Explore our resources to celebrate the Jewish birthday of the trees.
So, why does a tree need a birthday? Jewish law, or halacha, has lots of rules around when you can do what with a tree – eat its fruit for the first time, tithe from its fruit, etc. Since you’ll need to know when a tree is, say, three years old, the tree needs a birthday. It would be too hard to track the birthday of each and every tree in the field, so the rabbis declared one big communal tree holiday to take care of things all together.
Have you ever looked up at a redwood tree and wondered how old it is? Tu B’shvat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the birthday of the trees.
But exactly how many candles do we put on a birthday cake for a tree when we don’t know how old it is? Deborah Newbrun, a naturalist and former park ranger, shows us how we can guess the age of any tree.
Celebrate Tu B’shvat by hosting or attending a seder. When we typically think of a seder, we think Passover and matzo ball soup. But actually, seder is just a Jewish term to describe a special meal that commemorates a certain holiday or story. The Tu B’shvat seder celebrates trees and its fruit. This little Shaboom mini-episode will teach you the basics about how to plan your own party.
Tu B’shvat is the Jewish birthday of the trees…so here’s a little tale we created to honor our big friends. Straight from the Talmud (the living encyclopedia of Jewish law), BimBam brings you two stories about Honi the Circle Maker! Now get out there and hug a tree.
Tu B'shvat Source Sheet
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Tu B’Shvat Lesson Guide
Learn to sing a sweet song in Hebrew with Inbal and Yair, who we visited in Jerusalem! The lyrics are by Datia Ben-Dor and here they are in Hebrew and English. Perfect for Tu B’shevat and all year. Enjoy!
איך צומח עשב? ככה
איך צומח פרח? ככה
איך חיטה צומחת? ככה
איך צומח ילד? ככה
How does grass grow? Like so!
How does a flower grow? Like so!
How does wheat grow? Like so!
How does a child grow? Like so!
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| Where to Find a Tu B’shvat Haggadah | Story and Activity for Tu B’shvat | 9 Ways to Celebrate Tu B’shvat with Your Kids |
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These resources have been made possible through the generous support of the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
Thanks to the ROI community for making this possible.
This project was made possible with generous support from The Koret Foundation, as part of its Initiative on Jewish Peoplehood.
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