Simple Ways to Celebrate Tu B’Shvat

Happy New Year! Did you know that there were actually four different New Year’s days in the Jewish Calendar? One of them, Tu B’Shvat, sometimes called the Birthday of the Trees, begins on Tue. Jan 30^st.   You can find out about the other 3 at MyJewishLearning.

In many parts of the country it is still too cold to be outside enjoying trees, but you can always plant a tree in Israel.   Or, PJ Library has 9 other ways you can celebrate Tu B’Shevat.

It is also a custom in many communities to hold a Tu B’Shvat Seder. Each of the four cups of wine represents a different season, and the seder plate represents different types of foods.   You can read more about that and even download some examples from ReformJudaism.org, or if you prefer, here is one from Hazon.

If a whole Seder is too much for you, the Joy of Kosher has some recipes that incorporate the seven species of foods that are represented in a Tu B’Shvat Seder.

About Michele Rosenfield

Michele is a Jewish educator who has developed and taught various online courses. Prior to her midlife career change, Michele was a Systems Consultant for Ernst and Young and an Account Manager for Automatic Data Processing. Michele has a BA in Computer Science from Brandeis University, an MBA in Accounting from Fordham, and an MA in Jewish Education from The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary. Michele and her family reside in Metuchen, NJ.