Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of Shevat), also calledRosh Hashanah L’Ilanot, “The New Year of the Trees,” is an annual Jewish holiday. The festival was established by the sages as a means of fulfilling commandments related to the ripening of fruit and various tithes enumerated in the Torah. Over the last few centuries, it has become customary in some circles to observe aSeder Tu B’Shvat, a festive ceremonial meal with various blessings and customs.
The festival of Tu B’Shvat itself does not originate in the Torah. It is first mentioned in the Mishna where it is referred to asRosh Hashanah L’Ilanot. Today, it is considered as the day that determines certain commandments related to fruits and certain laws related to theshmita cycle (the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah in the Land of Israel) as well as various tithes. The Mishnah describes the dispute between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai regarding the date of the New Year of the Trees—Beit Hillel declared the date as the 15th of the month of Shevat, while Beit Shamai stated that it was the first of the month.
Over the generations, various customs developed in relation to Tu B'Shvat. The custom ofTikkun Leil Tu B’Shvat, which was introduced sometime during the 17th and early 18th century, involved eating fruits of the Land of Israel. It is first mentioned in the bookḤemdat Yamimpublished in 1731, and later in the bookPeri Ets Hadar published in Venice in 1762, followed by many others texts.
In 1908, the Teachers’ Federation in the Land of Israel declared Tu B’Shvat as the "Festival of Planting", a decision adopted by the Jewish National Fund. In the agricultural settlements and kibbutzim, the holiday was celebrated in connection to nature, and was accompanied by Hebrew folk songs, plays and various written works. The holiday was incorporated into the pioneer ideology to celebrate the fruit of the land.
The date of the 15th of Shevat as the “New Year of the Trees”" already appears in the Mishna, but the idea ofa Seder Tu B’Shvat—including reading from scriptures, eating fruit and drinking wine—originated as a Kabbalist custom in Safed (Tzfat) in the 16th century. It was only 200 years later, with the publication of the bookḤemdat Yamim in 1731, that the local custom of holding aSeder Tu B’Shvat spread beyond the borders of the Land of Israel.Ḥemdat Yamim is a somewhat mysterious text that emphasizes theSeder’s importance, and which many consider as promoting Sabbatean notions. Within a short time of its publication, theSeder Tu B’Shvat was being conducted in many Jewish communities from the Balkans to Italy and North Africa and as far east as Persia.
The National Library’s collections contain an array of items related to the festival of Tu B’Shvat, including Tu B’Shvathaggadot that combine passages from the writings of the sages on the virtues of the Land of Israel and its fruits with texts on the conservation of the nature and landscape of the Land. The Library also preserves special Hebrew holiday songs, posters announcing Tu B’Shvat celebrations, tree plantings and parties, as well as photographs of tree plantings and Tu B’Shvat festivities around the country.
The New Year of the Trees has become one of the holidays most associated with the young and developing State of Israel and the Jewish community living in it. Discover Tu B’Shvat in photos from the National Library’s photo collections: Tu B’Shvat tree plantings, Tu B’Shvat .celebrations, dances and more
In the days of theYishuv and early years of the state when not every home had a telephone and before television sets were available, the main way to advertise a public event such as a Tu B’Shvat ceremony, tree planting, holiday procession or banquets, was in advertisements and posters pasted on billboards.
The new Hebrew culture and the Zionist movement adopted Tu B’Shvat as a holiday that symbolized a return to nature, settlement of the land and Hebrew education. New educational content was added to the celebration of the New Year of the trees with the intention of strengthening the ties of children, youth and new immigrants, as well as the entireYishuv, to the landscape and to values of agricultural settlement. The festival was a time for sanctifying the connection to the Land of Israel.
The planting processions were at the center of the Tu B’Shvat events, the culmination of the country’s annual forestation activities. Culture balls included plays and special text readings and fundraising for the Jewish National Fund. Thus, Tu B’Shvat went from being a Jewish holiday of secondary importance to a major day in the new Hebrew calendar in the Land of Israel.
Over the years, songs,piyyutim (liturgical hymns) and blessings have become associated with Tu B’Shvat in religious and cultural contexts. At theSeder Tu B’Shvat it is customary to sing the blessings, and in Hasidic circles Tu B’Shvat is celebrated in the presence of the Rebbe at a special gathering called a “tish,” usually accompanied by avid singing.
One of the Hebrew songs most associated with Tu B’Shvat isKakh Holkhim Hashotlim, ("So Go the Planters"), with words by Yitzhak Shenhar and a melody by Yedidya Admon. The song describes planters marching happily through city and country, through valleys and mountains, with shovels at the ready to plant trees. Planting trees on Tu B’Shvat is a relatively new Israeli custom, which was adopted at the beginning of the last century with the encouragement of the Jewish National Fund.
These resources can be helpful in teaching students about Tu B' Shvat.
The date of the 15th of Shevat as the “New Year of the Trees” already appears in the Mishna, but the idea of aSeder Tu B’Shvat—with readings from scriptures, eating fruit and drinking wine—originated in a custom among the Kabbalists of Safed in the 16th century. It was only 200 years later, with the publication of the bookḤemdat Yamim in 1731, that the local custom of holding a Tu B’Shvatseder began to spread. The somewhat mysterious book, considered by many to promote Sabbatean notions, emphasizes the importance of theseder. Very quickly, the Tu B’Shvatseder was held in many Jewish communities, from the Balkans to Italy and North Africa and as far east as Persia.
The manuscript shown here originated in the city of Sohar in Oman. It was written in 1805 and is the second of three volumes that include special readings and prayers for the days of the weekly Torah portionsShemot,Va’era,Bo,Beshalaḥ,Jethro andMishpatim—the period of late winter and early spring. The decoration of the volume shown here is more elaborate than the other volumes, and the illustrations of the flowers, fruits of the Land of Israel, and the springtime plants reflect the commissioner of the book’s love for the holiday and its customs.
Click here to view the manuscript
