Tu B'Shvat means “the 15th (of the month) of Shvat” It is also called "Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot" (Hebrew: ראש השנה לאילנות) -- it is the “New Year of the trees” because it is the midpoint of winter. The strength of the cold becomes less, the majority of the year’s rains (in Israel) have fallen, and the sap of the trees starts to rise. As a result, fruit begins to form.
In contemporary Israel the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day. There are many ways to celebrate this holiday from planting trees to donating money to plant trees in Israel.
There is also a Kabbalistic custom that originated in Safed, which is to host a seder that involves eating specific fruits in a special order.
It is customary to eat fruits from Israel on Tu B'Shevat. The Shiv’at HaMinim, seven species of the land of Israel, are described in Deuteronomy 8:8, as “a land of wheat and barley, of vines [grapes], figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey [dates].”
The 7 Species are:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Grapes
- Figs
- Pomegranates
- Olives
- Dates
As you know, we are the place where “Tradition Meets Design” and our team has stylish ideas about displaying the fruits on an Apeloig Collection challah board. We decided to use the wood board as a symbolic way of thanking the trees for giving us all kinds of benefits including wood. We know that our board is acrylic and it’s a bit of a stretch, but style and effort counts! ;)
Whatever way you choose to celebrate, remember to connect with the earth and to take care of it. It is the only one we have!
PS - Our display does not include wheat or barley, but you can include them in your feast using oat crackers, cake or any food containing wheat.
