Tu B'Shevat Seder

Introduction

This Tu B'Shevat Program was created by:
Foundation for Family Education
Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner, President
Site: www.jewishfreeware.org
Email: bdlerner1@comcast.net
Phone: 215-572-9175
Fax: 215-572-5974

DEAR READERS

Dear Friends,[/br] Recently we have seen the renewal of the Tu B’Shevat Seder with a variety of "seder" texts. The following program is intended to teach about the geography of the Land of Israel that made it such an ideal garden spot. It is an opportunity in which to appreciate and celebrate God’s bounty and the special relationship of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel. The program provides an opportunity to discuss the meanings for each type of fruit and the time frame in which it originated and to think about the political consequences Israel experiences - then and now - as a land bridge between continents. This material for Tu B’Shevat suggests ending with a contemporary "spin": a fruit "Smoothie." Bless, eat and enjoy this "fruit of my labor" and 4000 years of the fruits and nuts of the Land of Israel.
Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner

SUGGESTED EDUCATIONAL APPROACH

1. First select and study Rabbinic texts appropriate to the range of interest, study time and ability of the students. (Where appropriate paste in or make available the Hebrew text as well.) The intention is to emphasize the importance of the Land of Israel in the thinking of Hazal (the Sages) at the same time they instituted the Rosh HaShanah Ha-Ilanot (the New Year of the trees).
2. Then, to the extent that you have time, review and study the history and geography of Israel as it relates to growing fruits and trees, for this is the background for the historical Tu B’Shevat.
3. Present the fruit of historical period, cutting them into bite-size pieces on a platter and provide “taste” time-line of fruit in Israel, the Holy Land. Cut them in front of the students, to demonstrate which have a hard shell but a soft core, which have a soft external but a hard core, which are entirely edible, which have to be cooked or prepared in some fashion before being edible.
4. Offer "Smoothies" using the fruits of Israel (1) during each historical period, (2) at the end of each or (3) as a grand finale at the end of the program – so much being produced for export and domestic consumption today – using some of the recipes attached; don’t forget the opportunity to teach berakhot.

TU B'SHEVAT SEDER SUGGESTIONS

Preparation for the Tu B'Shevat Seder
Purchase both red and white wine or grape juice. Purchase 15 (numerical value of the Hebrew letters spelling “TU” – Tet and Vav) different types of fruits and nuts - five from each of the following three categories.
1) fruits or nuts with an inedible outer shell and an edible inner core: sabra, pineapple, coconut, orange, pumello, banana, walnut, pecan, grapefruit, starfruit, pinenut, pomegranate, papaya, brazil nut, pistachio, or almond. (Note: purchase the whole fruit or nut so you can remove the outer shell during the seder).
2) fruits with edible outer flesh and pithy, inedible cores: olive, date, cherry, loquat, peach, apricot, jujube, persimmon, avocado. plum, or hackberry. (Note: purchase the whole fruit so you can remove the pit or core during the seder).
3) fruits which are edible throughout. Here no protective shells, neither internal nor external are needed. The symbolic fruits may be eaten entirely and include: strawberry, grape, raisin, fig, raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, carob, apple, pear, kiwi or quince.

Some Tools for the Tu B'Shevat Seder
Vegetable peeler, paring knife, chef’s knife, cutting board, toothpicks, garbage can (can be used for compost heap for the Spring garden), plenty of napkins, plates, forks/knives

Online Material for Tu B’Shevat Seders
JTS: Together Tu Bishvat Seder
COEJL: Trees, Shabbat and Israel’s Ecology
MyJewishLearnign: A Mystical Tu Bishvat Seder
ShemaYisrael: Tu B'shvat Seder
WUJS: Tu B'Shvat Seder
Yavneh Olami: Tu B'Shvat Seder