In a previous post (“Take A Cue From The Zoo” 1/29/12), I mentioned that I was planning a Tu B’Shvat celebration for Kitah Gimel and hoped to make it a memorable sensory experience. Tu B’Shvat came. We celebrated with a gala Tu B’Shvat Seder. Was it multi-sensory? I’d say, “Yes!” – colorful JNF posters to see around the room; a chance for each student to read aloud a portion of the Seder “Haggadah” and to hear classmates read; lots of fruits and treats to touch and taste, plus grape juice mixtures from white to ruby red to drink. The following is a detailed description of our Seder that I also posted on the synagogue’s religious school website. Your comments are welcome as well as descriptions of your Tu B’Shvat celebration at school or at home. Shalom Kitah Gimel students and families! Olives and raisins and dates, oh my! Students arrived in class to find their tables covered in shades of green and an array of fruits and cookies in place of our usual “on-time” Oreos. Birthday napkins at each place gave a further clue that this was no ordinary day. It was Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat) and Kitah Gimel was about to participate in a Tu B’Shvat Seder. We began as always with students leading the Blessings. Why the Blessing for Torah study at a Tu B’Shvat Seder? One student pointed out that the Torah is called the “Tree of Life”. The Shehechayanu Blessing was certainly appropriate as we gathered to celebrate a special holiday. A Seder requires a Haggadah. Each student received a Haggadah booklet adapted from the JNF (Jewish National Fund) Haggadah, “Branching Out”. Students also received a booklet of additional information about Tu B’Shvat. We discovered that trees were given a “birthday” in order to determine their ages for the fulfillment of certain religious rituals described in the Torah. The concept of a Tu B’Shvat Seder was created by the Kabbalists who believed that we learned important lessons about ourselves from trees. You can’t have a Seder without The Four Questions. For Tu B’Shvat the four questions centered on inquiring about eating fruits that grow in Israel, conserving and sharing natural resources, and planting. The format of the Seder reflects the Kabbalistic idea that “we live on four levels at the same time”. The first level, Assiyah, is the level of actions that we take. The second level, Yetzirah, is about “energy and feelings”. The third level, Briyah, focuses on “ideas and creativity”. The fourth level, Atzilut, is the level of “spirituality and closeness to God”. As we moved through the levels in the Seder ceremony, we ate fruits associated with the first three levels and drank a mixture of red and white grape juice, whose color varied from white (symbolizing winter) 
to deep red (symbolizing autumn). For each of the first three levels, students joined in a swift, lively “fruit scavenger hunt”. Their challenge was to find as many fruit pictures as possible for each level. The fruit pictures, cut from supermarket fliers, were hidden all around the classroom. Two students tied for first place. Their prizes were live mint plants! Our Tu B’Shvat Seder closed with a Jewish folktale about an old woman who planted carob trees, not for herself, but for the enjoyment and nourishment of future generations. Kitah Gimel enjoyed munching on carob chips, which have a chocolaty flavor. Each student brought home a Haggadah, an information booklet, and a newsletter, “Growing Up”, published by Jewish National Fund. The newsletter suggests ways to act in the spirit of Tu B’Shvat throughout the year, including a list of exciting B’nai Mitzvah projects which help to strengthen the land of Israel. Thank you for “feeding” Ilan The Tree and helping our Religious School to plant trees in Israel. Our students can now claim that they have “roots” in Israel as I, too, planted a tree, through JNF, in their honor. Tu B’Shvat Sameach! Happy Tu B’Shvat!L’Hitraot – see you soon. Morah Ronni
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