What is the meaning of the word ‘Tu’, in Tu BiShvat? The birthday of the trees, or Tu BiShvat, falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat. In the Hebrew numbering system, letters are used to denote numerical values, with Aleph equal to 1, Bet equal to 2, etc. The teen numbers Continue Reading »
One of my favorite things about TuBiShvat is that it portends the arrival of spring. When my family and I lived in Israel, we used to go out to the Carmel Forest near Haifa on TuBiShvat to see the cyclamens and the almond blossoms, the first signs of new life. Even in Israel, which is Continue Reading »
This month, we celebrate Tu BiShvat, Jewish Arbor Day, also known as chag ha-ilanot, the Birthday of the Trees, or New Year of the Trees. Tu BiShvat falls on January 21 this year, and our joyful TBE celebration will be held on Saturday, January 26. Because Tu BiShvat falls in the middle of our winter Continue Reading »
The unpredictable weather pattern engulfing the Hillsborough metropolitan area has everyone wondering what’s coming next. We went from a “one day tee shirt, next day parka” autumn to a November blizzard to a 65-degree first day of winter. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting heavier than normal snowfall. And who knows what Punxsutawney Phil will Continue Reading »
There is no halachah, no legal structure to define Tu Bishvat. For this reason, its position in Jewish practice wavers between two opposing poles, which can be understood by reference to two important Jewish leaders of the 20th Century: the modern orthodox scholar Rabbi Irving Greenberg and the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson. According Continue Reading »
On the sunny first day of the secular New Year, I sat down at the piano to take a peek at Gershwin’s First Prelude, also known as the last piece I tried to play before I gave up piano lessons as a kid. Every once in a while, I look at it and attempt to Continue Reading »
