The Talmud’s discussion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, also mentions a special New Year just for trees. This Jewish Arbor Day, called Tu B’Shvat, falls on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. This year, Tu B’Shvat is Thursday, Feb. 13.
It is considered a relatively ordinary day, with work permitted, as on any other secular day. Because it is a joyful occasion, some sad prayers from the daily liturgy are omitted. In Israel, Tu B’Shvat is celebrated by planting trees, but in America, mid-February is typically too cold for such an activity. Jewish tree lovers around the world find other ways to mark the occasion. One tradition is eating fruit, accompanied by the standard Jewish blessing for eating any fruit, which concludes with the words: “…Who created the fruit of the tree.” This practice aligns with a reference in Deuteronomy 8:8, which describes the bounty of Israel: “…vines (grapes) and fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey (meaning the sweetness of dates).”
If someone eats a fruit they haven’t had in over a year, they recite an additional blessing thanking God for providing the opportunity to enjoy the new fruit. This adds a festive touch to Tu B’Shvat, similar to the joy of celebrating an important holiday. Among all foods, only a new fruit merits this special blessing. It’s not surprising, as the Bible presents the Garden of Eden as a paradise of trees bearing delicious fruit.
I found it particularly interesting that Rabbi Arnold B. Eisen, who officiated at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, recited the uplifting words from Jeremiah 17:8, comparing a person of faith to a tree: “He will be like a tree that is planted near water, and spreads its roots to the brooks…whose foliage will ever be fresh and who will not worry in years of drought and will not cease to bear fruit.”
Hersh Goldman is a Swampscott resident.
