What is the history of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat ?
The history or story of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat is based on the establishment of an annual date in Judaism for the system of the giving of fruit tithes by the twelve Hebrew tribes to the Jewish priests and Levites (assistants to the priests) that served in the Temple in Jerusalem, who, unlike the Hebrew tribes, did not own any land to grow food since they were consecrated to serve G-d.
Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat history begins with the establishment of the date of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat as being on the day of the full moon in the 11th Hebrew/Jewish month of Shevat or Shvat. On this day, which marked the year-end date for the fruit-crop, the tithe of fruit given by each Hebrew tribe was calculated and paid. This fruit tithe was a type of tax. For several centuries, the paying of this fruit tax served as the only practical purpose for commemorating the holiday of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat. In the 10th century, rabbinical authorities forbade public fasts on the holiday of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat since this was a day of celebration and fasting was not appropriate for this occasion. In the 11th century, Psalms ("Songs" in Hebrew) were composed for the synagogue service, particularly for the Tu BiShvat Amidah / Tu B'Shevat Amidah ("Amidah" means "standing" in Hebrew and is the collective name for a series of 19 blessings and requests made to G-d that are recited while standing at attention as if one was standing before G-d. The "Amidah" is the central focus of the synagogue service.).
The historical date for Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat was established on the 15th day of Shevat or Shvat which, depending on the year, corresponded to occurring in either January or February according to the Gregorian calendar, and this date was important both in the life cycle of the trees of Israel as well as in relation to the seasons of Israel since it is around this time that the sap which nourishes the trees in Israel begin to rise again in the trees, which in the winter had been lying dormant.
After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. by the Romans, the holiday of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat could have lost its significance, since there now was no Temple nor Temple priests and assistants to the priests for the Hebrew tribes to give tithes. In the 16th century, however, the Jewish mystics known as Kabbalists, in Safed, Israel, led by Rabbi Isaac Luria, created a brand-new method to celebrate Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat by conducting a festive meal on the eve of the Tu BiShvat holiday / Tu B'Shevat holiday known as a Seder, which means "order" in Hebrew, and refers to an ordered set of steps that are followed for the purpose of conducting the festive meal in such a way so as to commemorate the theme of the holiday and to describe its significance and purpose in the lives of the Jewish people. Rabbi Isaac Luria wrote the instructions for conducting the Tu BiShvat festive meal or Tu B'Shevat festive meal. It was initially published in Izmir, Ottoman Empire in 1731-1732 as part of an anthology of Kabbalistic customs, the anthology being known as "Hemdat Yamim" ("A Day To Be Coveted" in Hebrew, anonymous author, though attributed to Nathan of Gaza). It was first printed separately as a pamphlet in 1728 in Venice, Italy, and later on in 1753, the Kabbalists published the first Tu BiShvat Haggadah or Tu B'Shevat Haggadah. The word "Haggadah" means either "narration" or "telling" and refers to a manual containing the ordered set of instructions for conducting the Tu BiShvat Seder meal or Tu B'Shevat Seder meal. The name of this Tu BiShvat Haggadah or Tu B'Shevat Haggadah was "Pri Etz Hadar" or "Peri Eitz Hadar" ("the Fruit of the Goodly Tree" in Hebrew), and it contained two versions of the Lurianic Kabbalistic Seder. In a nutshell, the Lurianic Kabbalistic Seder consisted of eating the different types of traditional fruits grown in Israel and connecting the different types of these fruit with each the Four Worlds of Kabbalistic theology, drinking four cups of wine that were each mixed with different proportions of wine with each cup of wine symbolizing one of the four seasons, and reading passages that mentioned trees from the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, and Midrash ("Midrash" in this context refers to collections of Jewish scholarly works which contain rabbinic explanations and expansions of biblical text). Songs and dances based on the theme of trees and nature were also added to the Lurianic Kabbalistic Seder. The Kabbalists called their Tu BiShvat Seder meal or Tu B'Shevat Seder meal the "Feast of Fruits". In Turkish-Jewish communities, it is known as the "Fruticas Seder" or "Frutikas Seder", the Turkish word "Fruticas" or "Frutikas" meaning "Fruits", and the holiday of Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat being known simply as "Fruticas" or "Frutikas".
The Kabbalistic Tu BiShvat Seder or Tu B'Shevat Seder was first slowly adopted by Sephardim, that is, Jews whose ancestors came from either Spain and/or Portugal, then by Ashkenazim, that is, Jews whose ancestors came from either Central, Northwestern, and/or Eastern Europe. In the 16th century, it was common for Ashkenazi Jews to eat 15 different types of fruit on Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat to commemorate the "Tu" ("15" in Hebrew) in the name "Tu BiShvat" or "Tu B'Shevat".
The "Peri Eitz Hadar" Haggadah was first adopted by Sephardim and eventually became very popular among them. At the same time, the "Peri Eitz Hadar" Haggadah was virtually unknown in the Ashkenazi communities. This is because the foremost Ashkenazi authority on Jewish law, Rabbi Jacob Emden (1697-1176, born in Altona, Germany, near Hamburg, Germany) thought it to be a work of Nathan of Gaza, who was a Shabbatean or Sabbatean, meaning a follower of the 17th century pseudo-Messiah Shabbatei Tzvi, who considered himself to be the Messiah but hwo eventually converted to Islam, making him reviled and a heretic to rabbinic authorities. However, the text of the "Peri Eitz Hadar" Haggadah is purely Kabbalistic in its theology and is from the School of the foremost Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, who lived in Safed, Israel in the 16th century. Eventually, the "Peri Eitz Hadar" Haggadah slowly became known and was accepted by Ashkenazi communities.
The late 17th century saw the complete development of the Kabbalistic Tu BiShvat Seder / Tu B'Shevat Seder.
In the Talmud, in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1, Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat is mentioned as being the New Year For Trees, one of four New Years in the Hebrew/Jewish calendar. The four New Years that were mentioned in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 were: (1) Rosh Hashanah (the New Year For Years); (2) Rosh Hashanah L'Ilanot (the New Year For Trees, otherwise known as Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shevat); (3) Rosh Ha-Shanah le'Ma'aser Beheimah or Rosh Ha-Shanah le'Ma'aser Beheimoh (the New Year For Tithing Animals or New Year For The Herds), and (4) Rosh Hashanah le'Melechim v'Chagim v'Hodeshim (the New Year For Kings and Festivals and Months).
The day of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat as the "New Year For Trees" was thought to have an identical meaning for trees as the day of Rosh Hashanah, that is, the "New Year For Years" - did for humans: it was and is both a "New Year" and a "Day of Judgement". Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat as the "New Year For Trees" is the day of judgement for trees whereupon G-d judges whether or not G-d will allow them to be nourished by the rains and hence, grow fruit as well as how bountiful the fruit will be in the coming year. The significance and history of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat demonstrates how important trees and nature in general were and are to the survival of the Jewish people. It illustrates how intimately connected the Hebrews/Jews were and are with their land and with their reliance on G-d. Rosh Hashanah, as the "Day of Judgement" for humans, is the day on which G-d immediately judges which humans will live and which humans will die in the coming year, with the remainder who are not so easily classified as having their judgement temporarily put on hold until 8 days later on Yom Kippur (or 9 days if one celebrates Rosh Hashanah for 1 day rather than 2 days), with their judgement depending on their behaviour during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, meaning G-d watches to see if they sincerely and wholeheartedly perform and undergo repentance for sins committed during the past year.
Historically, in either January or February, the time period in which the date for the holiday of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat occurs, white and pink blossoms or flowers begin appearing on the almond trees in Israel. This led the Kabbalistic scholars (Jewish mystical scholars) in Safed, Israel in the 16th century C.E. to associate the fruit tree with the Sefirot (or Sephirot, meaning "enumerations" in Hebrew, referring to 10 attributes through which G-d created and uses to project G-d throughout the universe and humanity), also known as the Kabbalistic "Tree of Life", since these 10 attributes are arranged in a tree-like fashion when visualizing them. Consequently, the Kabbalistic or Jewish mystical history of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat associates the day of Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat as being the day when the Tree of Life renews the flow of life to the universe. Further to this belief was the belief that by offering blessings on Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat, a person can help in the healing of the world. From this came the belief that since on Tu BiShevat / Tu B'Shevat we offer a blessing for each fruit before we consume it, the more fruits we eat, the more blessings we can offer to help heal the world.
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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