A Children’s Tu B’Shevat Seder

Welcome to our Tu B’Shevat Seder! Like a Passover Seder, we will structure our experience around four cups of grape juice, in this case symbolizing the four seasons.

The First Cup

The first cup is a cup of white grape juice, symbolizing the bareness of winter.

הגדה של פסח, קדש ו׳

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

Pesach Haggadah, Kadesh 6

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Since this is the first time we have done a Tu B'Shevat Seder this year, we also say the Shehechiyanu blessing.

הגדה של פסח, קדש י״ב

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה.

Pesach Haggadah, Kadesh 12

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, shehechiyanu v'kiyamanu v'higi'anu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and brought us to this time.

The First Song
Begin refilling cups - mostly white grape juice with a little purple.

The 15th of Shevat was chosen as the New Year for the Trees because that is when the first trees blossom in Israel, the almond trees. This song celebrates that.

הַשְקֵדִיָה פּוֹרֲחֲת,

וְשֶׁמֶשׁ פַּז זוֹרַחַת.

צִפֳּרִים מֵרֹאשׁ כָּל גַג,

מְבַשְֹרוֹת אֶת בֹּא הֶחַג.

ט“וּ בִּשְׁבָט הִגִיעַ, חַג הָאִילָנוֹת. (2x)

Hash-kei-di-yah Po-ra-chat,

v'She-mesh Paz Zo-ra-chat.

Tzi-po-rim Mei-rosh Kol Gag,

M'-vas-rot et Bo he-Chag.

Tu B'-Shvat Hi-gi-a, Chag Ha-i-la-not. (x2)

The almond tree is growing,

the golden sun is glowing.

From each roof the birds now sing,

Trees begin to bloom in Spring.

Tu B'Shvat is coming, holiday of trees,

Tu B'Shvat is coming, New Year of the trees.

Singable English by Cantor Neil Schwartz

The First Text

משנה ראש השנה א׳:א׳

(א) אַרְבָּעָה רָאשֵׁי שָׁנִים הֵם. בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַמְּלָכִים וְלָרְגָלִים. בְּאֶחָד בֶּאֱלוּל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמְרִים, בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי. בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַשָּׁנִים וְלַשְּׁמִטִּין וְלַיּוֹבְלוֹת, לַנְּטִיעָה וְלַיְרָקוֹת. בְּאֶחָד בִּשְׁבָט, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאִילָן, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ:

Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1

(1) There are four New Years: On the first of Nisan is the New Year for kings, and for the Festivals, as it determines which is considered the first Festival of the year and which the last. On the first of Elul is the New Year for animal tithes. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: The New Year for animal tithes is on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei is the New Year for years, for calculating Sabbatical Years and Jubilee Years, for planting, and for vegetables. On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree in accordance with the statement of Beit Shammai. But Beit Hillel says: The New Year for trees is on the fifteenth of Shevat.

This is from the Mishnah, saying that the trees get their own new year. The Torah says in the Book of Leviticus (19:23-25), that when we plant fruit trees we should let them do their own thing for the first 3 years. In the fourth year we should give the fruit to the priests, who don't have their own fruit trees. Only starting in the fifth year should we take the fruit for ourselves (all fruit growers today still let fruit trees do their own thing for the first few years because it produces better fruit). What is the modern equivalent of sharing our "fruit" with people who don't have their own?

The First Food

The first food we eat is foods where we eat the inside but not the outside, such as clementines or bananas. These remind us of winter, when the outside seems like nothing is available but the real action is happening away from what can be seen. We say a blessing over fruit that grows on trees:

סידור אשכנז, ברכות, ברכת הנהנין, אכילה, ברכות ראשונות ה׳

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Berachot, Birkat Hanehenin, Eating, Barachot Rishonot 5

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei pri ha’etz.

Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.

Fun fact: Bananas don’t technically grow on trees. Rather they grow on really big bushes. Thus, they get a different blessing:

סידור אשכנז, ברכות, ברכת הנהנין, אכילה, ברכות ראשונות ו׳

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Berachot, Birkat Hanehenin, Eating, Barachot Rishonot 6

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei pri ha’adamah.

Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the ground.

The Second Cup

The second cup is a cup of white with a splash of purple grape juice, symbolizing the beginnings of life in spring.

הגדה של פסח, קדש ו׳

סַבְרִי מָרָנָן וְרַבָּנָן וְרַבּוֹתַי. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

Pesach Haggadah, Kadesh 6

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The Second Song
Begin refilling cups - half white grape juice and half purple.

In the Book of Proverbs (3:18), wisdom (and by extension, the Torah) is described as "a tree of life". Here is Cantor Richard Silverman's tune.

עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֭יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּ וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ מְאֻשָּֽׁר

Eitz chayim hee lamachazikim ba v’tomecheha m’ushar. Shalom (x8)

It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and all of its supporters are happy. Shalom (x9).

The Second Text

Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: If you are planting a tree and somebody tells you that the Messiah has come, finish planting the tree and then go to greet the Messiah.

This text suggests that planting trees is a huge priority. Once they are planted, we should take care of them. The Torah tells us in the Book of Deuteronomy (20:19-20) that if we need to cut down trees to use them we can do so, but we shouldn't hurt the trees unnecessarily. What do we use trees for today, and how can we reduce the number of trees that are cut down?

The Second Food

The second food we eat is food where we can eat the outside but not the inside, such as dates and apricots (or their dried equivalent). These foods remind us of spring, where we are more likely to think about large and small seeds. We have already said the blessing for fruit that grows on trees.

The Third Cup

The third cup is a cup of half white and half purple grape juice, symbolizing the vibrancy of summer.

הגדה של פסח, קדש ו׳

Pesach Haggadah, Kadesh 6

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The Third Song
Begin refilling cups - all purple grape juice.

There's a song about the earth called "Adamah v'Shamayim", by Simon Lev-Tov.

אֲדָמָה וְשָׁמַיִם
חוֹם הָאֵשׁ
צְלִיל הַמַּיִם
אֲנִי מַרְגִּישׁ זֹאת
בְּגוּפִי, בְּרוּחִי, וּבְנִשְׁמָתִי.

הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה

הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה הוֹ

הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה

הֵיָה הֵיָה הֵיָה הוֹ

אֲנִי מַרְגִּישׁ זֹאת
בְּגוּפִי, בְּרוּחִי, וּבְנִשְׁמָתִי.

Adama Veshamayim,

Chom Ha'esh, Tzlil hamayim
Ani margish zot begufi,

beruchi, benishmati.

Heya…heya…heya…heya.....
Heya…heya…heya…ho….

Heya…heya…heya…heya.....
Heya…heya…heya…ho….

Ani margish zot begufi,

beruchi, benishmati.

Love the earth,
Love the sky.

Heat of fire,
Drop of water.

I can feel it in my body,
In my spirit in my soul.

Heya Heya Heya Heya

Heya Heya Heya Ho

Heya Heya Heya Heya

Heya Heya Heya Ho

I can feel it in my body,
In my spirit, in my soul.

The Third Text

קוהלת רבה ז׳:י״ג:א׳

(א) בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נְטָלוֹ וְהֶחֱזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְאָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ

Kohelet Rabbah 7:13:1

When the Holy Blessed One created Adam the first man, God took him and showed him all the trees in the Garden of Eden, and said to him: ‘See My creations, how beautiful and exemplary they are. Everything I created, I created for you. Make certain that you do not ruin and destroy My world, as if you destroy it, there will be no one to mend it after you.

This is from a Midrash on the Book of Kohelet. In the Torah in the Book of Genesis (2:15), we are told that G-d put people on the Earth "to work it and to guard it". What are some ways that we can take care of the Earth?

The Third Food

The third food we eat is foods that have an edible outside and inside, such as raisins and figs. These remind us of summer, when everything seems available. We have already said the blessing for fruit that grows on trees (and vines).

The Fourth Cup

The fourth cup is a cup of purple grape juice, symbolizing the rich colors of fall.

הגדה של פסח, קדש ו׳

Pesach Haggadah, Kadesh 6

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei p'ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The Fourth Song

The Torah says 14 times that the Land of Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 13:27, 14:8, 16:14, Deuteronomy 6:3, 11:9, 26:9, 26:15, 27:3, 31:20)

דברים כ״ו:ט׳

אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃

Deuteronomy 26:9

Eretz zavat chalav udvash

a land flowing with milk and honey.

The Fourth Text

תענית כ״ג א:ט״ו

יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה אָזֵל בְּאוֹרְחָא, חַזְיֵיהּ לְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּהֲוָה נָטַע חָרוּבָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַאי, עַד כַּמָּה שְׁנִין טָעֵין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עַד שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: פְּשִׁיטָא לָךְ דְּחָיֵית שִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין? אֲמַר לֵיהּ הַאי גַּבְרָא: עָלְמָא בְּחָרוּבָא אַשְׁכַּחְתֵּיהּ. כִּי הֵיכִי דִּשְׁתַלוּ לִי אֲבָהָתִי — שְׁתַלִי נָמֵי לִבְרָאִי.

Taanit 23a:15

One day, Honi was walking along the road when he saw a certain man planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said to him: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The man said to him: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Ḥoni said to him: Is it obvious to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? He said to him: That man himself found a world full of carob trees. Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants.

This text comes from the Talmud. It also says in the Torah in the Book of Deuteronomy (8:8) that the Land of Israel is a land of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Just like our ancestors made sure there was food for us, how can we make the world better for those who come after us?

The Fourth Food

The fourth food we eat is wheat products, such as crackers and cookies. These remind us of fall, when things are harvested. These foods get a blessing for food made with wheat but not used as bread:

סידור אשכנז, ברכות, ברכת הנהנין, אכילה, ברכות ראשונות ג׳

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Berachot, Birkat Hanehenin, Eating, Barachot Rishonot 3

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haOlam, borei minei m’zonot.

Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates many types of food.

Conclusion

This ends our Tu B’Shevat Seder. We thank those who worked to make our experience possible. And we say together:
Next year in a better-cared-for world!

With appreciation to Cantor Neil Schwartz’s “Tu BiSh’vat Seder”, Andy Kirschner, Nakdan, and the food explanations from the PJ Library “Tu B’Shevat Seder”.