Seder TU Bi’Shevat

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Seder TU Bi’ShevatLeader: Welcome to our Seder for TU Bi’Shevat.Why a Seder for TU Bi’Shevat?Because a Seder is a ritual that makes an idea tangible.A Seder speaks to spiritual values, and makes an ideaconcrete. On Pesach, we use horseradish to reallytaste the bitterness of slavery; we see the haroset andpicture the hard labor of our ancestors. Likewise theSeder of TU B’Shevat uses symbols and ideas to teacha theme.What are the central themes of TU B’Shevat?G-d is the source of all life, and therefore every tinypiece of creation is infinitely valuable. Taking this idea astep further, the Seder of TU B’Shevat speaks of ourresponsibility towards nature and the environment. Itemphasizes that everything is connected to everythingelse, and even very small actions that we doreverberates all over the universe By studyingKabbalistic metaphors we will develop this theme,connecting physically, emotionally and spiritually withsomething as small as a raisin or a walnut and as bigas the entire universe of creation.The second central theme of TU B’Shevat is ourhistorical and emotional attachments to the Land ofIsrael, and our connection to all Jewish peopleeverywhere. What better way to understand this themethan to study traditional Jewish writings that speak ofour commitment to the environment, to each other andto all the House of Israel?A Participant: Long ago in Biblical times our fathersand mothers worked the earth. This closeness to theearth made them aware of the transformation of naturefrom the long sleep of winter to the rebirth that comeswith the end of the winter cycle. The month of Shevat inEretz Israel brings the promises of the new fruits.During the month of Shevat, the trees begin to blossom.It will be several months yet before the trees will beartheir fruits.“The Lights of the World(i.e. sun, moon, stars) sufferwhen a good tree isharmed.”Talmud Bavli, Sukkah, 29 aWhen a fruit bearing tree ischopped down, a cryingvoice is heard from one endof the world to the other, butthe human ear cannot hearthis cry.”Pirke de R. Eliezer, 34“ Kol Israel aravim zehB’zeh”“We are all responsiblefor one another.”Talmud B. Shevuot: 39aMidrash Rabah Bamidbar“If one buys a tree from hisneighbor for felling he mustleave of the trunk onehandbreadthfromtheground; of the trunk of thesycamoretreetwohandbreadths; of the virginsycamoretreethreehandbreadths; of reeds andof vines from the knotabove it;in the case,however, of date palms andcedars he may dig into theground and uproot thembecause their stock does notrenew itself.”Talmud Bavli Ta’anit 25 b1

The first Mishnah of Tractate Rosh Hashanahdiscusses the four New Years in the Jewish calendar:The 1st of Nissan was designated as the New Year forKings, and the Holidays. The first of Elul wasdesignated as the New Year for the tithing of domesticanimals. The 1st of Tishri is beginning of the civic NewYear, for Release (Sh’mita), for Jubilee years (Yovel),for plantation and for tithing of vegetables. On the firstof Shevat is the New Year for trees, according to theruling of Bet Shammai; Bet Hillel however places it onthe 15th of that month.An Aggadic tradition tellsus that the trees saw thatMan had Rosh Hashanahand envied Man. “AreTrees less than Man?”they asked. “Does it notsay in the Torah: “ForMan is the Tree of thefield?” ( Devarim: 20:19)A Participant: Why did Hillel declare the New Year fortrees to be 15th of Shevat? Our traditions say that theRabbis who were familiar with the agricultural cyclesconcluded from their observations that the 15th ofShevat was the approximate date when trees begin tobe nourished by the waters of the New Year. This alsogave rise to the concept that this day as RoshHashanah, is a day of judgment for trees: How muchrain will fall on the trees. Kabbalists designated this dayas a day of introspection, as on Rosh Hashanah.The trees wanted theholiday to fall during themonth of Shevat becausethe Water Carrier, which isthe Zodiac sign for themonth represents the needof the trees for water. Theoriginal day for the holidaywas the 1st day of themonth. But the trees askedthat the holiday be moved tothe middle of the month toavoid having two months ina row without holidays.A participant:, during the long night of the Diaspora,TU Bi’Shevat came to symbolize the longing of theJewish people for The Land of Israel, for its fruits, forthe good earth.The trees that covered Eretz Israel after the destructionof the 2nd Temple in the year 70 of the Common Eragradually became destroyed during the centuries thatthe Jews were in exile. The land became like a desert.The earth was parched and yellow. After Israel wasconquered by the crusaders, the Jewish population wasalmost completely destroyed and the remainder weredispersed in other countries. The tradition of celebratingTu B'Shvat lapsed. In addition, much of the richliterature of the Gaonim period was lost, and with it theliterature on Tu B'Shvat. In spite of this, a vestige of theTu B'Shvat celebration remained in the customs of theJews of Eastern Europe, among these was the customto eat fruits.2Sefer Ha-AggadahHayim Bialik and Yehoshua RavnitskyIn ancient days, therewas a custom of plantinga cedar tree for a babyboy, and a cypress treefor a baby girl. As thechildrengrew,theytended the trees, and thetrees grew along with thechildren.Whentheymarried, they used thewood for the poles in theirChuppah. This carriedthe tradition of lovingtrees from generation togeneration in a concreteand special way.

A Participant: In the 16th century new meanings to TUBi’Shevat celebration came with the Alyah of theMekubalim, the Kabbalistsof Tsefad. R. LuriaAshkenazi (The Ari) and his school wanted to infusenew life into Judaism. TU”B’Shevat became theoccasion to celebrate with the trees the happiness oftheir holiday. The Kabbalists of sixteenth centuryTsefad began the custom of holding a Tu Bi'ShvatSeder. The students of the holy Ari - Rabbi Isaac LuriaAshkenazi, formulated a special Tu b’Shvat Seder inthe mid 1500’s. It was set up along the lines of thePesach (Passover) Seder. White tablecloths are placedon the tables with candle light glowing all around.Incense, preferably myrtle, which is taken during Sukkot(Feast of Tabernacles), is placed on the tables.Similarly, flowers are used to decorate the tables and togive the air a pleasant fragrance.thA Participant: At the end of the 19 century theJewish people began to return to the land of theirforefathers. The early Chalutzim(pioneers)considered the planting of trees to be a Mitzvah orholy work. Planting trees became a symbol of therevival of the land and the nation. They worked hardto drain the swamps and plant the seedlings thatwould become forests. To this day, planting trees inIsrael has come to be a tradition to honor the memoryof someone, or celebrate a happy event.TU Bi’Shevat is also the day that the Knesset held itsfirst session. Since then the anniversary of theparliament of the State of Israel is celebrated everyyear on TU Bi’Shevat.For there is hope that atree, if it is cut down, willsprout again, and that itstender branch will notcease.Though its root grows oldin the earth, and itsstump dies in the ground;Yet through the scent ofwater it will bud, and bringforth boughs like a plant.Iyuv (Job) 14:7-9“Know that everyshepherd has a uniqueNiggun for each of thegrasses and for eachplace where they herd.For each and every grasshas its own song andfrom these songs of thegrasses , the shepherdscompose their songs.Would I merited hearingthe sound of the songsand praises of thegrasses, how every bladeof grass sings to the HolyOne of Blessing,wholeheartedly withoutreservations and withoutanticipation of reward.How wonderful it is whenone hears their song andhow very good to beamongst them servingthe creator in awe.Rabbi Nachman ofBratislav3

SEDERLeader: We begin our Seder by reciting the blessingcomposed by Rabbi Yossef Hayyim of Baghdad,followed by Shechechiyanu :“Blessed are you Lo-d our G-d, Majesty of Earth,You made the world so that nothing lacks in herAnd You created good creatures and good trees forpeople to enjoy! Amen "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך העולם שחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו ) לזמן הזה" (אמן “Baruch Ata Ad-nai Elokaynu Melech HaOlamShechechiyanu Vekeeyamanu VehegeyanuLazman HaZeh”.Amen“Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe,Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us tothis season.AmenA Participant: The soul of the Seder concerns the“Four Worlds.” The Kabbalists who originated thetradition of TU B’Shevat seder defined four levels ofmeaning in all physical and spiritual experiences.These they called “worlds.” In this Seder, each worldis also connected to a particular element, and anenvironmental aspect.Hashkediya PorachatHashkediya porachat veshemesh paz zorachatTsiporim me rosh kol gagMevasrot et bo he chagTu bishvat higiaChag la ilanotTu bishvat higiaChag la ilanot The almond tree isbloomingThe golden sun is rising,Birds sing from every roofTelling us that Tu bishvahhas come- the holiday oftrees.As we enter each world we will be drinking a cup ofwine, each with its distinctive color, and of fruits withparticular properties.Erets- zavat chalavChalav u-dvash (x4)These worlds we are invited to explore togethertonight are:Erets zavat chalavChalav u-dvash (x4)“ a land flowingwith milk and honey.”(Deuteronomy 11.9)4

Assiyah, the world of Action. It is the worldrepresenting Earth, and the barrenness of autumn andwinter.Yetzirah, the world of Formation. It is also the world ofemotions, of water and comes to symbolize thepromises of spring and rebirth.Briyah, the world of Creation. It is the world ofthought, air, and summer.A fourth world – Atselut (emanation) has no directphysical manifestation, it is total spirituality. It is themost Godly, and most pure, with no physicalmanifestation.Tsadik KatamarTsadik ka tamaryifrach yifrach,Tsadik ka tamaryifrach (x2)Leader:- During the course of this evening we willalso be drinking four cups of wine, each representingthe colors of the four seasons.Ka erez ba levanonyisge ka erez balevanon yisge (x2)FIRST CUP Kos Ha- Illanot—The cup of thetrees. The World of Assiyah“The righteous shellbloom like a date palmThey thrive like cedarin Lebanon ”Leader:- In this world, the world of Creation we blessthe physical: our bodies , our land, our homes. It is ourconnection with Earth that inspires action.The first cup of wine is composed entirely of whitewine, symbolizing the barrenness of the fall followedby winter. The sun is weak, the skies are gray. As wedrink the fruit of the vine, we recall that nature will bedormant for many months to come, awaiting the cycleof rebirth. Kos Ha –Illanot, the cup pf the trees, thathas come to symbolize the beauty of the land and thefruits.(Psalms 92)The spiritual meaning of this cup represents the worldof action -Olam Ha Assiyah. It is symbolized by theHebrew expression: " “"ואהבת לרעך כמוך Ve ahavta lere-acha Kamocha.”-- “And you shall love yourneighbor as yourself.”“A person who enjoys thepleasures of this worldwithout blessin is called athief because the blessingis what causes thecontinuation of the Divineflow of the world.”Perei Eitz Hadar5

Raise the cup in your right hand and recite togetherthe blessing over the wine." "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaGafen”.The first fruits we eat tonight are fruits with inediblepeels, which symbolize the physical world of ACTION.The edible parts of fruit represent holiness.A participant:- We will be eating fruits that in thisseason will be flourishing in Israel.Each fruit for the world of Assiyah symbolizes valuesdirecting us to manage responsibly our land, as it issaid in the Torah:“And the L-rd G-d took Man and put him in Gan Eden,the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.”Bereshit-Genesis: 2:15“And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity for theland is Mine, And you are strangers and settlers withMe.” Vayikra- Leviticus: 25:23The first fruit is Wheat. Crackers symbolize this fruithere. Wheat represents the good earth and theessential food to sustain us. It is likened to Torah.Lift up the fruit in your right hand as we recite togetherthe blessing: " "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו בורא מיני מזונות “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Mine Mezonot”.The corresponding spiritual world for Assiyah isworld of Din or Accountability. All the fruits wehere have a tough skin to remind us that weaccountable for the protection of the Earth andpreservation of our environment.theeatarethe6

Ki tavo-uSECOND CUP- Kos ha netiot (the cup for plantingtrees). The World of YetzirahVe chi tavo-u elhaarets , u neta atemkol ets techilaVe natan ha ets piryoVe ha arets yevula Et linto-a ilanotEt linto-a ve livnotThe second cup of wine is 2/3 white and 1/3 red wine,symbolizing the winter and approach of spring. In thewhite wine symbolizes the cold winter, the red winesignifies the emergence of color. In the sleepy naturethere are the first signs of awakening appearing.When you come to theland and plant trees,Each tree shall giveit’s fruit and the landshel give it’sabundance.It’s time to plant trees,It’s time to plant andbuild.Long ago, we believed that before TU’ B’Shevat thetrees drank the waters of last year’s falls. On TUB’Shevat the trees began to drink the watersaccumulated under ground by the rainfall of this year.The second cup in devoted to the tradition of plantingtrees on Tu bi’shvat. This tradition made a bigdifference in the nature of Israel.We now take fruits from the second category. Thesefruits are edible on the outside, but have inedible pits,symbolizing the Kabalistic world of FORMATION.The fruits that we are about to eat refer to the “worldof Formation”- “Olam Ha Yetsira” These fruits needan external protection because their seeds create newlife.Raise the cup in your right hand and recite togetherthe blessing over the wine. "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך " העולם בורא פרי הגפן “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaGafen”.Once again, we eat first from the fruits of Israel. Liftup the fruit in your right hand and recite together theblessing: (if you are eating a fruit that you have noteaten in at least a year, recite the second blessingas well) " "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaAtz.7

THIRD CUP- the cup of Israel’s natureThe third cup of wine is 1/3 white and 2/3 red,symbolizing the progression of spring. The red winesymbolizes the height of the sun, the nature wakesup, the blooming is in its high point. The white winesymbolizes the rain that had bees storage in theground, now there are more hot days and more colorsin the fields. The ground has warmed to allow theseeds to take root and the plants have started togrow. Raise the cup in your right hand and recitetogether the blessing over the wine. ' "ברוך אתה ה " אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן Hinei ma tovHine ma tov u manaimShevet achim goyachad“Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaGafen”.Behold, how goodand how pleasant itis for people to betogetherNow we take the fruit form the third category, thosefruits that are completely edible, symbolizing theKabalistic world of CREATION: grapes, figs, carobs,etrogim, apples, strawberries, lemons, raspberries,and pears. The Torah may be compared to the fruitsin this category.Every part of these fruits is good to eat, and every partof the Torah is good to study and learn from.Once again, we eat first from the fruits of Israel. Lift upthe fruit in your right hand and recite together theblessing: (if you are eating a fruit that you have noteaten in at least a year, recite the second blessing aswell) " "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו בורא פרי העץ “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaAtz”.The people of Israel are being fabled to vine.Like vine gets better when it is being movedand planted somewhere else, and all the worldis able to see, it is just like God wanted all theworld to see the people of Israel so he movedthem from Egypt and brought them to thedesert and they got the Torah and began tosuccess.8

The Torah is being fabled to a Fig. In all the other fruits thereare some scraps- pips, seeds, peeling ets. The fig is beautifuland all it’s parts are eatable, just like the Torah- there is noscrap in it.We usually take the environment for granted. Why,today, do we focus on conservation?Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai once said:"If you have sapling in your hand,ready to plant, and the Messiahcomes, plant the tree first and thengo to greet him."The Torah commands us to leave fruit trees standingwhen we attack a city in wartime. We are alsocommanded to observe the mitzvah of Peah, so thatthe poor may glean from the fields.As we said before- this holiday refers to theenvironment. It reminds us that we should take care ofthe environment, the nature, the growing, the living,the Earth. We should keep it in our mind and avoidpollution, and other ways of harming and destroy ourplanet.FOURTH CUP- The cup for Zionism and thestate of Israel.The fourth cup of wine is all red, symbolizing thearrival of summer. The sun is shining, the days are hotand the trees are in full bloom and filled with mellowfruits.This cup is dedicated to peace, to the love for the landof Israel and for the Israeli state. The beginning ofredemption. Raising this cup we will remember ourbrothers and sisters that have been killed during theholocaust and the Israeli wars trying to protect theIsraeli state.Raise the cup in your right hand and recite togetherthe blessing over the wine. "ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך " העולם בורא פרי הגפן “Baruch Ata Adoni Elohaynu MelechHaOlam Borei Pre HaGafen”.9

The fourth Kabalistic world of EMANATION is purelyspiritual and cannot be symbolized in any concreteway; therefore it is unrepresented by physical food.The world of Emanation relates to HaShem's love,mercy, wisdom and other essential and omnipresentrealities which people perceive with their hearts ratherthan their five senses.Tu Bi'Shvat marks the traditional turning pointbetween the rainy season and the beginning of spring." "לשנה הבאה בירושלים “Next year it Jerusalem”10

North Bay & Sudbury Jewish communities2003-5763Compiled and edited by Ayelet Ohana11

Because a Seder is a ritual that makes an idea tangible. A Seder speaks to spiritual values, and makes an idea concrete. On Pesach, we use horseradish to really taste the bitterness of slavery; we see the haroset and picture the hard labor of our ancestors. Likewise the Seder

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