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Tu B'Shevat

When is Tu B'Shevat?

Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. The word "Tu" is not really a word; it is the number 15 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July "Iv July" (IV being 4 in Roman numerals). See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numbers and why the number 15 is written this way.

What is Tu B'Shevat?

Tu B'Shevat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for tithing.

Tu B'Shevat is not mentioned in the Torah. I have found only one reference to it in the Mishnah, and the only thing said there is that it is the new year for trees, and there is a dispute as to the proper date for the holiday (Beit Shammai said the proper day was the first of Shevat; Beit Hillel said the proper day was the 15th of Shevat. As usual, we follow Beit Hillel. For more on Hillel and Shammai, see Sages and Scholars).

What are the customs of Tu Bishvat?

Today, Tu Bishvat is celebrated in numerous ways: by planting trees, by eating a new fruit (especially fruit that is indigenous to the Land of Israel), by having a "Tu Bishvat Seder," by doing some special project for the environment, or by collecting funds to plant trees in Israel.

List of Dates

Tu B'Shevat will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar:

• Jewish Year 5766 : sunset February 12, 2006 - nightfall February 13, 2006
• Jewish Year 5767 : sunset February 2, 2007 - nightfall February 3, 2007
• Jewish Year 5768 : sunset January 21, 2008 - nightfall January 22, 2008
• Jewish Year 5769 : sunset February 8, 2009 - nightfall February 9, 2009
• Jewish Year 5770 : sunset January 29, 2010 - nightfall January 30, 2010