The
Four Cups of Wine
- At the Tu B'Shevat Seder it is customary that each cup of wine
be blended from red and white wines. White wine represents nature
in potential; red wine represents nature in full bloom. On this
day, we begin to leave the winter behind and move into a period
of reawakening and renewal of life.
Pure
White -- Symbolically, the pure white represents the
winter and the void of life therein.
Pale Pink (white with a drop of
red) -- Symbolically, the pale pink mixture represents the approach
of spring, and the splash of red signifies the emergence of
color.
Dark
Pink (a mixture of white and red) -- Symbolically, the
dark pink mixture represents the progression of spring. The
ground has warmed to allow the seeds to take root, and the plants
have started to grow.
Almost Red ( red with a drop of white) -- Symbolically,
the red mixture represents the arrival of summer. The trees
are in full bloom and filled with fruit.
The
First Cup and Second Cup -
The Seder
begins with the pouring of the first cup of wine, pure white.
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SUGGESTED
DISCUSSION:
Introduction
to Tu B'Shevat: Why Do we have a New Years for trees?
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Discussion point: What does a tree represent in Judaism?
In Proverbs, King Solomon refers to the Torah as the Tree
of Life. Why did he choose this metaphor for the Torah?
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A
midrash (legendary source) from the Talmud may add to the
discussion: One day, Honi (a Talmudic sage) was walking
along, and saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi knew
that the old man would not live to see the fruits of his
labor. He asked the man: "Why do you bother to plant a tree
if you will never see its fruits?" The man answered: "I
will not see this tree full grown, but my children will
and their children will. I plant this tree for them."
Discuss how this midrash reflects on how our actions effect
the future, and the importance of the commandment to teach
the Torah to the children.
Compare
the midrash's future-view of trees with Shel Silverstein's
book, The Giving Tree.
Rabbi
Yochanan Ben Zakkai once said: "If you have a sapling in
your hand, ready to plant, and the Messiah comes, plant
the tree first and then go to greet him. What does this
tell us about the importance of trees?
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Discussion
point: Jewish views on the environment -
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What
is the Jewish attitude towards the environment? Keep in
mind that Jewish law
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forbids the destruction of the fruit trees during the
time of battle,
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forbids the eating of the fruit of a tree for the first
three years after it is planted, and
- demands
that the land lie fallow every seventh year.
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Discussion point: The Halachic (Jewish legal) importance
of Tu B'Shevat -
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The Zohar, the Jewish book of mysticism, says :"When a person
is privileged to eat in the presence of God, (s)he must
show his/her appreciation by giving charity to the poor
and feeding them, just as God in His bounty feeds him/her."
Therefore Tu B'Shevat is an opportune time to make an extra
effort to give charity to the hungry. Discuss the many ways
people can give charity, such as giving money, donating
time, helping a neighbor, and the popular Tu B'Shevat charity
- planting a tree in Israel.
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Beginning
the Seder of Foods: At the Tu B'Shevat Seder one partakes in many
fruits, but in particular, one eats the 7 species for which the
Land of Israel is praised in Deuteronomy 8:8: "A land of wheat
and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olives
and honey."
GRAINS
But
G-d would feed him with the finest wheat Psalm 8:17
The Tu' B'Shevat Seder begins with the grain products of wheat
and barley.
At this point those involved, partake of either cakes or bread,
after reciting the appropriate blessings to show appreciation
to G-d for the food they are eating.
For those eating cakes
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha-olam, bo'ray mee'nay
m'zo'not.
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"Blessed
are You God, King of the Universe, who creates varied grains
of nourishment."
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For those who are eating bread:
a) Before eating bread, one must ritually wash one's hands. Using
a cup of at least 4 ounces, follow these instructions from this
NJOP washing poster
and recite the following blessing:
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha'olam asher kidi'shanu
b' mitzvotav v'tzi'vanu al n'tilat yadayim.
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Blessed are you God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies
us in His commandments and commanded us to wash our hands.
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b) Without speaking from the time of the washing, we then recite
the blessing on the bread: "."
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha-olam ha'motzie
lechem min ha'aretz.
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"Blessed
are you G-d, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread
from the Earth
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The
significance of wheat (chitah)
Wheat is the basic ingredient of the most common form of sustenance
in the world - bread.
The Sages noted the importance of wheat in Pirkei Avot (Ethics
of the Fathers 3:21): "Where there is no flour, there is no
Torah. Where there is no flour, there is no Torah."
The significance of barley (seh'o'rah) i) Barley plays an important
role in the cycle of the Jewish year because it marks the start
of the spring harvest. The beginning of the barley harvest occurs
at Passover time, when the offering of the omer (a measure of
barley) was brought to the Temple. The 50 days between Passover
and Shavuot are referred to as Sefirat Ha'Omer (the Counting
of the Omer).
FRUIT OF THE LAND
The
trees have borne their fruit, THE fig tree and vine have yielded
their strength. Children of zion be happy, rejoice in the l-rd
your G-d. Joel 2:22-23
The Seder participants now begin to eat the fruit of the land
of Israel. Taking the first fruit in hand, recite the following:
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha-olam, boray p'ri
ha'etz.
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Blessed
are you God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit
of the tree.
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If one is eating a fruit which one has not eaten in the last year,
the sheh'heh'cheh'yanu blessing is recited before it is eaten:
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha-olam, sheh'heh'cheh'yanu
v'kee'manu v'hee'gee'anu la'zman ha'zeh
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Blessed
are you L-rd, our G-d ruler of the world, Who has kept us
alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
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Prior to eating each of the different fruits, participants should
reflect on, and discuss, the fact that these fruits are mentioned
in the Torah. While eating the fruit, one should enjoy the rich
flavors and textures and the great variations:
Olives (zayit)
The
olive tree is a tree of strength. Olive trees can live more
than a thousand years and still bear fruit. Olive oil played
an important role in the Holy Temple, where pure olive oil was
used to keep the menorah in the Temple constantly kindled and
to annoint priests and kings.
"Your children shall be like olive plants around your table"
(Psalms 123:3). iii) "God called your name a green olive tree,
fair with goodly fruit." (Jeremiah 11:16).
Rabbi Yehoshuah Ben Levi said: "Why is Israel compared to an
olive tree? Because just as the leaves of an olive tree do not
fall off either in summer or winter. So too, the Jewish people
shall not be cast off - neither in this world nor in the World
to Come" (Talmud - Menachot 53b).
Dates
(tamar)
While
the Torah uses the word d'vash, honey, it is understood as referring
to date-honey because the fruit of the date palm is frequently
boiled to make a type of honey.
"The
righteous shall flourish like a palm tree" (Psalms 92:13).
"No part of the palm tree is wasted. The dates are for eating;
the Lulav branches are for waving in praise on Sukkot; the dried
thatch is for roofing; the fibers are for ropes; the leaves
are for sieves; and the trunk is for house beams. So too, is
every one of the Jewish people needed. Some are knowledgeable
in Bible, others in Mishna, others in Aggada (homiletic understanding
of the Torah). Still others perform many mitzvot, and others
give much charity" (Midrash - Bamidbar Raba 3:1).
Grapes (gefen
- literally grape-vines)
The fruit of the vine has always played an important role in
Jewish life. Special significance is given to the grape, as
it has the unique ability to be transformed into wine. Wine
reflects the human condition in that humans can choose to uplift
themselves or debase themselves depending upon how they use
alcohol. Thus wine is used in almost every Jewish ceremony,
representing our ability to create holiness out of something
which could be profane.
Just as a vine has large and small clusters, and the large ones
hang lower, so too are the Jewish people: Whoever labors in
Torah and is greater in Torah, seems lower than his fellow [due
to his humility]" (Midrash - Vayikra Raba 36:2).
Drinking the first cup of wine – Since grapes have just been
discussed, the first cup of wine is drunk. Before drinking the
wine, the following blessing should be recited:
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Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu Melech Ha-olam, boreh pri
ha'gafen.
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Blessed
are you God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit
of the vine.
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The
Second Cup of wine, white with a drop of red, is filled and
the Tu B'Shevat Seder proceeds to the remaining two Fruits of
the Land of Israel.
Figs
(te'aynah)
Rabbi Yochanan said: "What is the meaning of 'He who tends a
fig tree will eat its fruit' (Proverbs 27:18)? Why is the Torah
compared to a fruit tree? Figs on a tree do not ripen all at
once, but a little each day. Therefore, the longer one searches
in the tree, the more figs (s)he finds. So too with Torah: The
more one studies, the more knowledge and wisdom one finds" (Talmud
- Eruvin 54a).
Pomegranates
(rimon)
According to the midrash, the pomegranate has 613 seeds, the
equivalent of the number of commandments in the Torah. b) "Let
us get up early to the vineyards. Let us see if the vine has
flowered, if the grape blossoms have opened, if the pomegranates
have budded. There I will give you my love." (The Song of Songs
6:11).
"If
the pomegranates have budded"–these are the little children
who study Torah and sit in rows in their class like the seeds
of a pomegranate (Midrash - Shir HaShirim Rabba 6:11).
Having now tasted and discussed the Seven Species of the Land
of Israel, this is an excellent place to talk about Israel and
the Jewish relationship to the land. Suggested Discussions:
Personal experiences in Israel
The Torah calls Israel a "land flowing with milk and honey,"
why are these items used to describe the land. (* Perhaps discuss
the sources of milk and honey, the tastes, etc.)
The Torah promises that the Land of Israel will flourish in
Jewish hands. Discuss the historical fact that under the foreign
rulers (such as the Turks who governed for four hundred years)
the land of Israel was considered a veritable wasteland. With
the beginning of the Jewish settlement in the late 1800's, and
with a lot of hard work, the Land of Israel has been transformed
into a land flourishing agriculturally and economically.
The second
cup of wine is drunk, which ends the section of the Seder dealing
with Fruits of the Land of Israel.
Third Cup and Fourth Cup
The third
cup of wine, dark pink, is drunk.
This section of the Tu B'Shevat Seder is focused on fruit in
general and the coming of spring. It is customary to connect
the physical nature of the fruits to level of spiritual growth.
Fruits
with inedible shells or peels
Commonly
eaten at this point are: nuts, oranges, avocados, pomegranates
etc.
Fruits that have inedible shells or peels represent a world
that is enclosed in materialism. To get to the part of the
fruit that is desirable, the outer core must be broken. So
too, spiritual growth can be impeded by a hard shell of materialism
or cynicism.
Fruits
with inedible pits
Commonly eaten at this point are: peaches, plums, cherries,
dates, olives, etc.
While the edible part of the fruit represents that which is
spiritually good, the pit symbolizes the need to remove impurities
within. Often times, one puts on an outer act of holiness.
Spiritual growth demands work on one's inner nature as well
as one's actions.
The "inedible pit," however, is a step up from the "inedible
shell or peel" in that the seed is an element of potential
growth.
Drink the third cup of wine and pour the fourth cup, red with
a dash of white.
This section of the Tu B'Shevat Seder focuses on reaching completion.
Fruits that are completely edible
One
now eats fruits such as blueberries, of which both the outside
and the inside can be eaten.
Fruits which are completely edible represent reaching one's
spiritual potential by bringing holiness both the one's outside
(actions) and one's insides (thoughts and motives).
Drink
the fourth cup of wine
Conclusion
The Tu B'Shevat Seder concludes with a final-blessing. The coordinator
of the Seder should have benchters on hand.
If one ate bread, the full Bentching/Grace After Meals should
be recited.
Bentching can be found in any Jewish prayerbook.
If one did not eat bread, one should recite:
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The final-blessings for baked products, fruits, and wine (Al
Ha'mich'yah).
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All final-blessings can be found in any Jewish prayerbook.
