Posted on : January 30th, 2018
“The almond tree is blooming
And the golden sun is shining,
Birds atop each roof
Bless the arrival of the festival.
Tu B’Shevat has arrived.”
Happy Tu B’Shevat to all our Jewish friends—it’s the Jewish Birthday of the Trees! And the symbol of this holiday is the Almond Tree.
In ancient times, the Jewish people did not harvest or use the fruit of newly planted trees for three years. On the fourth year — on the birthday of the tree— the tradition was to present a gift of the first fruits to God in a sacred ritual in the Temple before partaking of them for oneself. But people did not have a way of keeping track of when the tree’s “birthday” (the day it was planted) actually was in those days so a holiday was created to celebrate the birthday of all trees on the same day. The almond trees were the first trees to bloom in the Holy Land and they bloom close to this time of year so that is one reason why the date was chosen.
Tu B’Shevat is celebrated in a number of different ways. Usually there is a ritual meal, called a sedar, in which almonds, other fruits of the season, and multiple glasses of wine all play a part. Trees are planted in Israel and in other parts of the world. And, in recent years, an environmentalist theme has emerged where the holiday is used to educate Jewish children about the importance of being good stewards for the Earth as God’s creation.
One of the teachings in the mystical Kabbalist form of Judaism, is that all physical beings–including humans –hide within them a spark of Divinity. This is similar to how fruits and nuts hold the seeds of new life within themselves. It is believed that these inner Divine sparks are released by thoughtful and loving human actions, thereby, increasing God’s presence in the world. Almonds, and other first fruits, are eaten at the Tu B’Shevat sedar as a symbolic way of releasing those sparks.
There are no specific recipes featuring almonds that I know about for Tu B’Shevat. A wide variety of almond main dishes, side dishes or desserts might be chosen. Being a dessert-oriented person I thought this recipe for Almond Pear Pie sounded delicious! It calls for 3/4 of a cup of whole almonds ground in a food processor, five fresh pears, sweet spices and a cup of white wine.
The Almond Blossom photo is by Roy Fokker who released it to the public domain.
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