Tu B’Shvat resonates with ‘green’ Oregonians

By Polina Olsen

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Tu B’Shvat, the New Year of the Trees, resonates in environmentally conscious Oregon, where Portlanders celebrate with activities for all ages, although the original purpose of the holiday has long since passed.

Originally, Tu B’Shvat provided a tithing mechanism for farmers in ancient Israel. They needed to know what percentage of produce they owed the Temple Priests (Kohanim) and the poor. The Torah prohibits eating fruit from trees grown in Israel for the first three years, but keeping track of each tree’s planting date was overwhelming.

The 15th day of the month of Shvat became the universal birthday. On Tu B’Shvat each tree was one year older, no matter when the farmer planted the tree.

The New Year of the Tree continued evolving long after tithing ceased. In the  16th century, the mystics in Safed developed a Seder around the Tree of Life.

Less structured and well known than the Passover Seder, the Jewish National Fund Tu B’Shvat Haggadah (see box) provides guidance for those celebrating at home.

“The Kabbalists taught that we live on four levels at the same time,” the Haggadah begins. “At our Tu B’Shvat Seder we will visit each one.”

Fruits with tough outer shells, like pomegranates, represent the first level of “action,” followed by “energy and feelings” symbolized by fruits with pits. Completely edible fruits, like raspberries, represent “ideas and creativity,” and no food represents the highest level, “spirituality.”

Like Passover, the Tu B’Shvat Seder includes drinking wine (or grape juice). Combinations of red and white wine symbolize the four seasons.

Tu B’shvat observance reaches Jews throughout Portland and often involves eating, drinking and planting trees.

Oshra Rapaport remembers blessings of different fruits during her childhood in Israel and notes Ahavath Achim continues the tradition. Neveh Shalom preschoolers will meet a bonsai tree master, and Havurah Shalom sponsored a storyteller for all ages.

“Humanistic Judaism has a strong emphasis on what we can do to heal this world, help ourselves, each other and the planet,” says Kol Shalom ritual director Jon Dickman. His congregation invites the public to view the movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” while Shaarie Torah and P’nai Or offer community-wide Seders.

“When I was a kid it was more singing songs about trees, which is great, but today it’s an opportunity to discuss environmental issues,” says Sarah Liebman, the organizer of Urban Jews, a group for people in their 20s and 30s. They’ll visit the Robinson Home to work on landscape and help residents plant seeds. Liebman adds, “It’s the perfect project for Tu B’Shvat.”

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon dried lavender
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (may substitute vanilla extract)
1 lemon juice and zest
fruits (can include bananas, peaches, nectarines, apples, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, oranges and pink grapefruit)
3 cups granola
1 cup whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Peel and slice the fruit into a large bowl. Grind 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of dried lavender to make lavender sugar.In a small saucepan, mix the lavender sugar from step 2 with honey, vanilla paste, lemon juice and 1 cup of water to make syrup. Boil for two minutes.Completely cool. Stir the syrup together with the fruit. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, place the fruit mixture in decorative glasses along with granola and optional whipped cream.

Courtesy Bayla O’Brien, www.baylaspatisserie.com.