel) and at least one new fruit (which is pronounced the blessing Chéhé'héyanou). Since the return of the Jewish people on Earth and its creation of the State of Israel, it was decided to mark the day by planting trees. Schoolchildren take to the forests and their plant each tree, and a pedagogy is implemented around the themes of attachment to the Land of Israel and ecological values.
"BECAUSE THE MAN IS A TREE OF CHAMPS"
If the New Year is celebrated trees so any material amount by eating fruit, it is nevertheless a party with a strong spiritual. Far from being a pure green celebration (in the modern sense) and devoid of any hint of pantheism, he wants to think about the interrelationships between man, God, nature, the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
"For man is a tree of the field." (Deuteronomy 20, 19) Through this verse, the Torah introduces a reflection Past, present and future of the individual. Three essential components are a tree is tree: roots, trunk and products: leaves, flowers and fruits. The roots are essential to the growth of a tree: the more they are strong and located in a rich soil, the stronger the tree. The roots, ancestry, family, children, the basics of education, morality and faith, is taken up in a family story "have roots" rooted in a tradition, it draws its energy from a ground feeder. Cut themselves off from their roots, it is somewhat cut off: you might die. The roots give the trunk: it represents education, childhood and adolescence, the age at which one is "done". Yet must it be strong enough and developed to withstand wind and storm, education must be based on moral principles and religious sufficiently coherent for the future adult can resist all the temptations negative. And as the trunk continues to thicken, the study and knowledge are essential to the growth of human beings.
Man must produce fruit and radiate around him perform God's commandments, do good deeds.
However, the only development not enough staff at the individual, it would be fruitless. Like the tree justifies its existence by his duties as a producer of oxygen and wood, of nutrient for men and the animal world or simply by the fact that it provides shade in summer and enjoy sight, man must produce fruit and radiate around him perform God's commandments, do good deeds, communicate, exchange and share. This is what makes a complete human being, this is the future of mankind, which evolves in relation to others. And all this for the tree to grow, it is an indispensable element: water. For a Jew the vital element is the Torah repeatedly in the Bible, the Torah is compared to water, wells water invigorating (including Deut. 32:2), she is accompanying her life, she who guides and strengthens it. The celebration of Tu B'Shevat, is an occasion to celebrate nature and thank God for His creation and enjoyment that he gives us. It's also time for an expression of love for the Land of Israel. But it is the time to take stock of our personal growth for our tree, the lungs of the earth, to bear fruit and that everyone benefits.
It is written in Avot of Rabbi Nathan Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai had a habit of saying "if you have a seed in your hand and someone warn you that the Messiah has come, stay where you are, plant the seed and then you can go running to welcome him. " It seems that he has agreed with Franz Kafka when he wrote almost 2000 years later in his "parables" that "the messiah will come only when necessary and it will come the day after his arrival. "
Tu B'Shevat, a prelude to the messianic era plethora of seeds and crops, we brought back for a few moments in this Garden of Eden from which we come and towards which, since we left, we try to return.
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