H.+Tu+Bish'vat

It is widely known that ט"ו בשבט is the "New Year of the Trees." It has become a very important environmental holiday in modern Jewish practice and is widely celebrated in Israel as a day when Israelis go out to the forests in conjunction with the J.N.F. to plant more and more trees in the deserts of the land. It is remarkable how Israel, through the work of the J.N.F. is turning desert into beautiful forest land.

"New Year of the Trees." Think about that name for a holiday. It is a little odd, no? In the United States and many other countries, a day celebrating trees is called "Arbor Day." Arbor comes from a latin root meaning "tree." Isn't that a better name for a tree holiday? The Hebrew could be יום העצים or יום האלנות. Instead, we call it the "New Year of the Trees" and ט"ו בשבט. Why?

Together, we will study the origins in the Mishna for the celebration of a New Year of the Trees (and some other Jewish New Years too!).


 * Tu Bish'vat Packet || [[file:Tu Bish'vat - Four New Years.pdf]] || Link to the [|study guide] ||

ט"ו בשבט הגיע חג לאלנות