Today is the 15th of Shvat, the day on which the Jewish people celebrate the holiday of Tu Bi Shvat, or the New Year of the Trees.
The holiday of Tu Bi Shvat is not mentioned in the Torah, it was established by the sages of the Hillel school about 2,000 years ago and is first mentioned in the Talmudic tractate “Rosh Hashanah”. The Torah prescribes to the Jews the commandment to separate “maaser” (tithe) from the harvest of tree fruits to give it to the Kohen and Levites who served in the Temple and had no land holdings, or to the poor. Therefore, it was necessary to determine the exact date of the New Year of the Trees, that is, when the tree “matures” for a year. Our sages, who were experienced and observant farmers, learned that up to about the middle of the month of Shvat, trees drink the moisture that was preserved in the soil from the previous year, and starting from that time – the water of the rains that fell already this year. Therefore, the 15th day of the month of Shvat became the New Year of Trees.
The Sages tell us that when the trees learned that G-d had given people the New Year, they became jealous of them. The trees began to ask G-d to make a holiday for them too. G-d asked: “When?” The trees replied, “On Shvat. It rains a lot in this month.” G-d agreed and wanted to set the holiday on the 1st of Shvat, but the trees asked Him to move the New Year to the middle of the month, since the 1st of Shvat is already a holiday – Rosh Chodesh. To this day, we celebrate the holiday of the trees on the 15th of Shvat.
Climatic conditions vary in different regions of Israel, and therefore the spring awakening of nature begins earlier in the plains than in the mountains. But by the 15th of Shvat, the spring blossoms had reached the mountainous areas as well.
The main custom of the holiday is to eat fruits that grew in the land of Israel. It is also customary to eat fruits that grew in other countries, such as carob, apples and almonds. It is customary to eat the fruit of the new harvest on Tu Bi Shvat, reciting the blessing “Shehecheyanu” beforehand.
There is a custom to eat 7 kinds of fruits on this day – those for which Eretz Israel is famous – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Another custom dictates that on Tu Bi Shvat, 15 different kinds of fruit should be tasted – in honor of the 15th day of the month of Shvat. However, most adhere to the custom of serving as many different fruits as possible, both fresh and dried. In the Jewish communities of the East, it was customary to eat the wheat and barley dishes first, followed by the fruit.
An important custom of Tu Bi Shvat is the planting of trees in Israel. It became widespread with the beginning of the return of the Jewish people to their homeland. On Tu Bi Shvat, many Israelis and their children go out into nature to strengthen their connection with their native land, planting young trees that many years later will cover the expanses of Eretz Israel with a dense carpet. The exception is every seventh year, when the Torah forbids any cultivation of the land.
Outside of Eretz Israel, especially in countries with harsh climates where winter is still in full swing on 15 Shvat, it is customary to purchase or transplant indoor plants and donate them to Jewish organizations. It is also customary to hold a fundraiser before the holiday, which is used to plant trees in Israel. On the funds collected in Jewish educational institutes of Dnipro during the years of development of the community, whole groves of beautiful trees were planted in many areas of Israel.
