[Avodah] Tu Bi Shvat Seder

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Feb 08, 2009 at 08:40:51AM -0500, Joseph Mosseri wrote:
:             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.

On Mon, Feb 09, 2009 at 10:58:10AM -0500, M Cohen wrote:
: 1. is there a Hebrew or English translation of  the Pri Etz Hadar available
: (for the zohar sections)

: 2. many 'modern' tu bishvat seders talk about 4 cups of wine
...

Anyone know of an article on the evolution of Tu biShvat? How much
predates the Chemdat Yamim, and what is older?

For people who don't know why I'm asking...

The notion of a seder for Tu biShvat is first found in Chemdas Yamim (CY).
Chemdas Yamim had some luck, as the real mequbalim wrote haskamos for it,
and used it like it's a real seifer. R' Dr Shneiur Leiman (of YU) recently
published a collection of haskamos in a journal called "Heichal haBesth".
It figures in the controversy between RY Eibshitz and RY Emden, as the
former wrote a haskamah to one edition, and the latter pointed out its
sabbatean allusions.

The debate among historians is whether Chemdas Yamim was written by
Nathan of Gaza or one of his followers. Nathan was Shabbatai Zvi's
"Eliyahu" figure.

Before mequbalei Tzefat, Tu biShvat was marked by a lack of tachanun,
one wasn't allowed to make a taanis, and of course the few farmers then
in Eretz Yisrael changed their calendars for maaser. Ibur Shoshanim (R'
Yissachar ibn Susan 16th cent) notes that Ashkenazim would eat many fruits
-- much like the total observance of TB by Yekkes and Litvaks today. But
the seder originater in Chemdas Yamim.

Therefore, I'd be curious to know who established what -- what came from Tzefat, and what came from CY.

That said, I wouldn't simply dismiss a practice because of the CY origins.
Saying LeDavid H' Ori during teshuvah season is also from Seifer Chemdas
Yamim, and I didn't drop that.

But it is quite likely the thousands of Jews, mostly Eidot haMizrach,
who make a Tu biShvat seider are actually doing all these allusions
about the alleged future return of Shabbatai Zvi.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Time flies...
micha at aishdas.org                    ... but you're the pilot.
http://www.aishdas.org                       - R' Zelig Pliskin
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