Tu B'Shvat Q & A
In the 16th century, Kabbalists transformed the Jewish date set aside to mark the birthday of the trees (for tax purposes, actually) into a new way of looking at the universe by creating a seder for Tu B’Shvat. In that tradition, Rabbi Yael Levy will lead a Mystical Tu B’Shvat seder sponsored by A Way In on February 8, from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at Mishkan Shalom. Pre-Registration is required. Click here to reserve your place at the Tu B’Shvat seder.
Q: What does Tu B’Shvat mean and why is there a holiday associated with it?
A: Tu B’Shvat means, literally, the 15th day of the month of Shvat – that is, the full moon of the month. The date was set aside in theMishnah, the part of the Talmud that contains Jewish law, to mark the “New Year” of the trees, essentially for tax purposes: farmers were taxed on the fruit they produced from one Tu b’Shvat to the next. Tu B’Shvat also marks spring and rejuvenation. In Israel, by the middle of the month of Shvat, most of the rain that is going to fall that year has already fallen, the trees have started to grow, and the new sap has started to rise.
Q: Where does the Tu B’Shvat seder come from?
A: Fast forward to the 16th century and the Kabbalists of the holy city of Sfat. They envisioned God as a “Tree of Life,” with its roots in the heavens and its branches reaching down toward the earth. The Tree of Life represented God’s continual unfolding within the natural and spiritual worlds.
The Kabbalists imagined the universe to be four worlds, four layers of reality. The idea of the sap rising in the trees, hidden but very real, provided a stepping-off point for a ritual meal, a seder, to experience those four worlds. This meal consists of different fruits and nuts – as well as different colored wines to experience the qualities of the four worlds.
“So what they devised as a seder,” said Rabbi Yael Levy, “is an experience of eating and drinking that takes us through the worlds, that opens our mind, body and soul into deeper and deeper and deeper awareness of relationship with God and the mystery. Through the eating and drinking, we release Divine sparks that have been hidden within the food and drink and we bring these sparks into our bodies and into the world."
Q: What are the Four Worlds?
A. First World: Assiyah is the physical world, the world of doing, the world of distinction and separation. In the world of Assiyah, we eat fruits and nuts with a klipah, an outer shell, like oranges, bananas, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans and pomegranates. “We literally tear into it, says Rabbi Yael. We break the outer covering to get to the fruit inside. That very act reminds us strive and search for the essence of all things.”
Second World: Yetzirah is the world of emotions feelings. For yetzirah, we eat fruits with inner pits -- olives, dates, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries – to affirm that our hearts are strong and filled with courage. “We eat the soft outer part in order to get to the seed inside and then figuratively plant the seed. This honors the fact that everything passes and changes,” said Rabbi Yael.
Third World: B’riyah is the world of creation, insight and intuition, in which we have an expansive perspective. In B’riyah, we eat fruits without protective coverings or seeds, that are soft all the way through: grapes, figs, strawberries. “In B’riyah,” said Rabbi Yael, “duality disappears. It is what it is and it’s all beautiful. Our visions are clear and connected. We ask that we be open to new dreams, insights and possibilities.”
Fourth World: Atzilut is the world of pure spirit, pure connection to the Mystery. There are no fruits in Atzilut, since we have moved beyond form into pure spirit. “There are no words,” said Rabbi Yael. “We drink to ‘the sounds released by the violin of our souls as it listens to the sounds emanating from the divine realms.’”
Q. What about the Wine (or Grape Juice)?
A. As we move through the four worlds, we drink four cups of wine (or grape juice), each one redder than the next: from clear wine or grape juice, to a succession of drinks that are increasing redder: a light pink made by mixing a small amount of red wine into the cup, then to a darker pink and finally to red wine. The mystics tied these different colors to the changing of the seasons, from the peak of the winter season through spring, summer and autumn.
Q. What is the modern meaning of Tu B’Shvat?
A. As a holiday that reflects changes in the natural world, Tu B’Shvat is an opportunity to nourish the soul and to live with reverent relationship with the earth.
Q. What are the details of the Mystical Tu B’Shvat seder?
A. The seder, set for Wednesday, February 8, from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at Mishkan Shalom, will combine meditation and music with the ritual eating of fruits and nuts and the drinking of different colors of wine or grape juice. Cost is $25 for members of Mishkan Shalom and students at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; $36 for non-members/students. Click here to pre-register for the seder.
