When is Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat in 2007 ?
Tu BiShvat in 2007 or Tu B'Shevat in 2007 will take place at sundown on February 2nd, 2007 and will conclude at sundown on February 3rd, 2007 in the Gregorian calendar. In the Hebrew/Jewish calendar, Tu BiShvat in 2007 or Tu B'Shevat in 2007 will take place for one day on the 15th day of the 11th Hebrew/Jewish month of Shevat or Shvat (which is on the day of the full moon for Shvat or Shevat), in the Hebrew/Jewish year of 5767.
Why is Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat celebrated on the 15th day of the 11th Hebrew/Jewish month of Shevat or Shvat ?
The source for celebrating the Tu BiShvat date or Tu B'Shevat date on the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar is in the Talmud, in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 2a . In this passage, there was a debate about the date of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat between the two most prominent rabbinical schools in the region of Judea/Israel in the 1st century C.E.: the School of Rabbi Hillel and the School of Rabbi Shammai. Rabbi Hillel's disciples stated that the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat should be the day when Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat should be celebrated while the disciples of Rabbi Shammai stated that the 1st day of Shevat or Shvat should be the day when Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat should be celebrated. The following is the passage:
"The first day of Shevat is the New Year for the tree according to Beit Shamai ("House of Shammai" in Hebrew, meaning the School of Rabbi Shammai). Beit Hillel ("House of Hillel" in Hebrew, meaning the School of Rabbi Hillel) says, it is on the 15th of Shevat" (Talmud, Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 2a).
As with most Talmudic debates between these two rabbinical schools of thought, the opinion of Rabbi Hillel's school became the decisive opinion over time and so we follow and celebrate the holiday and date of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat on the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat.
What is the basis for the debate concerning the date of Tu BiShvat date or date of Tu B'Shevat ?
The source for this debate is in the Babylonian Talmud, in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 16a, which states that on the festival of Sukkot (the 15th day of the seventh Hebrew/Jewish month of Tishrei or Tishri) the world is judged in regard to water. Despite a rabbinical opinion in the Gemara of the Talmud which states that the entire world is judged on the 1st day of Tishrei or Tishri, this is not a contradiction with the judgement of water on the 15th day of Tishrei or Tishri because the judgement on the 1st day of Tishrei or Tishri is only a general judgement that only creates the potential for water to be given. Rather, the detailed, practical determination of the giving of water occurs on the 15th day of Tishrei or Tishri, that is, on the festival of Sukkot. Furthermore, in Talmud Yerushalmi (the "Jerusalem Talmud" in Hebrew), in Rosh Hashanah 1:2, it states that the significance of the New Year For Trees is that until that date, all trees are nourished and live on the water of the previous year. After Rosh Chodesh Shevat (the first day of Shevat or Shvat), the trees derive their life source from the water of the new year. Thus, the effect of the new water occurs four months after the period of judgement.
So how does this relate to the source for the debate concerning the date of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat ?
Based on the above statements from Rosh Hashanah 16a and Rosh Hashanah 1:2, the dispute between Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai over the date of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat concerns the significance of the potential ("b'koach" in Hebrew) decision or judgement regarding water and the actual ("b'poel" in Hebrew) decision or judgement regarding water.
The House of Shammai states that the potential decision or judgement regarding water is of primary importance. Based on this conclusion, the judgement or decision regarding the potential for water to be given occurred on the 1st day of Tishrei or Tishri and so exactly four months later, the New Year For Trees, on the 1st day of Shevat or Shvat, the date of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat according to Beit Shammai, is the date when the potential begins for the trees to derive nourishment and live from the waters which were included in the judgement of the entire world exactly four months earlier.
In contrast, the House of Hillel states that the actual decision or judgement regarding water is of primary importance. Therefore, according to Beit Hillel, the actual judgement or decision regarding water takes place on the 15th day of Tishrei or Tishri, that is, the first day of the festival of Sukkot. Consequently, exactly four months later, on the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat, the trees begin to derive nourishment and live from the new waters.
As previously stated, with most decisions in relation to the debates and disputes between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai, we follow the opinion of Beit Hillel and so the Tu BiShvat date or Tu B'Shevat date always occurs on the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat.
The Tu BiShvat date or Tu B'Shevat date always occurs on the same date in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar, that is, on the 15th of Shevat or Shvat, which depending on the year is in either January or February in the Gregorian calendar. The Tu BiShvat date or Tu B'Shevat date falls at an appropriate time of the year in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar according to the seasons in Israel since the major winter rains in Israel have passed and the date of Tu BiShvat date or Tu B'Shevat is the time when new growth begins.
History of Tu Bishvat - History of Tu B'Shevat
Tu Bishvat Customs - Tu B'Shevat Customs
Tu Bishvat Seder - Tu B'Shevat Seder
Tu Bishvat Dates - Tu B'Shevat Dates
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