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“Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children”

Shayna Han

The upcoming holiday of Tu BiShvat -- the birthday of the trees - brings back a memory of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In the museum is an enormous cross-section of a giant sequoia tree. Standing before it is a sublime experience. The cross-section overwhelms you with its sheer size, inspiring questions about the size of the tree it was cut from.

Taking a Breath for Life: the Union for Reform Judaism's Actions to Build Resilience

Ruben Arquilevich

On Tu Bishvat we celebrated trees and a season of new growth. I've been doing lots of thinking about trees, as I frequently do, and the role they play in providing oxygen for the planet. At the Union of Reform Judaism, we provide oxygen to our communities by creating compassionate spaces for our participants to grow and thrive. We can respond to current and future challenges by fostering resilience that reflect our Jewish values.

I am familiar with a Passover seder, but what is a Tu BiShvat seder?

Answered by

Rabbi Victor S. Appell

Tu BiShvat (Hebrew for the 15^th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat) is the new year of the trees.

Why does Yom HaZikaron fall the day before Yom HaAtzmaut?

Answered by

Rabbi Victor S. Appell

Yom HaZikaron is Israeli Memorial Day and Yom HaAtzmaut is Israeli Independence Day.

How can I celebrate Tu BiShvat at home?

Answered by

Rabbi Victor S. Appell

Tu BiShvat is the “New Year of the Trees.”

Why do we celebrate Tu BiShvat, the Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” in the middle of winter?

Answered by

George Robinson

Tu BiShvat, called the "New Year of the Trees," falls at a seemingly incongruous time of year.

Why is caring for the environment emphasized on Tu BiShvat?

Answered by

George Robinson

Tu BiShvat is a minor festival whose provenance dates only to the time of the Second Temple. However, the kabbalists who clustered around the great fifteenth-century mystic Isaac Luria of Safed placed great weight on the holiday, creating new festivities, gatherings at which hymns were sung, fruit (particularly carob) was eaten, and four cups of wine were taken (as in the Passover seder).