Tu BiShva: Cool!

Hi All,

We're getting in a festive mood as today is   Tu BiShvat, "New year of the trees" : Rosh Hashanah La'Ilanot  in Judaism. 

Traditionally we eat fruit and us Sephardi ( this is done more in the Sephardim community and some mystical Ashkenazi communities) have a special meal with a Seder ("order") where we go through liturgy which explains why we observe this time and have food and wine with symbolic and spiritual meaning .

Here are some points for reflection:

"May all the sparks scattered by our hands, or by the hands of our ancestors, or by the sin of the first human against the fruit of the tree, be returned and included in the majestic might of the Tree of Life."

Jewish liturgy/ Seder

"When you come to the land and you plant any tree, you shall treat its fruit as forbidden; for three years it will be forbidden and not eaten. In the fourth year, all of its fruit shall be sanctified to praise the L-RD. In the fifth year, you may eat its fruit." -Leviticus 19:23-25

"For the L-RD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey" Deuteronomy 8:7-8

“man is a tree of the field” Deuteronomy 20:19

"And you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and you shall bear your fruit for my people Israel, for they shall soon come."

Ezekiel 36:8

"There are four new years... the first of Shevat is the new year for trees according to the ruling of Beit Shammai; Beit Hillel, however, places it on the fifteenth of that month". - Talmud, Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1

Also tonight we had a festive meal and Seder: 

"A feast to sing the praises of Eretz Israel, a country that produces wheat and barley, grapes, figs and pomegranates,olive oil and the honey." (Deuteronomy 8.8)

"Go, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine in joy....Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might. “(Ecclesiastes 9: 7, 10)

In the 16th century in northern Israel, in the spiritual town of Tzfat (Safed), the Jewish mystics created the Tu Bishvat seder. They recognized the many and varied dimensions of God's creation and used the fruits of Israel to symbolize their existence. This Seder became a Sephardic and mystical Ashkenazi  tradition and this is one we've cobbled together via cut n paste use.

The following items are required:

4 large wine glasses for each person

Red and white wine (or the non alcoholic equivalent)

Candles

Water and towels for hand washing

walnuts 

almonds

mangos

bananas

Pears

figs

grapes

raisins

olives 

dates

We start by lighting candles, although this is strictly not required it's cool to do so anyway and we pray:

"Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel yom tov."

[Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to light festival candles.]

The next thing we do is to wash our hands and say the following prayer:

"Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al netilat yadayim."

[Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to wash hands].

Note : after each cup and fruit coupling, we pause for some discussion about the symbolism or read from Torah or sing a Psalm.

Leader : ' And God said: Let the earth put forth grass, herb-yielding seed, and fruit-tree-bearing fruit after its own kind, wherein is the seed thereof, on the earth'. (Genesis 1:11)

We then take the first cup of wine, which is white, which symbolises winter and the mystical dimension of atzilut, or emanation, at which God's energy infused the creation process with initial life and we pray : 

'Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam borei peri ha-gafen.'

[Blessed are you, Lord , Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the vine.]

Leader: 'For Adonai your God is bringing you into a good land. A land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths springing forth in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land wherein you shall eat without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you may dig brass. And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless God for the good land, which is being given unto you '(Deuteronomy 8:7-10).

We then take the first fruit and these are hard on the outside and soft on the inside ( walnuts, coconuts, almonds etc). The hard shell symbolizes the protection that the earth gives us and reminds us to nourish the strength and healing power of our own bodies and we pray :

'Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-etz'.

[Blessed are You Lord, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the tree.]

We now take the second cup of wine, mostly white with some red wine mixed in. This is to symbolise the passing of the seasons and the concept of formation and birth, often associated with water and we pray : 

'Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen'.

|Blessed are You Lord, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the vine.]

Leader : Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall you be in the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, and the fruit of your cattle, and the young of your flock. Blessed shall you be in your basket and your kneading trough. Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out (Deuteronomy 28:36).

We now take the second fruit, which is soft with a pit in the centre (Olives, dates, peaches, apricots etc) which symoblise the life sustaining power that emanates from the earth and which reminds us of the spiritual and emotional strength that is within each of us. We pray :

'Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-etz.'

[Blessed are You, Lord, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the tree.]

We now take the third cup of wine, mostly red wine with white mixed in and symbolises the changes of seasons and the mystical concept of beriah or creation and we pray : 

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen.

[Blessed are You, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the vine.]

Leader Then God formed the human from the dust of the ground, and breathed into the nostrils the breath of life; and the human became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

We know take the third fruit. This fruit is soft throughout and is completely edible, such as figs, grapes, and raisins. This type symbolizes God's omnipresence and our own inextricable ties with the earth. And we pray:

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-etz.

[Blessed are You, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the tree.]

At this point, we stop to  have a meal, we tend to have a tagine , which utilises various fruits.

Leader : 'And the angel of God appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and Moses looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed (Exodus 3:2)'.

We now take the fourth cup of wine, all red : This cup is all red, symbolizing the mystical concept of fire and the idea that within all living things dwells a spark of God. And we pray : 

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen.

[Blessed are You, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the vine.]

We now take the fourth fruit.This has a tough skin on the outside but sweet fruit within--mangos, bananas, avocados, or pear--and symbolizes the mystery of the world and our study of Torah. We are constantly seeking to uncover her secrets, and are continually nourished by her fruits. W pray : 

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-etz.

[Blessed are You, Source of all life, Creator of the fruit of the tree].

We finished with grace and the bendigamos song