The tradition of planting trees in Israel for the New Year is relatively new. During the year of rest, when the commandment prohibits cultivation in the Land of Israel, other actions can serve to express one's connection to the land.
When observing agricultural instructions in the Bible, Jews do not follow the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but rather the New Year of Trees, the Hebrew date of the Jewish calendar, Tu BiShvat. The New Year of Trees is not explicitly commanded as a festival in the Torah. Therefore, it is considered a "minor festival" in Israel today. Its basis is derived from three biblical verses. Leviticus 19:23 states: "When you enter the land and plant every type of tree...".
The same Bible verse mentions the orlah, the so-called uncircumcised fruit: “…so let its first fruits stand as if they were unclean, like the uncircumcised. For three years, the fruit shall be considered uncircumcised to you; it must not be eaten.” The following verse states: “In the fourth year, all its fruit shall be offered to the Lord with singing.” From this derives the principle of Neta Revai – the fruits of the fourth year are also not eaten, but offered “to the Lord as a thanksgiving offering” in Jerusalem. From Deuteronomy 14, Jewish tradition derives the “Maaser Sheni” and “Maaser Ani,” the tenth for Jerusalem and the tenth for the poor.
Seven types of land
During Tu BiShvat, the seven fruits of the land are traditionally eaten: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and (date) honey. Because the festival clearly refers to agriculture in the Promised Land, and fresh fruit was unavailable in the Diaspora in previous centuries, Jews ate dried fruit. Even today, dried fruit, along with nuts, is served to entertain guests during the festival. While dried and fresh fruit are offered for sale everywhere, cities, municipalities, schools, and kindergartens often organize tree-planting events—aiming to help even less religious Israelis discover a connection to the Promised Land from a young age.
However, the Jewish year 5782, which began on September 7 and ends on September 25, is the seventh year, a Shemitta, a year of rest for the farmland in Israel, during which, according to the Torah, no trees may be planted. Various organizations are using the holiday as an opportunity to engage with it in digital formats: Rabbi Jonatan Neril from the "Interreligious Center for Sustainable Development" is giving a lecture on "A Jewish Approach to Climate Change." Children can color leaves or be introduced to different plant species.
Education and bonding from infancy to adulthood
An invitation for three- to six-year-olds reads: “At Tu BiShvat, we celebrate the birthday of trees and plants. But this year is special because we are living in the Shemith year. This means that the land is being left behind. The Torah commands us: ‘When you come into the land that I am going to give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather its fruit, but in the seventh year the land shall keep a solemn Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.’” In child-friendly language, it continues: “There is a time to sow and a time to rest. It is the same for farmers. And that is why this year they give the fruit from their trees to those who need it. This is a sign that the fruit does not belong to them alone.” Children are asked to put themselves in the farmers' shoes and to think about what the commandment means for the farmland and the people.
Private individuals and national parks are calling for people to collect trash and renew benches and picnic areas in parks.
The National Library of Israel (NLI) invites visitors to discover the festival through photos, posters, and songs on its website . And this year, due to the year of rest, the NLI has a unique feature: because the library plans to relocate during the year 5782, the planned green spaces and trees have been planted amidst the existing construction site, rather than at the end as is usually the case.
