[Avodah] Tou Bishbat Is Tonight

[Joseph Mosseri]

TOU BISHBAT IS THIS SUNDAY NIGHT February 8, 2009.   

  _____  

Tu Bishbat: History and Customs

 
Joseph Mosseri

 

Tu Bishbat (ט"ו בשבט) is a minor Jewish holiday celebrating the New Year of
the Trees. It is one of the four Rashe Shanah ("New Years") mentioned in the
Mishnah. Tu Bishbat marks Rosh HaShanah La'ilanot (ראש השנה לאילנות) "the
New Year of the Trees". The name Tu Bishbat comes from the date of the
holiday, the 15th day of Shebat (שבט). Shebat is the name of a Hebrew
calendar month and ט"ו, read as "Tu," is how the number 15 is represented by
Hebrew numerals using the Hebrew alphabet.  This date generally falls on the
second full moon before Passover, or, in a leap year, the third full moon
before Passover.

 

            Tu Bishbat started out as merely the date used in calculating
the tithe on tree fruit, and evolved into a minor holiday.

            Tu Bishbat is not mentioned at all in the TaNaKH. The earliest
mention of it is the Mishnah which was completed around the year 200 CE.  In
fact even in the Mishnah it is only mentioned once in Masekhet Rosh Hashanah
1:1, which states there are four new years. Only two of the new years listed
have any observances associated with them today: Rosh Hashanah and Tu
Bishbat.

            The Mishnah states: There are 4 New Years. On the first on Nisan
is the New Year for Kings and for Festivals. On the first of Elul is the New
Year for the tithe of the animals, but according to Ribbi Eliezer and Ribbi
Shimon it is on the first of Tishri. On the first of Tishri is the New Year
for the years and for Sabbatical Years (Shemitah) and for Jubilee Years
(Yobel) for planting and for vegetables. On the first of Shebat is the New
Year for Trees, according to Bet Shammai, but according to Bet Hillel it is
on the fifteenth.

            We follow the opinion of Bet Hillel and observe the fifteenth of
Shebat as the New Year for Trees. Even so the Mishnah does not state
anything festive about this day nor does it mention any particular
celebrations or observances associated with this day. It is very probable
that this day took on a more special meaning when the Nation of Israel was
exiled from its land after the destruction of the Second Bet HaMiqdash
around 68 CE. After many years living outside of Israel this day added
another connection between the people and the land that their ancestors were
thrown out from.  That connection was none other than that of partaking of
the fruits of Eress Yisrael that Israel was blessed with.

 

            Over the centuries this custom became well known among Jewish
communities in every corner of the globe but it wasn’t until the 16th
century that this holiday was given a greater dimension. The Meqoubalim of
16th century Safed invigorated this holiday by prescribing what fruits and
nuts to eat and in what order. They also said that 4 different cups of wine
had to be drunk just like when the Hagadah would be recited on the night of
Pesah.

            These Meqoubalim were generally great Sephardic Rabbis who were
steeped in the mysteries of the Torah. They had a belief that Creation is
composed of four separate worlds, or levels. Classifying fruits that are
eaten on Tu Bishbat into these separate categories helped to symbolize these
levels.

The four worlds are: 

1.      Asiyah: "action" --- our world, the lowest level, 

2.      Yessirah: "formation" --- the second lowest level, 

3.      Beriah: "creation" --- next to highest level, and 

4.      Assilut: "emanation" --- highest and purest level. 

 

There are no fruits that could fit into the highest level but there are
fruits for each of the other 3 levels and it is preferable to have 10 fruits
for each level, corresponding to the 10 Sefirot.

Group number 1 is all fruit. BERIAH. Holiness at this level needs no
protection. (Some of the fruits included in this group are not actually
considered totally edible by most people, such as apples; small seeds are
ignored in the symbolism.)
The 10 items are: 
Grapes or Raisins
Figs
Apples
Etrog (Citron) 
Kumquat
Pear
Quince
Mulberry
Trilobed Sorbus
Carob

Group 2 outer fruit with a large center pit. YESSIRAH. These fruits are
edible on the outside, but have pits on the inside, such as peaches. The
edible portion symbolizes holiness. At this level, holiness can be left
exposed, but its inner core, its "heart," must still be protected.
The 10 items are: 
Olive
Date
Cherry (Must be sweet) 
Jujube
Peach
Plum or Prune
Apricot
Sour Morello Cherry
Hawthorn Berry
Loquat

Group 3 outer peel and inner fruit. ‘ASIYAH. These fruits all have an
inedible outer shell, such as nuts. The edible part of the fruit represents
holiness. In our world, holiness is hidden and we have to seek it out. The
fragile holiness has to be protected within our world.
The 10 items are: 
Pomegranate
Walnut
Almond
Chestnut
Hazelnut
Acorn
Coconut
Pine nuts
Pistachio
another nut like Pecan, Brazil, Macadamia; or Banana.

There have been Sephardic Jews in every country over the last 350 years who
have been reading from a book entitled Peri Ess Hadar (Salonika 1753) and
following this ritual of eating fruits, drinking wine, and reading portions
of the TaNaKH, Mishnah, and Zohar.

Among Sephardim in different countries this holiday was given nick names
like:

Hamishosar, El Khabat, Eid El Shjar, Tafqi’ El Sajar, Frutas, etc..

It was very common for special bags to be made for friends and neighbors,
and especially children and fill them with all types of dried fruits and
nuts. 

In old Jerusalem where the majority of the Jews once spoke Ladino trays of
fruit were sent as gifts like Mishloah Manot. These were known as Platiko.
The special bags as Frutas Bolsas and kids would compare what they got and
trade favorites with each other. These same customs existed in many other
countries as well but without the Ladino names.

Many people would just try and have as many fruits as possible just to
praise God and share this bounty with relatives and friends. Others would
take this opportunity to study the laws of Berakhot and teach them to all
those who celebrated with them.

In Aleppo Syria there was a special folkloric Judeo-Arabic song for this
holiday whose tune is still popular today even though most people have
forgotten the happy words. Another custom associated with Tu Bishbat in
Halab was the reading of the Aseret HaDiberot with the translation (Sharh)
of Se’adyah Gaon. This was done on Tu Bishbat in preparation of Perashat
Yitro and the giving of the Ten Commandments which is always the Shabbat
after Tu Bishbat.

Tu Bishbat is a happy day on which no Tahanunim are said it is a day that
reconnects us with the Land of Israel and there is a new custom (over 100
years old) to plant trees in Israel on this day. The tradition of planting
trees started in 1890 when the teacher and writer Zeev Yabetz went out with
his students in a school in Zikhron Yaaqob for a festive planting. This
initiative was adopted in 1908 by the Israeli Teachers trade union and later
on by the Land Development Authority (Haqeren Haqayemet LeYisrael, also
called the Jewish National Fund). Many Jews throughout the world call Israel
on this day and make donations to plant trees and forests through out Israel
on this New Year of Trees.

 

   Tizku Leshanim Rabot Ne’imot VeTobot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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