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Israel and the Celebration of Tu B’Shvat
Tu B’Shvat is a celebration of fruits and vegetables - - the fruits and vegetables God had waiting for His Chosen People in the Promised Land. Today, it is also celebrated as an Israeli form of Arbor Day.
While the Jewish faith is blessed with a number of feasts and celebrations, perhaps one of the more interesting and intriguing ones is Tu B’Shvat. Beginning on the evening of January 25th and ending on the evening of January 26th, this particular holiday is a cross between Arbor Day and Thanksgiving. As the excerpt below from a wonderful article by Rabbi Shraga Simmons explains, there are, in fact, many aspects to the Celebration of Tu B’Shvat.
Tu B’Shvat appears in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 2a) as one of the four “new years” in the Jewish calendar: “Beit Hillel says that the ‘new year for the trees’ is the 15th of Shevat – Tu B’Shvat.”
The custom on Tu B’Shvat is to eat fruits from the seven species for which the Land of Israel is praised: "...a land of wheat, barley, [grape] vines, fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and [date] honey" (Deut. 8:8).
In contemporary Israel, Tu B’Shvat is a sort of Jewish Arbor Day – a day of environmental awareness where trees are planted in celebration.
Agricultural Laws in Israel
Tu B’Shvat has great significance in the agricultural laws that are relevant in the Land of Israel.As “new year for the trees,” Tu B’Shvat is the cut-off date in the Hebrew calendar for calculating the age of a fruit-bearing tree. Each tree is considered to have its “birthday” on Tu B’Shvat. This means if you planted a tree on Shevat 14, it begins its second year the next day; whereas planting a tree on Shevat 16, it does not reach its second year until the following Tu B’Shvat.
Think of Tu B’Shvat as the fiscal year for agriculture. The practical relevance of this is that during a tree’s first three years, its fruits are forbidden under the biblical injunction against eating Orlah (Leviticus 19:23). Furthermore, Tu B’Shvat is the new year for determining the tithes: In years 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the 7-year Shmita cycle, 10 percent of produce grown in Israel is Maaser Sheni, which must be redeemed with a coin. In years 3 and 6 of the cycle, that 10 percent is Maaser Ani. When partaking of fruits grown in Israel, they must be properly tithed. Otherwise, the fruits are not “kosher.”
Within the seven species, the order of importance is: wheat / barley / olives / dates / grapes / figs / pomegranates. To memorize this list, one rabbi suggests the following ditty, whose first letters correspond to the first letter of the seven species, in order: We Believe One Day God Forgives Penitents.
Israel can be most thankful for the trees for which they are praised, as found in Deutronomy 8:8, “A land of wheat and barley, of vines (grapes) and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.” As we pray we can thank God that He has provided Israel, and His People, with all of these wonderful blessings in their “Promised Land.” Also, as we pray, we should remember Psalm 122:6, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
For more on this story, visit: Jerusalem Prayer Team Articles Page.
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Kyzyl - capital of Tuva - Siberia - Russia
Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva.
Kyzyl, the center of Asia
This city is situated in the place where Biy-Khem (the Big Yenisey) and Ka-Khem ( the Small Yenisey) unite their waters and give a life to the great river Yenisey. The first sightseeing to visit here is the Geographical Centre of Asia. Built in 1964, the monument represents a big globe on which the contours of continents are marked. Tuva and Kyzyl are specially indicated.
Buddhism in Tuva exists in harmony with shaman beliefs.
Very important:
Regional museum of Tuva - exhibition of 'Scythian gold'
Prayer charms intended to bring good luck hang around a tree at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine in Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Candles people light in the Basilica of Esquipulas, asking for favors or thanking God for having granted one.
PRAYERS FOR PEACE-PARIS OCTOBER 2003 -for the NUIT BLANCHE art event in PARIS-
ADDA DADA lit candles and floated them down the CANAL ST. MARTIN. It was called PRAYERS FOR PEACE. About 250 candles floated in the CANAL, and about 5,000 people saw the event. It was reported in the Paris newspaper the next day!.....
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FOLLOW UP APRIL 2006
ok...this is the wildest dada hap...i'm on the plane to san frnacisco from paris...i was chatting up a parisian and the conversation went to what type of 'art' i do, and i tried to explain dadaism (hahaha) ..to a blank face...so, i thought he might relate to my 'PRAYERS FOR PEACE' with the floating lighted candles on the canal st martin on 'nuit blanche'...
another guy in the seat in front of me turns around and said his wifes pals who live along the canal SAW IT..and so loved it, they called him up in the USA that eve to tell him about it...he said they thought it was stunning
i was so floored...i really had to hold myself back from crying...
Here is the set up of the art project.
250 plastic cups and 250 candles...
I'm hoping to do this again this year for NUIT BLANCHE with 2,000 candles .
prayer wheel attached to a post on our front porch. Giving it a spin on the way out the door sets the day off on an auspicious note.
You write a prayer or wish on to a piece of paper and tie it to the rope around the tree. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
kondinin day3 Sunday... day of prayer.
This is a full size image (for a change) If you really want to see large and detail.
click on 'all sizes'
Members of the Vicenza Military Community gather for the national prayer breakfast Feb. 6 at the Golden Lion. Chief of Chaplains Maj. Gen. Donald Rutherford spoke for the second year in a row at the event. Photo by Julie M. Lucas/USAG Vicenza PAO.
Learn more about us on www.usag.vicenza.army.mil and www.facebook.com/VMCItaly..
This girl was actually competing in our church's version of "The Amazing Race." She had to memorize a bible verse and recite it back to advance to the next round. 10,000+ Views as of August, 2011.
This is close to the ghat where corpses are burned, note the pile of wood in the background.
Early morning on the ghats of Benares
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Nikkor 80-200 F2.8
17!! That's the total number of shawls that FUMC of Savanna will be sending to Northern Illinois Conference Wesley Foundation to be included with other donated shawls for the memorial service planned on Feb 14, 2009 on the campus of Northern Illinois University. Many thanks to those who knitted or crocheted: Ruth Kelly, Vivian Eaton, Martha Purchis, Kathie Prins, Mel Jacobson, Jackie Walker, Peg Dauphin. Ann Murphy and ladies of St John Catholic Church also donated three shawls. Thank you for being part of this ministry.
Masses of colourful prayer flags at Dochu La, a 3140m pass on the road between Thimphu and Punakha in western Bhutan
Women from the Lebanon Christian Church, Lebanon, Ind., pause together for a time of prayer prior to the start of the Women's Ministry Leadership Forum. About 625 women, representing 179 churches and eight denominations from 35 states attended the three-day event.