Tu b’Shvat celebrates our relationship with the cycles of nature, and with the rhythms of the land on which we live. Tu B’Shvat means “the 15th day of the month of Shevat”, which falls on the full moon exactly three months before Passover (on a leap year). We often call Tu B’Shvat “the birthday of the trees” or “the new year of the trees”, and it marks the moment when, in Southwest Asia and North Africa, sap starts to awaken from its winter rest. The almond blossoms begin to grow, and the plants and the soil feel the first stirrings of what will become spring. Here on Dakota and Anishabeeg land, in this place called Minnesota, we are still in a moment of ice flows and snowfall, observing the quiet of deep winter in difficult times. As we turn towards Tu B’Shvat, may we remember that leaves will unfurl, flowers will grow, and the trees we tend will once again offer fruit.
At the Tu B’Shvat seder, it is traditional to eat fruits you haven’t tasted in a long time and to say Shehechiyanu for experiencing something new. There are many interpretations and ways to find meaning in a Tu b’Shvat seder. The four cups can represent the tree’s growth from seed, to sapling, to continued growth, to bearing fruit. They can represent the tree’s fruit, branches, trunk and roots. For the Kabbalists, the four cups represent the four levels of being from the most physical to the most spiritual.
Tu B’shvat invites into sensual exploration, into the play of taste and feel, and into the songs of the earth and the trees and the seasons. What gentleness do you need in this moment? What pleasure might you claim? How, in reminding ourselves of our connection to the earth and to all living things, might we return to our connection to one another?
Our songful, soulful Tu b'Shvat seder will be facilitated by Sarina Partridge and Liz Loeb from Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MNIPL) and Rabbi Arielle from Shir Tikvah. It will be accessible both in-person and on Zoom/YouTube. We welcome you to join this experience however is right for you