Adapted from Rabbi Debbie Reichmann’s sermon, delivered on Sunday, February 9th, at St. Mark Presbyterian Church (North Bethesda, Maryland)
What, exactly, does Tu B’Shvat, mean? Is it the “New Year of the Trees,” is it the “The Tree Birthday,” is it Jewish Earth Day? All of these and none of these. Put simply, Tu B’Shvat is the 15 day of the month of Sh’vat. From this humble name, we get all of those other things, and the story of how that came to be is a primer for Rabbinic Judaism, the Judaism we are familiar with today. Tu B’Shvat has evolved over centuries, growing from its Biblical seeds, to its Talmudic early growth, to its Kabbalistic flowering, and finally to today’s celebration of environmental awareness and spiritual renewal.
Tu B’Shvat originated as a legal marker in ancient Jewish law, a date used to determine the age of fruit trees for tithing purposes. As we just read, the Torah commands that fruits from newly planted trees cannot be eaten for the first three years, and only in the fourth year can they be offered as a sacred gift, we also learn that ancient agriculture was bound by other calendar limits, requiring the entirety of the land to lie fallow every seventh year, and give it the gift of Shabbat a time of complete rest.
From these biblical verses, the Talmudic rabbis designated the fifteenth of Shvat as the official “birthday” of trees, providing a standard by which to calculate these agricultural laws. We call it a new year, because it mirrors another date assigned by the rabbis to mark a biblical counting. There’s a new year for cattle – again, to be able to count their age for appropriate sacrifices. The talmudic rabbis clarified another two dates to count new years from: The start of the religious calendar – that’s the first of the month of Nisan so that Passover is the first of the Pilgrimage Festivals, and then the first of the month of Tishrei, what we call Rosh Hashanah, the start of the secular new year.
Over time, as Jewish life shifted from an agrarian society to communities dispersed throughout the world, Tu B’Shvat took on new layers of meaning. In the Middle Ages, the Kabbalists infused it with mystical significance, seeing trees as symbols of divine creation and cosmic renewal. They created the Tu B’Shvat Seder, a ritual that involved eating different kinds of fruits and drinking four cups of wine to represent spiritual ascent. You’ll see on the food tables today, some of the foods and mystical meanings derived from this seder. This practice transformed Tu B’Shvat from a legal date into a celebration of God’s abundant blessings and the interconnectedness of all life.
In the nineteenth and 20th centuries, Tu B’Shvat was embraced by the Jewish returnees to Israel, who saw it as a call to action in reclaiming the ancient holiness of the land. As they planted trees, they viewed Tu B’Shvat as a symbol of renewal and the Jewish people’s deep-rooted connection to the land of Israel. Today, it has further evolved into a day of environmental consciousness, urging us to care for the world as responsible stewards of creation.
The Talmud teaches, “When you enter the land, plant trees” (Kiddushin 39b). This ancient directive remains as relevant today as ever. Our world faces unprecedented ecological challenges, and Tu B’Shvat calls us to action—not just to plant trees— but to cultivate a symbiotic relationship with nature, with our Earth. Just as our ancestors marked this day with legal rulings, mystical reflections, and agricultural efforts, so too can we use it as a time to reaffirm our commitment to deepening our understanding of the planet.
The tree can be found in literature and philosophy as a metaphor for many things. I like to think of this one, that our IFFP history and purpose is the system of roots that grounds and anchors us, our intergenerational community is the strong and supple trunk that then supports the many branches and leaves and flowers and fruit that each of us represent as a families and friends. We are growing and changing and providing ever more sustenance and shelter to each other.
Tu B’Shvat is more than a simple celebration; it is a testament to our enduring relationship with the land and our responsibility to care for it. It is an opportunity to admire at nature, enjoy its bounty, and marvel at its diversity.
May we be like trees of righteousness, deeply rooted in faith and ever reaching toward the heavens. May our actions bear fruit, nourishing others with love, justice, and compassion. And may Tu B’Shvat inspire us all to be faithful stewards of the earth, so that future generations may stand beneath the shade of the trees we plant today.
