Baruch she-p’tarani m’eytz zeh! Blessed is the One who has freed me from the responsibility of this tree!” This time last year, I exclaimed this improvised blessing under the starry skies in the Jerusalem forest — as I burned branches of pine. What was a Jewish environmentalist doing burning branches on Tu B’Shvat, the holiday…
Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish “new year of the trees,” comes again on Sunday, January 24. In recent years, the holiday has become a much-needed day for thinking about, and taking action on, environmental issues. Too bad most of those actions will be counterproductive. For an illustration, consider the Aliso Canyon methane leak, which you probably…
The seven species are pomegranate (above), grapes, dates, figs, olives, wheat and barley. Why do we eat fruit of the Seven Species on Tu B’Shvat? The Seven Species of the Bible are a central feature of the celebration of Tu B’Shvat, which this year occurs in late January. The reason usually given for eating foods…
Dates, one of the seven species traditionally eaten on Tu B’Shvat, are represented in Deuteronomy (8:7-8) by their honey, called devash in Hebrew. Authentic biblical honey is as dark and thick as molasses, but it has its own rich flavor and isn’t quite as sweet as regular honey. You can buy it already prepared as…
Methuselah date palm, grown from a 2,000-year-old seed found at Masada, is now in kibbutz Ketura. The history of the date palm in Israel is inextricably bound to the history of Israel itself. A great presence whether massed in plantations or growing wild in a desert oasis where they indicate water, their straight, unbranched trunks…
The almond tree is blooming And the golden sun is shining. Birds atop each roof Bless the arrival of the festival. Tu B’Shvat has arrived The festival of trees. —Levin Kipnis Long before anybody had heard of National Arbor Day, Jews had Tu B’Shvat, the New Year for Trees. The holiday is but one of…
Whiskey doesn’t seem like an agricultural product. But as we celebrate (or pray for) the rebirth of nature on Tu B’Shvat it’s good to bear in mind that what the Irish call “the brown” comes from fields of waving grain. Or maybe we had made that link, but just forgot because, you know, too much…
Photograph by Mark Hurvitz Tu B’Shvat brings the opportunity, and the excuse, to create a chocolate bark using fruits and nuts connected to the land of Israel. Stay with the fruits of the traditional Sheva Minim, the Seven Species of fruits and grains mentioned as special to the land of Israel in the Bible, such…
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