A Garden Needs Tending

I have a really interesting backyard.  There is the house, then a wide stripe of open grass we've often referred to as our soccer field, and then a wide stripe of trees and undergrowth.  Ever since we moved into our house, I have referred to this back section of the yard as my "fairy garden".

You see, I have this vision that this area will come to have meandering wander-paths through the trees, a small pond or fountain, various shade-loving plants and flowers in decorative planters, bird feeders, and whimsical decorations, all designed so that we could enjoy the uniqueness of this area of our property.

We've lived in our house for almost nine years now, and the closest I've gotten to this vision is that we have a bird feeder hanging from a metal hook.

It's not because I no longer like my initial vision, or no longer want all that it entails.  It's that all of those things that I want to see in my backyard take a lot of work to put together and maintain.  I've tried many times to plant flowers and plants, almost all of which have died off.  I have a box of decorations to put out, and every time I have found free time to dedicate to this outdoor space, it's raining.

It is simply a matter of so much work, so little time.  And that is why I think Tu B'Shevat is so important.  Besides being my Hebrew birthday, this holiday reminds us that a garden needs tending.  Everything in our world, from living things like plants and animals, to more esoteric items like love and ideas, need care and feeding to grow and thrive.

God created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh.  Imagine the enormity of the work, that God needed a nap when he was done! (and thus was born the tradition of the Shabbos Shluf)  We call it the Garden of Eden, not the Land of Eden, because it grew all life, and needed God's continuing care to exist.  Tu B'Shevat reminds us not only of the importance of our environment, but also of our responsibility to maintain it, for ourselves and future generations.

Tu B'Shevat is the new year for trees.  The Torah, in the book of Leviticus, outlines that when you plant a tree, you must wait three years before taking any of its fruit, and then on the fourth year, the fruit is to be used for temple sacrifices only.  It is only when a tree is five years old that the fruit may be consumed by the community.  This created a problem, how do you know how old a tree is?  When you are busy planting many different trees, how do you record the different planting dates of each and every tree?  Our sages came up with the practice of having one day a year, the 15th of Shevat, when they would consider all trees one year older for the purposes of following the Torah commandment surrounding the fruits of trees.

Fun facts about Tu B'Shevat:

"Tu" is not a word, it stands for the number 15 in Hebrew.   Why do we use a Tet and Vav (9 & 6), instead of the easier Yud and Hey (10 & 5)?  Because Yud and Hey make up God's name, and we don't want to use God's name as a number.

Tu B'Shevat is one of four New Years mentioned in the Torah.  Just as the secular world has different calendars - think of our secular calendar, business fiscal years, and school calendars - so too Judaism has different calendar years for different purposes.

One custom for Tu B'Shevat is to eat a new fruit on the holiday so that you can say the Shehecheyanu blessing.  We also should eat from the seven species mentioned in the Torah as being from Israel; wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.  A Tu B'Shevat Seder is a common way to accomplish this.

Many families send money to plant trees in Israel for Tu B'Shevat.

Much of the discussion of Tu B'Shevat mentions that it is the beginning of spring, however, we're celebrating in the middle of winter, what gives?  While it is still winter here in the United States, and we won't be seeing trees budding for a while, over in Israel, Tu B'Shevat is the very beginning of the spring growing season.