Tu BiShvat (which means the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shvat) marks the new year for the trees. The Mishna (Rosh HaShana 1:1) tells us there are four “New Years” or “Rosh HaShanas”:

The first of Nisan marks the new year for kings and festivals (i.e., this is the day when we begin counting the new year of a king’s reign and the beginning of the festival calendar).

The first of Elul marks the new year for the tithing of cattle (this is like the “tax year”).

The first of Tishrei (what we call Rosh HaShana) marks the new year for the counting of years (the calendar), Shemitta years, and the tithing of crops (and also the day on which all of humanity is judged by God).

The fifteenth of Shvat (according to Beit Hillel) begins the new year for trees.

Tu BiShvat became the date for calculating the beginning of the agricultural cycle for the purpose of biblical tithes, and it also marks the beginning of the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in Israel (namely the almond trees) begin to bloom, signifying a new fruit-bearing cycle.

In the Middle Ages the custom developed to celebrate Tu BiShvat with a feast of fruits, and in the sixteenth century the kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Luria and his students instituted a Tu BiShvat Seder (in the image of the Pesaḥ Seder), in which the fruits and trees of the land of Israel were given symbolic meaning (see below).

These customs have been renewed in modern Israel, and are widely celebrated by religious and secular alike, due to a deep connection to the land shared by many in Israeli society.

This day is also celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are often planted in festive ceremonies.

❖ Points to Ponder

1. Do we have multiple “New Years” in our secular calendar?

2. Why do you think the meaning behind the festival of Tu BiShvat has evolved over time?

3. Do you think Tu BiShvat still has relevance for us today?