| It
is just the right time to plant trees. On the fifteenth (Tu in Hebrew)
we plant trees which will grow strong and tall |
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An
ancient custom in Israel when a baby was born, the parents planted a
tree in its honor. The tree was planted on Tu B'Shvat following the
child's birth. If the baby was a boy, a cedar was planted. If the baby
was a girl, a cypress was planted. As the children grew so did the
trees. When children got married the wood from the trees built their
chupah (wedding canopy). As the wood from the two trees were joined in
the chupah so were the bride and groom in their marriage.
Many
hundreds of years Tu B'Shvat has been celebrated throughout the world.
Even when we had no homeland we still remembered and celebrated Tu
B'Shvat. Although many could not plant trees because it was not spring
during the fifteenth of Shevat where they lived, they ate the
"fruit of the trees" and remembered. The fruits of the trees
they ate were like those in Israel: almonds, dates, figs, raisins, and
carob. It was considered a mitzva to eat these fruits during Tu B'Shvat
and recite the blessings.
A
modern tradition for people who live outside of Israel is to plant a
tree in Israel by contributing to the Israel National Fund. They will
plant a tree for you in Israel.
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