Beginning at sundown on January 16, eat your fruits in honor of Tu BiSh’vat! Also, consider donating a tree through the Jewish National Fund (www.jnf.org).
Four cups of wine and various fruits are eaten as part of the Tu BiSh’vat Seder ritual:
First Cup: Assiya—Making
Pour a cup of white wine and say the following blessing: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Boreh Pri Ha-Gafen. (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of the vine.(
Fruits from the realm of assiya include pomegranates, almonds, walnuts, bananas, peanuts, etc. For most nuts and fruits for the world of assiya the blessing is the one that is said over fruits. Eat the fruit immediately after saying the blessing: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Borei Pri Ha-Etz (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of trees.)
Some fruits that come from this realm are considered to come from the ground and not from trees (even though we may think of them as “tree-fruit”). Such fruits and nuts include bananas and peanuts. For these fruits say the following blessing: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Borei Pri Ha-Adama. (Blessed are You Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Who creates fruit of the ground.)
Second Cup: Yetzira—Formation
Pour a cup of white wine. Add to it a little bit of red wine and say the blessing over wine: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Boreh Pri Ha-Gafen. (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of the vine.)
Take one of the fruits from the realm of Yetzira (olives, dates, cherries, apricots, etc.) and say the following blessing: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Borei Pri Ha-Etz (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of trees.)
Third Cup: Beriah—Creation
Pour a cup of wine that is half red and half white, and say the blessing over wine: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Boreh Pri Ha-Gafen. (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of the vine.(
The blessing over the fruits from the world of Beriah (grapes, figs, apples, citrons, lemons, pears, quinces, and carob) is: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Borei Pri Ha-Etz (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of trees.)
Some berries, such as strawberries also come from this realm. The blessing for most berries is the following: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Borei Pri Ha-Adama. (Blessed are You Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Who creates fruit of the ground.)
Fourth Cup: Atzilut—Nobility
The fourth cup of wine is all red with a drop of white. It symbolizes complete development and ripeness. Say the blessing over wine: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Boreh Pri Ha-Gafen. (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates fruit of the vine.(
There is no fruit associated with this cup. The world of Atzilut represents pure spirituality and it cannot be embodied in anything physical. You may want to have fragrant spices or fruits to smell. This allows us to be aware of our senses beyond that of taste and feeling.
There is a blessing recited over smelling spices and fruits that are particularly fragrant: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Boreh Minei Besamim (Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe Who creates different types of spices.)
(Source: The Hillel Tu BiSh’vat Seder)
Tu BiSh’vat, the Birthday of the Trees, reminds us to take care of our earth.
Here are some easy things you can do:
- Plant a tree in Israel: Jewish National Fund
- Plant two trees in Israel!
- Research different organizations that protect the earth and its creatures and donate to one
- Buy organic produce
- Plan a spring clean-up day for your neighborhood
- Recycle more
- Turn off lights when they aren’t needed
- Fix leaking sinks and toilets
- Turn off the water when you aren’t using it
- Start planning for your own vegetable garden