by Diane Walsh

Created on: February 16, 2009   Last Updated: February 22, 2009

How is Tu Bishvat Celebrated in Israel?

Tu Bishvat, an agricultural holiday, is used as the cut-off date in the Hebrew calendar for calculating the age of a fruit-bearing tree. Fruit is not considered kosher if eaten before its fifth year. The Jewish congregation in Israel plan special festivals involving the fruits from the Holy Land and drinking wine in a special order. The major customs of the festival of Tu Bishvat include; (1) the eating of the fruit. (2) Special ceremonies, and (3) planting trees.

The fruits and the wine are eaten in a specific order while reciting the appropriate blessings. The Jews believe this will bring the world and its entire people closer to spiritual perfection. These fruits are raisins (grapes), figs, nuts, dates, pomegranates and grain (wheat). The lists of the 7 species were the fruits brought to the Temple in ancient time. They also eat other fruits that are associated with Israel, such as almonds, citrus fruits and apples. Jews believe that eating fruit spiritually improves a person.

Inside Jewish homes, a very festive table is set with these seven fruits. Symbolism of these fruits helps to illuminate the dark corner of exile. During the Tu Bishvat, light from the skies of Israel would enter each home. The sweetness of the fruits alleviated the bitterness of life in exile and reminded Jewish people everywhere that the land of Israel awaits its children.

The special ceremonies started in the town of Tsfat (Safad) in the Upper Galilee. Safad is recognized as the center of the Kabbalah, (Jewish mysticism). They recorded the festival by having family members gather around a table set with a white cloth, flowers and fruit, along with flasks of white and red wine. The four cups of wine had deeper meanings. The first one was white wine. This symbolized the slumbering nature. The second wine was mostly white with a splash of red, symbolized the awakening of nature. The third wine was mostly red with a splash of white. This symbolized the conflict between rain, the sun and the victory of heat over cold. The fourth wine was red to symbolize the splendor of the sun and summer. Red also represents the explosion of color in the flowery buds.

The Torah commands every Jew to take yearly tithes from the fruit of his tress and give it to the priests for dedication to Temple services. It is forbidden to calculate the tithe from one year using produce of another year. So they must know the date of the New Year.

It is a custom in Israel to plant trees when a child is born. They plant Cedar for boys and Cypresses for girls. Later in life the branches from the trees are used as part of their wedding decorations. Tu Bishvat marks the year of there birth. This is very important because fruit from the trees can not be eaten until the tree is five years old.

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