Tu b'Shevat Memories

 בס"ד

My earliest memory of Tu b'Shevat was when I was a little boy in congregation Beth Shalom, the synagogue in my community. We were taught in Sunday School that this was the new year of trees. On the day all of the children would assemble in shul where they were given a pekalach (Yiddish - small bag) filled with sweets. It included fruits associated with the land of Israel such as figs, dates, and raisins. It also had a small piece of chocolate called a candy kiss and others sweets. Another treat was carob which they referred to by the Yiddish word, buxer (באָקסער). For this they recounted the legend of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and how he lived on them when he was hiding out in a cave from the Romans. This could cause some confusion because he was associated with the holiday Lag b'omer. 

Next we went out to a nearby field and planted trees. Finally everybody, adults and children, men and women, got together and danced the hora. Perhaps as a sign of orthodox inclinations, I protested because I didn't want to dance with girls, but was overruled by my mother. We would sing a song associated with the halutzim (Hebrew: pioneers - חָלוּצִם) in the land of Israel, "U Shavtem Mayim". It was a quote from the prophet Isaiah 12:3, "וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן מִמַּעַיְנֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה", meaning, "You will draw water with joy from the wellsprings of deliverance". We would repeat the word מַיִם / mayim / water and jump and clap above our heads many times. When I was a little older, in Hebrew school the teachers would take up a collection to plant a tree in Israel and the Jewish National Fund would give them a pretty certificate. It was a lot of fun and a pleasant memory.

I was active in my father's school until I graduated high school. Sometime later I joined an orthodox synagogue in Manhattan. Surely I did things for Tu b'Shevat during that time but nothing seems to have made an impression on me. In 1981 I visited Israel for the first time as part of an American Jewish Congress tour. It was during the summer months but one of the activities was to plant a tree in a Jewish National Fund forest. 

In 1985 I made aliyah landing in Israel on February 5th. The ministry of immigration and absorption processed my papers at the airport and provided a van to take me and a small group of new immigrants to Beit Canada Absorption Center in Jerusalem. It was subsidized housing with a staff of Israeli government bureaucrats. As I disembarked it was drizzling and I noticed a group of small saplings in the parking lot. I asked about it and was told that the next day was Tu b'Shevat and that they were planning to plant them. I chuckled because I wasn't aware of the Jewish date and had just about forgotten the holiday. In the evening a young woman who was doing national service in lieu of going into the army, also known as a sherut leumi girl, hosted a program. She showed slides of trees in Israel and after the presentation refreshments were served which included the traditional foods. I don't remember if I actually did plant a tree.

Later on I went to yeshiva and on one Tu b'Shevat they served fruit cocktail for dessert in honor of the holiday. When I was living in Geula, a Hasidic friend invited me to his home for a Tu b'Shevat with his large family. He served a variety of fresh fruits, dried fruits, and nuts. He conducted a formal Seder and we chanted the Psalms of the Shir HaMaalos (Psalm 120 - 134) before partaking of the refreshments as well as drinking four cups of wine. Years later I conducted a Tu b'Shevat Seder for a YouTube video getting suitably sloshed in the process. This year at the supermarket they had a large display of dried fruits for sale at bargain prices. I bought a good quantity of them. On Rosh Hodesh (first of the month) Shevat, which is the new year of trees according to beit Shammai, I had a video chat with my old college roommate, Steve Braun in America. I enjoyed the fruits with some wine and cake in honor of the day.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני  וגם באתר  http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com