Named for the 15th day of the month of Shevat, the holiday of Tu B’Shevat will arrive this year at sundown on Jan. 16, 2022., and be celebrated until sundown on Jan. 17. The holiday is known as the New Year of the Trees. Although it’s hard to believe here in the northeast that we would choose to celebrate trees in the dead of winter. But in the Middle East, it’s actually the beginning of spring. The first almond blossoms have opened, and the sap in the trees is beginning to rise. It’s traditional, then, at Tu B’Shevat to eat fruits from Israel: figs, dates, grapes, olives and pomegranates, also grains and spices. We also recite the Shehecheyanu (a prayer for experiencing something new) because these delicacies have not been seen here for many months. Tu B’Shevat is seen as a time to celebrate nature and to affirm our relationship to the earth.

So, how should we observe Tu B’Shevat? You might enjoy a brisk walk with friends or family. Or plant a tree, weather permitting, or sow some seeds for a spring crop or to feed the birds who winter here. You might pledge to create a garden come spring, or volunteer to help with gardening at the shul. Last year, on Tu B’Shevat, Rabbi Gadi conducted a traditional Tu B’Shevat seder at a Lunch and Learn Zoom session. We learned through songs, prayers and readings about different aspects of the fruit trees.

However you choose to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, this holiday is an opportunity to savor and appreciate the bounty of this world, and to give thanks for all the ways that trees provide us with food, shelter, beauty, air, and valuable life lessons.

—Text excerpted and adapted from a Hillel Foundation publication