Tu b’Shvat: How a date in the tax year became a festival

Tu b’Shvat is a festival closely linked to the seasons and cycles of the Holy Land.  Here in the Midlands, 2^nd  February was a particularly damp and dismal day as I drove from Derby to New Mills in the High Peak. It is also a rainy season in Israel, although perhaps not matching the unparalleled greyness of the British late winter. 

It seems an odd time to be thinking about trees.  Yes, the days are slowly getting lighter, and birds are just starting to sing again, but the trees are still bare and brown, rotting leaves still cover the ground.  There is no fruit to be picked, no blossom to enjoy. So why do we think about trees now, on the 15^th of S’hvat? Simply because in Temple times, this date was considered the new year or ‘birthday’ of trees in order to determine age for the purpose of tax and agricultural law.  It was a practical date, tied to the cycles of the land.  In the Babylonian Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 14a), the opinion of Rabbi Oshaya is quoted that most of the year’s rain has already fallen.  This means that the trees have received a lot of their ‘fuel’ to begin the growing season.  Obviously here in Britain, our seasons are different and we still have a lot of rain to come.

After the destruction of the Temple and the beginning of exile, this legal function became less important.  The date remained significant though and by the 16^th century had gained new meaning through the mystical tradition of the Kabbalists.  They reimagined the day as a spiritual celebration and created a Seder ritual that honoured the fruits of Eretz Yisrael, even in diaspora, where they could be eaten in dried form.

In the modern word, it has taken on still more meaning. It has been linked to environmental ethics, with many communities in Israel and the diaspora, engaging in tree planting or environmental volunteer work.  Eco Judaism https://ecojudaism.org.uk/ has a host of resources, including Seder rituals, to help you explore this.  

In Temple times, and in modern times, this is a time of renewal, a time of starting again.  It is a reminder of the cycles of the nature, and the promise of spring soon to come.