The month of Shevat is home to the holiday of Tu B’Shevat. The holiday is most commonly referred to as the “birthday of the trees” so why do we celebrate a New Year for the trees just as we have Rosh Hashanah, a New Year for humanity? Rachael has the answer.

In celebrating Tu B’Shevat, it is customary to plant trees and to eat the shivat haminim, the seven species, that we read about in Jewish text. Rachael introduces each of the species and explains the significance behind these foods and how they relate to Tu B’Shevat.

Some Jewish festivals seem to adopt certain characteristics of secular holidays. Tu B’Shevat is one of them, even though it possesses a more complex history, a deeper meaning and a heightened spirituality. Sometimes confused with Arbor Day, Rachael delves into this common misconception.

Tu Bishvat is right around the corner – this weekend to be exact.  I’m watching the snow fall and the temperature hover around -15C and I can’t say I’m in a very ‘happy birthday trees’ mood.

This week alone I had 3 of my children home with the flu and my husband suspected every tickle in his nose… Last night I got an email from my sons’ school informing us that within 5 days they will be moving downtown creating a 1.5 hour commute (one way) for my sons – 3 hours every day back and forth.  To deal with this I needed to cancel one of the ongoing Mussar groups that meets weekly.  Half my office is heated while the other half has a less efficient system so ultimately right now we can choose to sit in a t-shirt or file papers in our coats and mitts – ok, maybe not that bad but it feels that bad…

Anyone wishing a tree a happy birthday yet?

And then I realized how easy it is to just put off the Jewish stuff.  It’s only trees, right?  I mean, Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Pesach – that’s major Jewishness, but trees??  How easy to just lose myself in fixing vents, finding schools and chicken souping a cold.  But ultimately, I don’t want to choose being the person who copes and bandaids.

Being Jewish in every moment means I can choose meaning over chores.  Not to say I won’t fix the vents or find the schools but now I am motivated to do that so I get them out of the way because understanding Tu Bishvat, celebrating nature and trees, reminding myself of my place within the whole – that’s way beyond the chicken soup.

So on Tu Bishvat I will indeed stand outside, heavily layered in winter clothing, lean on a tree, close my eyes and think of Torah and Trees of Knowledge and Trees of Life. Genesis clearly tells us that within hours of creation, we headed to a tree and changed the world forever.  We’re forever connected to the trees, it’s probably worth a thought one day a year.

Have a great Tu Bishvat!