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Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melach Ha-Olam Borei Peri Hagafen Blessed Are You Adonai Our God, Sovereign Spirit of the Universe Who Creates the Fruit of the Vine

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Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melach Ha-Olam Borei Peri Hagafen Blessed Are You Adonai Our God, Sovereign Spirit of the Universe Who Creates the Fruit of the Vine TU BISHVAT The New Year of the Trees A Seder Journey Through the Four Worlds of the Mystics “Every year, you shall set aside a tenth part of the yield, so that you may learn to revere your God forever.” Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof. Talmud Bavli Rosh Hashanah 14a The mishna taught: On the first of Shevat is the new year for trees, according to the statement of Beit Shammai. The Gemara asks: What is the reason that the new year for trees was set on this date? Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Oshaya said: The reason is since by that time most of the year’s rains have already fallen, and most of the season, i.e., winter, is yet to come, as it continues until the spring equinox, which usually occurs in Nisan. The Gemara asks: What is he saying? The Gemara explains: This is what he said: Even though most of the winter season is yet to come, since most of the year’s rains have already fallen, it is considered the end of the previous year of rain, and anything that grows from then on is considered produce of the next year. It was the 16th century Kabbalists of Israel, in Safed, who developed the rituals for the Tu Bishvat seder. They modeled it after the Passover seder with a proscribed order of eating and four cups of wine. They also embraced the concept of Tikkun Olam—Repair of the World. They believed that the ritual consumption of the fruits and nuts, if done with the proper kavanah/intention, would cause the sparks of holy light hidden in the fruit to be liberated and returned to their devine source, contributing to the renewal of life for the coming year. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: "It is when nature is sensed as mystery and grandeur that it calls upon us to look beyond it." On Tu Bishvat we express our joy and thankfulness for the mystery and grandeur of nature, renew our commitment to be responsible custodians of God's world, and release some sparks of holy light. m¨lFrd¨ Kl¤n«¤ ,Epid«¥Ÿl¡` ¨i§i dY¨`© KExA¨ d¤Gd© on©§G©l Ep¨ri¦Bd¦e§ ,Epn¨§Iw¦e§ ,Ep¨ig¡d¤W¤ Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu, melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu, v'ki'manu, v'higi-anu laz'man hazeh. Blessed are you Adonai our God, sovereign spirit of the universe, who gives us life, sustains us, and brings us to this season. STRUCTURE OF THE SEDER The Tu B'Shvat seder, like the Passover seder, follows a specific order. The seder is divided into four parts, representing the four worlds defined by the mystics. World Level Season Fruit Wine Assiyah Action Winter Hard Outer/Soft Inner White Yetzirah Formation Spring Soft Outer/Hard Inner White with Red B’reyah Creation Summer Soft Throughout Red with White Atzilut Emanation Autumn Essence Red We will travel through each world, focusing on the different levels of creation. Each world represents a season, with each cup of wine changing color to correspond with the particular season. And we will consume different types of fruits and nuts, fifteen in all, with special significance to the worlds we will inhabit. Appropriate verses and teachings from the Tanakh, Talmud, and Midrash will accompany us on our journey. Another Tu B’Shevat tradition is to read from the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120 - 134, which were recited as the Levites ascended the fifteen steps to the Temple. As we begin our seder, let us sing these verses from Psalm 133. mi¦r¨PÎdn©E aFHÎdn© d¥Pd¦ cg©¨iÎm©B mig¦`© za¤W¤ Hinei ma tov uma nayim shevet achim gam yachad Behold, how good and pleasant it is when we dwell together in unity Olam HaAssiyah – The World of Action – diyrd mler "And establish for us, the work of our hands." Through the special power of this tikkun, performed on this very day, through the power of the blessings and contemplation of the mystery of the fruit's divine roots, an effect will be produced in their structure and character above. More over the person performing the tikkun can also be affected." Eitz Hadar, Fruit of the Tree the original 17th century Tu b’Shevat seder Assiyah is the world of action. This is the world of the earth. It is the world in which we assemble and shape artifacts without changing the form of the raw material. Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, a 1st century CE Talmudic sage said: Anytime our wisdom exceeds our good deeds, to what are we likened? — to a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few; then the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down.... But when our good deeds exceed our wisdom, to what are we likened? — to a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are numerous; even if all the winds of the world were to come and blow against it, they could not budge it from its place..." Our first cup of wine is white, symbolizing winter. As we drink it, we recall that nature has been dormant for many months, awaiting the warmth of spring and the renewal of life. ot¤«¨Bd© ix¦R§ `x¥FA m¨lFrd¨ K¤ln«¤ ,Epid«¥Ÿl`¡ ¨i§i dY¨`© KExA¨ Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melach ha-olam borei peri hagafen Blessed are you Adonai our God, sovereign spirit of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine In winter we layer ourselves in clothing, blanketing ourselves from the cold just as the earth covered in snow is insulated. In the world of Assiyah we eat fruit and nuts with a tough skin to remind us of the protection the earth gives. We remove the protective shells to expose the fleshy, vulnerable inside. In the world of Assiyah we are reminded that in all aspects of our life—physical, emotional, and spiritual—we need to balance the need to protect ourselves and others from that which is harmful while not losing the ability to reveal ourselves in order to grow. u¥rd¨ ix¦R§ `x¥FA m¨lFrd¨ K¤ln«¤ ,Epid«¥Ÿl`¡ ¨i§i dY¨`© KExA¨ Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melach ha-olam borei peri ha-eitz Blessed are you Adonai our God, sovereign spirit of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree .d¤BU§ ¦i oFpa¨N§ A© fx¤«`¤M§ ,gx¨t§¦i xn¨Y¨M© wiC¦v© .Egix«¦t§©i Epid«¥Ÿl`¡ zFxv§ g©A§ ,¨i§i zia¥A§ mi¦lEzW§ .Eid§¦i mi¦P©p£rx©e§ mi¦pW¥ C§ ,da¨iU¥ A§ oEaEp§i cFr .FA dz¨«¨le§©r `Ÿle§ ix¦Ev ,¨i§i xW¨¨i iM¦ ci¦Bd©l§ Tzadik katamar yifrach, k'erez bal'vanon yisgeh. Sh'tulim b'veit Adonai, b'chatzrot Eloheinu yafrichu. Od y'nuvun b'seivah, d'sheinim v'ra-ananim yihyu. L'hagid ki yashar Adonai, tzuri v'lo avlatah bo. The righteous will blossom like the palm tree, grow tall like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of Adonai, they flourish in the courtyards of our God. Even in old age they will bear fruit, full of vigor and freshness, declaring that Adonai is upright, my rock in whom there is no injustice. Psalm 92:13-16 Olam HaYetzirah – The World of Formation – dxivid mler ". speech has the power to arouse the sefirot and to cause them to shine more wondrously with a very great light that sheds abundance, favor, blessing, and benefit throughout the worlds.” Pri Eitz Hadar, Fruit of the Tree Yetzirah is the world of formation and feeling. This is the world of water. It is the world in which we cause a transformation of raw materials, such as making bricks from clay. We acknowledge creation not only of the physical world but also of our ability to be creative, our capacity to feel, speak, and sing. Come with me, my love, come away For the long wet months are past, and rains have fed the earth and left it bright with blossoms Birds wing in the low sky, dove and songbird singing in the open air above Earth nourishing tree and vine, green fig and tender grape, green and tender fragrance Come with me, my love, come away The Song of Songs translation by Marcia Falk Our second cup of wine is white tinged with red representing Spring. This mixture symbolizes the gradual deepening in color which parallels the reawakening of the earth as the sun’s rays begin to thaw the frozen earth and the first flowers appear. ot¤«¨Bd© ix¦R§ `x¥FA m¨lFrd¨ K¤ln«¤ ,Epid«¥Ÿl`¡ ¨i§i dY¨`© KExA¨ Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melach ha-olam borei peri hagafen Blessed are you Adonai our God, sovereign spirit of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine In the full warmth of spring we go outdoors to be with nature.
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