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of the Hebrew month of Shevat. Click on the pictures to learn more about Tu B'Shvat.
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Tu B'Shvat is on the Fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat and is the "New Year for the Trees" or Rosh Hashana La-ilanot. In Israel everything is green and it is the start of spring. 
It is just the right time to plant trees. On the fifteenth (Tu in Hebrew) we plant trees which will grow strong and tall 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. 
Blessings 
Praise to Adonai, who is Lord and ruler over all, for creating the fruit of the vine. 
Praise to Adonai, who is Lord and ruler over all, for keeping us well to reach this season.
Seder Background on the Tu B'Shvat Seder In the 16th century, Sephardic Kabbalists [mystics] invigorated the holiday by composing a Tu B'Shvat seder, based upon the Pesach seder. (The Sephardic Jews originated from Spain). The Sephardic seder did not catch on among Ashkenazic Jews. The Tu B'Shvat seder is loosely based on the Pesach seder. In particular, just like the Pesach [Passover] seder, there are four glasses of wine drunk during the seder. At the Tu B'Shvat seder, however, the color of the wine in each glass is varied. The first cup is all white wine; the second is mostly white mixed with some red; the third is mostly red mixed with some white; and the fourth is all red wine. Some substitute blush and rose for the middle two cups of wine as these are "mixed" colors already. There are several variations on the seder for Tu B'Shvat, these vary according to tradition. The seder that we present is a combination of many of these and is an example. Next Page 
* 4 Glasses
of wine or grape juice
* White
* Blush (white zinfandel) * Rose (cabernet blanc, or zinfandel) * Dark red (cabernet sauvignon, bordeaux or burgundy) * 15 kinds of fruits from Israel Note these are just for illustration you can substitute your own * Fruit with a hard outer shell * Almonds * Walnuts * Pecans * Fruit with an inner pit * Dates * Olives * Cherries * Plums * Fruit with an outer shell and inner pit * Carob * Avocado * Pomegranate * Orange * Fruit that is entirely edible * Figs * Raisins * Strawberries * Grapes * Wheat crackers * Nut cracker * Song sheets for each person * Hagaddot for each person If the gathering is small you can have a large center plate with all of the 15 different kinds of fruits, if it is large you may want to have individual plates for each person. 
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Hagaddah Shel Tu B'Shvat Leader 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. Reader 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. Reader Our hope was to see the fulfillment of the biblical promise: "and 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) 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. Reader As we stand before HaShem on Rosh Hashanah to be judged, so, according to a legend, trees are judged on Tu B'Shvat. 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. S. Shalom 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. All Repeat the blessing. Drink the first glass of wine. 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. Israel 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. 
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. All Repeat the blessing and eat the dates. 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. All Repeat the blessing and dink the third cup. 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. 
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. 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. Leader The Torah characterizes the land of Israel as being blessed with seven kinds of food. A 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. All Repeat the blessing and eat the crackers. 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. All Repeat the blessing and drink the wine. 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. 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 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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