Tree-mendous
This part of a tree carries water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves
What is the trunk?
This small fruit, which grows in bunches, was used to make wine in ancient Israel.
What is a grape?
In the Torah, many mitzvot about trees are related to farming in this land.
What is the Land of Israel?
In the Torah, G-d tells Adam and Eve to protect the Earth in this garden.
What is Gan Eden (Garden of Eden)?
A common way to celebrate Tu BiShevat is by planting these.
What are trees?
Israel is one of the only countries that has more trees today than 100 years ago! In fact, at the beginning of the 20th century, in Ottoman-controlled Palestine, the land had been largely deforested. Through the efforts of the JNF, over 200 MILLION trees were planted in Israel since then.
Tu BiShevat falls on the 15th of this month
What is Shevat?
The Torah describes Israel as “a land flowing with milk and” this.
What is honey? (Date honey, not bee honey, FYI.)
In the time of the Second Temple, Tu BiShevat was important because it helped determine the age of trees for this agricultural mitzvah, which required farmers to wait before eating a tree’s fruit.
What is Orlah? (Orlah is the mitzvah that forbids eating fruit from a tree during its first three years, with the fourth year’s fruit set aside for G-d.)
The Torah compares human beings to this part of a tree, teaching that just as trees need strong foundations to grow, people need wisdom and Torah to thrive.
What are roots?
At a Tu BiShevat Seder, one type of fruit we eat has a hard shell or peel on the outside but is soft inside, representing protection and spiritual growth. Examples include almonds, walnuts, and this citrus fruit, which is often used to make juice.
What is an orange?
The Talmud says that if you have a sapling in your hand when the Messiah comes, you should do this before greeting them.
What is plant the tree?
This fruit, which has a hard shell on the outside and edible seeds inside, is a symbol of mitzvot.
What is a pomegranate?
Double points if you know how many seeds are supposed to be in each pomegranate (how many mitzvot there are)?
During the Middle Ages, Jewish mystics in this city created the Tu BiShevat Seder.
What is Tzfat (Safed)?
The idea that we are partners with G-d in creation means that we should care for the Earth. This is called T______ ____.
What is Tikkun Olam? (Repairing the World)
Another type of fruit at a Ti BiShevat Seder is completely soft and edible inside and out, symbolizing wholeness and closeness to G-d. Examples include grapes, figs, and this sweet fruit, often dried and eaten as a snack.
What are raisins?
This type of tree is Israel’s national tree and provided the oil for lighting the menorah in the Temple, including the one in the Chanukah story.
What is the olive tree?
This grain, one of the Shiv’at HaMinim (Seven Species), is the main ingredient in challah.
What is wheat?
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Tu BiShevat became associated with this activity, which symbolized Jewish pioneers’ efforts to rebuild the land of Israel.
What is tree planting?
On Tu BiShevat, some families have the custom of not throwing away or eating this part of a fruit, as a reminder to care for the Earth and reduce waste.
What are the seeds?
Some Jewish communities save the seeds from a Tu BiShevat Seder and plant them to create new plants, or compost them, if they will not grow where they live.
The third type of fruit at a Tu BiShevat Seder has a hard pit of seed at the center, representing the hidden potential inside every person. Examples include olives, peaches, and this fruit, which is one of the Seven Species and is often eaten dried or turned into honey.
What is a date?
This type of tree, mentioned in the Torah, provides shade ad was important for making the Mishnah.
What is the acacia tree?
This fruit, known for its sweetness and long shelf life life, was a staple food in ancient Israel and is often used to symbolize abundance and blessing in Jewish tradition. (It makes a sweet honey!)
What are dates?
In the Torah, fruit trees were protected by a law stating they could not be cut down even during this type of event.
What is war? (Bal Tashchit — “Do not Destroy”)
Every seven years, Jewish farmers in Israel follow this mitzvah by letting the land rest.
What is Shemitah?
Based on Leviticus 25:1-7, where G-d instructs the Israelites to let the land rest just as people rest on Shabbat.
The four cups of wine at a Tu BiShevat Seder change color to symbolize the seasons. They start with white, representing winter, and slowly turn this color.
What is red?