What Is Tu B

What began as an agricultural legal date has evolved into a celebration of nature, environmental awareness, and connection to the Land of Israel.

Origins

including one for trees. This date determines the age of trees for tithing purposes—fruit that blossomed before Tu B'Shvat belongs to the previous year's crop; fruit after belongs to the new year.

Why the 15th of Shvat?

In the Land of Israel, Tu B'Shvat marks the end of the rainy season's most intense period. The sap begins rising in the trees; spring is approaching. It's the agricultural midpoint between the autumn planting and spring blossoming.

Customs

Eating Fruits

New Fruits

Many try to eat a new fruit—one not yet eaten that season—to recite the Shehecheyanu blessing.

The Tu B'Shvat Seder

Kabbalists in Safed created a special seder resembling Passover, with four cups of wine (transitioning from white to red, symbolizing the seasons) and eating fruits in a specific order corresponding to spiritual worlds.

Tree Planting

In Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, Tu B'Shvat is an occasion for planting trees. The Jewish National Fund has made tree-planting in Israel a popular Tu B'Shvat observance.

Environmental Dimensions

The holiday prompts reflection on humanity's responsibility to care for creation, connecting ancient tradition to contemporary environmental concerns.

כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה

Translation: For is the human being a tree of the field? (Deuteronomy 20:19)

This verse has been reinterpreted to suggest the kinship between humans and trees—both requiring roots, growth, and the right conditions to flourish.

A Spring of Hope

Tu B'Shvat arrives in winter's depth, yet celebrates the stirring of new life beneath the frozen surface. It teaches hope: even when all seems dormant, renewal is at work. The trees know that spring will come.