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Hagaddah
Shel Tu B'Shvat
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Leader
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For
a thousand years, the Jewish people lived in Israel, but for two
thousand years Israel has lived in the people. Throughout our
exile and wanderings, Israel has been the center of our lives. |
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Reader
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When
we pray, we face towards Jerusalem. During the Passover seder we
call out "Next year in Jerusalem". We prayed for rain
in Israel, and celebrated its harvest festivals. We mourned its
destruction and wept over its devastation. |
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Reader
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Our
hope was to see the fulfillment of the biblical promise:
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I will restore my people Israel and they shall build the waste
cities and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and
drink the wine, they shall also make gardens and eat the
fruit." (Amos 9:14) |
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Reader |
Today
we come together to reaffirm our bon with the land of Israel and
rejoice in its rebirth. Tu B'Shvat, Rosh Hashana La'Llanot marks
the awakening of nature after its winter sleep. As we celebrate
this seder, we renew our pledge to share in the rebuilding of
Medinat Yisrael and make the desert bloom. |
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Reader |
As
we stand before HaShem on Rosh Hashanah to be judged, so,
according to a legend, trees are judged on Tu B'Shvat.
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THE
FIFTEENTH OF SHEVAT
On
the fifteenth of Shevat,
When the spring comes,
An angel descends, ledger in hand.
And enters each bud, each twig, each tree
And all our garden flowers.
From town to town, from village to village
He makes his winged way.
Searching the valleys, inspecting the hills,
Flying over the desert.
And returns to heaven.
And when the ledger will be full
Of trees and blossoms and shrubs,
When the desert is turned into a meadow
And all our land is a watered garden,
The Messiah will appear.
Shin
Shalom
An Israeli Poet |
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Leader |
Our
first cup of wine is white, symbolizing winter. As we drink it
we recall that nature has been dormant these many months,
awaiting the warmth of the spring and the cycle of rebirth in
the land.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri hagafen.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the vine. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing. Drink the first glass of wine. |
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Reader |
The
first kind of fruit we eat in honor of Tu B'Shvat is of the type
which has an outer inedible shell - the almond. In Israel the
almond tree blooms at this time. Its white blossoms tinged with
pink brighten the countryside after the bleak grayness of
winter. Israeli children have nicknamed it "The King of Tu
B'Shvat".
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri haetz.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the tree. |
Note:
If this is the first time you have eaten an
almond this season the following prayer is
said. |
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Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam
she-hecheyanu,
ve-kiyemanu, ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who
has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and
enabled us to reach this season. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing. Eat the almonds. |
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Reader |
We
have drunk of the fruit of the vine, and eaten the fruit of the almond
tree. Trees nourish us, and we enjoy the fruit of the trees that
others have planted for us. As others have provided for us, we
too, have the responsibility to provide for others. |
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Reader |
The
Talmud has a story in it that an old man was seen planting a
carob tree as a king rode by. "Old man," the king
called out, "How old are you?" The man replied,
"Seventy years old your majesty.". "How long
before that tree you are planting will bear fruit?"
"About seventy years or so," the old man
replied. "Do you expect to eat the fruit of the tree
you are planting?" the king asked. "Of course not your
majesty. But just as I found fruit trees when I was born, I
plant them for the future." |
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Reader |
In
Israel the Jewish National fund has been planting trees for
about 100 years. It has made the desert bloom and turned the
barren wastelands into forests. Jews from around the world have
shared in the mitzvah by helping to plant trees in Israel. |
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Leader |
(The
Second cup of wine is filled)
Our second cup of wine is white, but tinged with red. It
symbolizes the beginning of springtime and the earth's
reawakening. In Israel, pink and white flowers bloom on the
hills and mountains at this time of the year.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri hagafen.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the vine. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing and drink the wine. |
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Reader |
The
second type of fruit we eat in honor of Tu B'Shvat is on that
has an inner pit which can not be eaten - the date. When the
Torah spoke of "a land flowing with milk and honey,"
it referred to the honey from the date palm, tamar. The tamar is
one of the trees which abound with blessing, for every part of
it can be used. For this reason the rabbis compared the people
of Israel to this tree.
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is like the date palm, of which none is wasted; its
dates are for eating, its lulavim are for blessing; its
fronds are for thatching; its fibers are for ropes; its
webbing for sieves; its thick trunks for building - so
it is with Israel, which contains no waste.
Bereshit
Rabbah 41 |
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri haetz.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the tree. |
Note:
If this is the first time you have eaten an
date this season the following prayer is
said. |
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Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam
she-hecheyanu,
ve-kiyemanu, ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who
has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and
enabled us to reach this season. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing and eat the dates. |
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Leader |
Fill
the third cup of wine
Our third cup of wine, mostly red, but with some white,
represents the full arrival of spring. The red tulip and red
buttercup spring up over the countryside of Israel. As spring
arrives, the soil is warmed and softened.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri hagafen.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the vine. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing and dink the third cup. |
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Reader |
The
third type of fruit we eat in honor of Tu B'Shvat has both an
inner pit and a hard outer skin that can not be eaten - the avocado.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri haetz.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the tree. |
Note:
If this is the first time you have eaten an
avocado this season the following prayer is
said. |
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Baruch
ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam
she-hecheyanu,
ve-kiyemanu, ve-higiyanu la-zeman ha-zeh.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who
has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and
enabled us to reach this season. |
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Reader |
In
the book of Bereshit we read:
And
G-d said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the
herb yielding seed, and the fruit trees yielding fruit
after its kind, whose seed is on the earth," and it
was so.
And the earth blossomed with grass, herbs and
trees, and G-d saw that it was good.
Bereshit
1:9-13 |
HaShem has
created the trees for us and it is our obligation to uphold and
preserve them for the future. |
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Leader |
The
Torah characterizes the land of Israel as being blessed with
seven kinds of food.
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land of wheat and barley, of grape vines, figs and
pomegranates, a land of olives and honey. |
We have had
wine and fruit. Let us taste of wheat.
The
wheat crackers are given out.
Barukh Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray minay
m'zonot.
Praised
are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who creates
various kinds of foods. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing and eat the crackers. |
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Leader |
The fourth
cup of wine is poured.
Our
fourth cup of wine is completely red, symbolizing the full glow
of summer. the crops are growing and the flowers are in full
bloom. In the coming months HaShem will bless the land and it
will yield many varieties of fruit and produce to sustain and
delight us.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri hagafen.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the vine. |
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All |
Repeat
the blessing and drink the wine. |
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Reader |
The
fourth fruit we eat in honor of Tu B'Shvat is one that can be
entirely eaten - the raisin. The raisin is a dried grape
and is the fruit of the vine.
Baruch
Ata Adonai, Eloheynu Melekh haolam, boray pri hagafen.
Blessed
are you, Lord our G-d, Ruler of the Universe who creates
the fruit of the vine. |
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Reader |
| Everyone
will sit under their vine and fig tree and none shall
make them afraid; for the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
Micah
4:4 |
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All |
May
it be your will Adonai that through our eating of the fruits
which have been blessed, that the trees of Israel will renew
themselves blossoming and growing.
We pray
that this seder celebration of Tu B'Shvat will inspire us with a
deeper sensitivity to the natural gifts you have given us to
tend.
We give
thanks to you Adonai who has given us the trees and their
fruit.
Leshanah
Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim!
Next Year
In Jerusalem!
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