Home Online consulting My Madrichim Site information Contact us JewishPrograms.Org
Tu B'Shvat
It is written in Avot d’Rabbi Natan (“The fathers according to Rabbi Nathan,” the commentary to PirkeAvot) that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai used to say: "if you have a sapling in your hand and someone says to you that the messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and then go out to welcome the messiah."

It seems he would have agreed with Franz Kafka when he wrote, almost 2000 years later, in his "parables," that "the messiah will come only when he is no longer necessary; he will come only on the day after his arrival." Tu B’shvat, the prelude to this messianic era full of sowing times and harvests, returns us for a few instants to that garden of Eden from which we came, and to which we have been trying to return ever since we left it.

Tu B’Shvat: An Approach to Nature through Art

This educational project approaches Tu B’Shvat by looking at different moments in the history of Jewish art. It immerses us in the origins of the festivity by providing an in-depth appreciation of the Hebrew Calendar, using some decorations in ancient Israeli synagogues as a starting point. The next step is to look into the changes the festivity has undergone and its re-signification owing to the creation of the State of Israel. We also look at how these changes have been expressed in emergent schools of Israeli art with their own identity. The project concludes with a focus on the meaning of Tu B’Shvat in contemporary societies by taking up elements from both ancient art forms (the mosaic technique) and modern Israel art (motifs, colors, styles).

See Program

The Rabbis and the Natural World: An Exploration in Honor of Tu B’Shvat

What does the Torah say about how we should relate to our natural world? The introductory lesson provides participants with a background on Tu B’Shvat, and throughout the program they read, analyze and discuss environmental mitzvot. By the end they design a project by which they will bring some of their learning to the rest of the school – an environmental awareness project that will exhibit some of their acquired knowledge.

See Program

Our-Jewish-Year Series: Shevat

Holidays, Heroes, History, and Heritage Month by Month

While many think of Shevat as the month of trees—and certainly Tu B’Shvat, the New Year for trees, is important—the month itself features so much more! Did you know, for instance, that Zechariah’s prophecy of 24 Shevat encouraged resumption of the building of the Second Beit HaMikdash? Were you aware that 12-year-old King Antiochus V, who once caused great destruction in Jerusalem, abandoned his plans to wreak havoc on 28 Shevat? And that from 1 Shevat until his death, Moses began a 37-day "review of the Torah” with the Children of Israel? Each of these themes and others will be developed through activities that vary from social action endeavors to social activities; from paper-and-pencil to hands-on projects; music, dance. Feel free to pick and choose according to the abilities, interests, and needs of your children.

See Program

It’s Tu B’Shvat, Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables!

There are many curricular materials that facilitate various celebrations and observances for this particular holiday that comes on the 15th of Shevat, which corresponds with Wednesday, February 8, 2012 this coming year. This curriculum is NOT one of them. The focus here, which is connected to Tu B’Shvat and all that it represents, is on the produce of our trees and our environmental resources – namely the fruits and vegetables that we eat, our diets, our health and the notion that not ALL members of the human family have the opportunity to live in a place where they can benefit from the plentiful products of the soil that others of us enjoy! In this study we will consider the resources we have access to, the ability and choice we have to make healthy decisions, the different dietary and resource driven options that exist in our world, and the notion that unfortunately not all members of our human family have the wherewithal to make the healthy decisions we are discussing here as well as our potential to celebrate this holiday and observance of plentiful bounty by sharing with those that are not as fortunate as us.

See Program

Who Owns Creation? Tu B’Shvat and the Stewardship Challenge

Tu B’Shvat is a holiday that places the natural world into cosmic focus, calling us to look at the divine sparks inherent in every piece of our natural world, and think about how those sparks must compel us to deeply connect to God and one another. At the same time, Tu B’Shvat also calls us to look at our understanding of our relationship to God’s creation, and how we are living up to the promise that God gives to us at the dawn of time. This article will focus on how Jewish tradition understands our relationship to the natural world as understood by the creation story, and how a creation ethic can form the heart of how we evaluate our performance as stewards of a beautiful, majestic and mysterious world.

by Rabbi Joshua Rabin

See Article

A Celebration of Trees: 80 Tu B’Shvat Activities and Discussion Starters

What do you get when you combine exciting Tu B’Shvat concepts with important earlychildhood educational objectives? Eighty dynamic activities that are developmentally age-appropriate!
Designed especially for teachers and group leaders who prefer to play a hands-on role in the development of activities, this program provides a detailed list of ideas, but leaves the step-by-step methods and procedures up to you. Think outside of the box! Bend and shape these project ideas to personalize them for your group. After all, who knows the nature, needs, and interests of your children better than you?

See Program

The Festival of Tu B’Shvat


This project is composed of various learning activities that will enable pre-school children to know and experience the different aspects of the chag, for instance, the reason for and meaning of the celebration and related customs. The project includes recreational, literary and artistic activities, and as a final activity the children and their parents will share a Tu B’Shvat seder.



See Program

Trees and Me: Working Together to Attain Environmental Sustainability

In these four lessons we will explore together our direct involvement in working towards Environmental Sustainability as a means of our own genuine observance of Tu B’Shvat. As we celebrate the sprouting and life cycle of trees in Israel, let us remember and actively work towards a healthier and more balanced environment in which tolive, protect, and think about our trees, and in which all of our lives and health must be supported!
This is an action-oriented learning unit, and it is recommended that all members of the group read through these units quickly to see what they are working towards: the creation of a RECYCLED PAPER TREE GARDEN complete with prose to honor trees and informational pieces to educate all who see it!

See Program

Torah from Trees: On Tu B’Shvat and Guarding God’s Creation

When the Talmud records that the 15th day of the month of Shevat is the birthday of the trees (1), it does so with little explanation of the significance of trees in our lives that merits celebrating their birthday. This holiday became fertile ground for our rabbis to establish new meanings and create a particular view of how trees relate to G-d’s plan for humanity. While Tu B’Shvat was associated with a kabbalistic worldview during the Middle Ages, the holiday now has become a day to commemorate our environmental obligations to G-d’s creation in modern times.

By Joshua Rabin

See Article
Page 1 of 4Next