Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat The 15^th (Tu) day of the Hebrew month of Shvat. As we learned earlier, the 15^th of the Hebrew months is almost always a full moon. This day is known as the “New Year for trees”. On this day, it is taught, that G-d decides how bountiful the fruit of each tree will be the coming year. In Gematria, the number 15 is the numerical value for one of the names of G-d. Yah, Yud (10) and He (5). According to the Talmud this was the beginning of the new tithing cycle. In Safed, the Sephardic Jews instituted a practice of eating different kinds of fruits, much like a Passover Seder, but with fruits from the land of Israel. Deuteronomy 20:19 states that a human is like the tree of the field. Some fruits that come from the land of Israel are as follows: grapes, figs, apples, etrogin (citrons), lemons, pears, raspberries, blueberries, carobs, quinces, olives, dates, cherries, hackberries, jujubes, persimmons, apricots, peaches, loquats, plums, pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, chestnuts hazelnuts, coconuts, pistachios, pecans, bananas, avocados, and melons. Proverbs 3:15 says that the Torah is a tree of life to all those that grasp her, and that whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.