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The Tu Bi'Shvat Seder
The popularity of the Tu Bi'Shvat seder has gained momentum in recent years, and has even spread to some Ashkenazic communities. The participants at the seder drink four cups of wine and eat 30 different types of fruit. Finding 30 different types of fruit is no real problem in Israel, which has a sub-tropical climate.
The table is decorated with flowers and the candles are lit. All the family members and relatives sit at the table, and with great ceremony say the various blessings for eating the many kinds of fruit. They drink wine and read sections from the Bible, the Mishneh, the Talmud and from the book of Zohar.
The participants in the seder on Tu Bi'Shvat say special prayers blessing the tree, a tree's nature and its qualities.
The manner in which the participants drink the four cups of wine is unique. The drinking of the four cups of wine symbolizes the four seasons of the year. In order to emphasize this point, different shades and colors of wine are used: from white to pink (a mixture of white and red wine), and finally pure red wine.
In the book 'Eytz Hayim', Rabbi Haim Vital set down a specific order in which the various fruits are eaten. The division of the fruits into types and categories emphasizes the different worlds. The first world is the world of making things, symbolized by fruit which must be peeled in order to be eaten. The second world is the creative world, symbolized by fruit whose outer skin is eaten and who inner content is discarded. The highest of the worlds is the World of Creation, symbolized by fruits which are eaten in their entirety.
Over the years a Hagadah for Tu Bi'Shvat has been formulated and written, including all the rules and blessings for holding the Tu Bi'Shvat seder. Undoubtably, this Hagadah will add to the popularity of Tu Bi'Shvat as a holiday that heralds the coming of spring.
The seder table includes bowls of both dried and fresh fruits, flowers and greenery, and many candles in candelabera or on colored stones. The four shades of wine are poured into transparent glass. The entire room is decorated in a festive manner and with colored lights whenever available.
The bowls are of various heights and shapes. The first bowl includes: oranges, almonds and nuts. The second bowl includes dates, olives and apples. The seeds from these fruits produce new life. The third bowl includes figs, Haruv (Boksar fruit), and raisons.
Tu Bi'Shvat in Israel symbolizes many things. It is the holiday of tree plantings. It is a holiday of Zionism which first planted Eucalyptus trees to dry out the swamps, then planted palm trees to demarcate paths and roads, and afterward pine trees for shade. Tu Bi'Shvat is a holiday for the environment and the importance of taking care of nature.
But most of all I enjoy the Tu Bi'Shvat seder. In the end, no matter how you celebrate it, Tu Bi'Shvat is a holiday for everyone -- religious and non-religious Jew alike. Perhaps this is because it is the world's first and earliest holiday for the environment.
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