Tu b'Shevat and the Holiness of the Land of Israel
The upcoming holiday of Tu b'Shevat, on the 15th day of the month of Shevat--"Tu" being an acronym for the letters 'Tet' and 'Vav' adding up to 15 (falling this coming Thursday, January 20th, 2011)--celebrates the New Year for the Trees. It was mentioned in VaYikra (Leviticus 19: 23-25) relating to calculating the age of trees for tithing. It had been considered a minor holiday and not really marked by any special ceremony or much celebration for many, many years. In our time--and I believe it is prophetic and totally related to the return of the Jews to the Land of Israel--this chag celebrating the importance and yes, holiness of the trees and of the Land itself is now experiencing a renaissance, and is being celebrated by more and more Jews each year. For hundreds of years in the diaspora Jews were not permitted to be landowners, and so many became moneylenders, and the art of agriculture and farming became, shall we say, dormant. In the ninet...