The Importance of Planting Trees on Tu Bishvat in Israel

Tu Bishvat, also known as the New Year of the Trees or Birthday of the Trees, happens on the 15th day of the month of Shevat, this typically lands in late January or early February. It is tradition on Tu Bishvat to plant new trees and eat things that came from trees the year before like nuts, dried fruit, and figs. To explain why exactly new trees are planted, we must look into the history of Tu Bishvat.

Tu Bishvat is one of four "new years" in the Jewish calendar. It is the earliest time in Winter that the almond trees first blossom in Israel and signal the oncoming Spring. Tu Bishvat became the ruled date of when the old agricultural cycle ended and the new one began. This allowed for the religious tithing to be decided based on the age of the trees.

There is a seven year agricultural cycle, with each year being marked by Tu Bishvat. The first three years of a fruit bearing tree's life, are Orlah, the fruit is not to be eaten by Biblical law. The fourth year is Neta Reva'i, it is the tradition of the fruit being taken to Jerusalem as a tithe to God. The following years the fruit is free to be consumed though one tenth of the fruit is still to be tithed to the poor in Jerusalem.

Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, Tu Bishvat has been celebrated as a way to reconnect to the lost homeland and traditions. Jews would eat food that was traditionally grown in Israel like figs, almonds, and dried fruit, to help return to the old ways. The tradition altered slightly as Jewish people were able to once again gain access to the land of Israel.

In 1890 on Tu Bishvat, Rabbi Zeev Yatez took his students to the colony of Zikron Ya'akov to plant new trees in Israel. This sparked a tradition that was picked up by the Jewish Teacher's Union and later the Jewish National Fund. The purpose of planting new trees in Israel is such a touchstone because it is not only a way to reconnect with the old customs, but also a method of giving something new to Israel and become a part of the homeland. Currently over a million Israelis take part in the Jewish National Fund's tree planting program each year on Tu Bishvat.