The New Year of the trees is not a biblical holiday although there are a number of verses throughout the Tanach that are linked to Tu B’Shvat and that we use to teach about the Jewish perspective on the environment. Historians tell us that the holiday originated as a Springtime folk festival in Israel when the Priests would take one tenth of the fruit trees’ crops and send them to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Back in the day

Back in the day, back in the 16^th century that is, a group of Jewish mystics lived in the holy city of Tzfat in Israel. Over many a day and night they discussed and explored how to relate to God. On the holiday of Tu B’Shvat they wondered how best to honor the New Year of the trees. So they created a special Seder for Tu B’Shvat. (You may remember what a Seder is from Passover.) To this day, we gather together around a table with 4 questions, 4 cups of juice, 3 sets of amazing fruits, plenty of music and great discussion. If you haven’t participated in a Tu B’Shvat Seder, make one yourself this year! It’s a lot of fun, very tasty, and not to mention a way to rediscover what we have in common with the rest of creation. Click here for more resources.

Did you know that the Torah is called a “Tree of Life?” Why do you think that is? If you have ideas, I’d love to hear about them. Send them along to TreeOfLife@shirlala.com By the way, the Torah is also compared to a fig tree. You can read more about it in the Babylonian Talmud or click here for more information!

Trees celebrate their birthday in the winter? Tu B’Shvat usually falls in the wintertime where we live. But in Israel where the holiday was invented, it’s springtime! And we all know what happens in the spring. Blossoms and new leaves and new crops. So we celebrate an agricultural New Year on this day.

Did you know that the name Tu B’Shvat comes from it’s date on the Hebrew calendar? Gematria is a neat system that gives each of the letters of the alef-bet a numerical value. Can you guess what the TU in Tu B’Shvat stands for?

With any Earth Worm Disco CD order, we will send you these beautiful Butterfly Garden Mix seed packets!
Perfect for indoor and outdoor planting.  Order directly through ShirLaLa.com or visit RockinOutGreen.com for lyrics, eco-lessons, music and pics.

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Two farmers lived side by side for many generations. They had been neighbors for a long time but they weren’t very friendly with each other. Why is that you ask? Because once upon a time they had an argument about a certain olive tree on the top of a hill.

“This olive tree is mine!” said one of the farmers, “because this land belongs to me!”

“No! No! NO!” shouted the other farmer. “This hill has always belonged to my family, so the olive tree is mine!”

“Mine!” growled one farmer as he grabbed the trunk of the tree.

“Mine!” stomped the other farmer as he grabbed the leaves of the tree.

After many, many years of arguing and being in a bad mood around each other, they decided to settle their difference. And where did they go to do that? To the Rabbi of course! And they agreed to abide by her decision.

The Rabbi listened carefully to one. And then to the other. “So you want to know,” said the Rabbi, “to whom does the land belong?”

“That’s what we want to know!” answered the two farmers.

“Well,” said the Rabbi, “Why don’t we ask the land?” The two farmers looked at each and then at the Rabbi with a puzzled look on their faces. They watched as the Rabbi bent down and put her ear to the ground. A moment later, she jumped up and announced, “My friends, the land says that it belongs to neither of you!”

“What?” shouted one farmer. “What?” shouted the other farmer. “Not to either of us?” they shouted together.

“The land says that you belong to it!!” exclaimed the Rabbi with a big smile on her face.

Using your favorite cake or cookie dough recipe, spread the batter onto a 11 X 14 cookie sheet (one without sides so that the cookie can be slipped off onto a board).

After baking, while the dough is still slightly warm…

Cut the basic shape of a tree out of the cake (whoever works on this project gets to eat the scraps).  Begin at the top by cutting around the corners to make a round treetop.  Create the trunk by cutting into both sides to make a narrow tree trunk shape. *Keep it simple so that it’s still easy to spread the frosting. Decorate!

- To make the bark of the tree, spread dark brown chocolate icing over the entire cake.  Another idea for the bark is to use chocolate chips.  Pack them tightly onto the “trunk” and make branches as well.
- Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and a few drops of green food coloring to make green icing.   Pipe it on with a decorating bag or squeeze it out of the cut-off edge of a ziplock bag, to make leaves and grass. (of course you can also just dollop it on with a spoon too!)
- Use M&Ms and other colorful candies  for fruits and flowers.
-You can also use flower or butterfuly cookie cutters on the left-over baked dough, decorated them as well and place them around the tree.

Basically, you’re making a cookie painting.  Send pictures!! ]]> http://www.shirlala.com/holidays/tu-bshvat-birthday-cake/feed 0 http://www.shirlala.com/holidays/bal-tashchit-the-three-rs http://www.shirlala.com/holidays/bal-tashchit-the-three-rs#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:15:22 +0000 admin http://shirlalacom.setupmyblog.com/?p=18 To till and to tend: one of the first mitzvot given to us by God in the Torah. Truly, we are the caretakers of this earth and of all the living things. (Including each other! but that’s for another day…) Bal Tashchit is the mitzvah that says, Do Not Destroy/Waste. It comes up in the Torah, Deuteronomy 20:19, having to do with warfare. Even in the heat of battle, we are not permitted to cut down trees and destroy fields for the sake of our advancement and/or the downfall of our enemies. Our Rabbis taught us that “when a tree is cut down, it is as if it’s pain resounds throughout the world.”

There is a wonderful midrash that tells of God explaining this all to Adam on a lovely walk through the Garden of Eden. God says, “I created all My beautiful and glorious works for your sake. Take heed not to corrupt and destroy My world. For if you destroy it, there is no one to make it right after you.” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13) Sound familiar?

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These are three different ways of saying bal tashchit. Every day we’re learning more and more about the environment and our role in it. Jewish teachers and texts have been talking about it since the very beginning. We are taught that righteousness includes the steps we take to actively care for our world, not to mention our appreciation for the extraordinary beauty offered to us in every direction. I like the way Rabbi Abraham ben Moses (1186-1237) puts it:

“In order to serve God, one needs access to the enjoyment of the the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, flowing rivers… For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest people.”

So this year on Tu B’Shvat, not only do I want you to go out and hug a tree, but I want you to take a serious look at the ways you can reduce your waste on a daily basis.

Ideas for Bal Tashchit? Here are a few of mine:

• Bring your own shopping bags to the grocery store with you. Enough with the plastic grocery bags!
• Reuse, reuse, and reuse again those plastic bags you have stuffed in every corner of the kitchen.
• Really remember to turn of the lights when you leave the room and Really remember to shut off the water while brushing your teeth, washing your face, and washing dishes.
• Use dishtowels and cloth napkins instead of paper
• Reuse your computer paper. Keep a stack of paper you’ve only used on one side and save it for next time. You can even use the backs of all that junk mail paper you receive every day.

I can’t wait to hear about your families’ green ways! Please send them in to green@shirlala.com or leave them as a comment. I’ll continue to update the list on a special page.

PREPARING THE SEDER

The preparation itself is a wonderful way to get in touch. So while you choose the fruits, wash and divide them up, be sure to pay close attention to the feel, smell, sight, and taste of each one.

Each place setting should include a plate, fork or toothpicks for tasting, 2 wine cups, napkin, and a small flower pot or paper cup for planting. This is a great time to decorate your table with fresh flowers.

THE SEDER PLATES

Every seder will lead to a unique discussion about the symbolic explanations for these fruits. Go to town with it, there are infinite ways to look at it.

Choose five from each of the different lists:

1. Fruits with an inedible shell. The shell conceals what is inside and also protects it. These fruits remind us of our own personalities, often hardened on the outside. It also reminds us of our connection and reliance on a world enveloped by materialism.
Tangerine Grapefruit Kiwi
Walnut Pomegranate Pistachio
Coconut Peanut Almond
Orange

2. Fruits with an inedible pit or seed. Deep inside us is where we find our truest self, this is about getting in touch with and honoring the still small voice inside us.
Peach Avocado Olive
Apricot Plum Date Cherry
Mango

3. Fruits which are edible inside and out. Is it possible to be at one with ourselves and with the world around us at the same time? Celebrate a way of living with no barriers, no holding back, and fully living an awesome life.
Grape Fig Apple
Strawberry Raisin
Cranberry Pear Carob

4. Instead of fruit, the 4th plate contains different seed packets for planting. We take action to make the world a better place. Think about how seeds hold the potential for new life, rebirth, hope, and change.
Herbs (Parsley is a fun choice in preparation for Passover a few months away)
Vegetables Flowers
Be sure to have a pitcher of water near by so that you can water your seeds after planting.

THE 4 QUESTIONS

Here are the four basic questions, hopefully you will have many more to add!
1. Other New Year celebrations honor events and people. Why do we have this special New Year to honor trees?
2. On other days we eat many kinds of food. Why today do we especially eat fruits from Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel?
3. On other days we take trees and the abundance of different things that grow on trees for granted. Why today do we think about conserving and sharing?
4. Here and in many parts of the world it is wintery and cold. Why today do we speak of trees and planting?

Present these questions one at a time as you go through the seder.

THE 4 CUPS OF JUICE

The different colors of white and red grape juice represent the changing seasons:

1st Cup. This one is just the white grape juice. It represents winter, when nature is asleep. The earth can be snow-covered, taking a rest from blooming and blossoming.
2nd Cup. This one is white juice with a little red mixed in. It represents the spring approaching and the colors of the season changing as the snow melts and flowers begin to show themselves.
3rd Cup. This is mostly red with a little white mixed in. It reminds us of summertime, and flowers in full bloom.
4th Cup. This one is all red. It represents the rich and dark fall autumn colors Leaves are changing, crops are growing, and the trees are filled with blossoms.

THE SEDER!

Now you’ve got all of the tools, just add some friends and family who enjoy each other’s company and who like to eat and talk. Start with the first cup of juice, followed by a tasting from the first seder plate and then go into a discussion of the first question. Follow this with round two and so on all the way through the fourth of everything. Instead of eating fruit for the fourth seder plate, take this opportunity to plant seeds. Why plant? Discuss.