‫סדר ט"ו בשבט‬
Tu Bishvat Seder
In a place of song, there is prayer
(Talmud Berachot 6a)
1
With Acknowledgements to:

Trees, Creation & Creativity by Hillel’s Joseph Meyerhoff centre for Jewish
Learning.
http://www.hillel.org/jewish/holidays/tubshevat/default.htm

The JOFA Tu b'Shvat Seder by By Karen Stahl-Don
http://www.ritualwell.org/holidays/tubshvat/primaryobject.2005-06-27.4628874103

Tu Bishvat Seder based on the Kabbalistic work Chemdat Yamim (1732)
http://www.learningtorah.org/DvarTorah/ViewDvarTorah.aspx?dtID=708

Ellen Bernstien translation of Peri Etz Hadar (originally published in 1753)
http://ellenbernstein.org/shomrei-periezhadar.htm
and my teacher Devorah Chaya Masel (Debbie Miller)
‫אל נא רפא נא לה‬
Compiled by Ittay Flescher 5771 / 2011
2
Kabbalah, from the medieval circles around study of the Zohar, distinguishes
between four different "worlds" or "planes of existence" that successively link the
Infinite Divine essence (Ein Sof), with our physical finite Creation. These four worlds
are like four states of being, from the most abstract and spiritual to the most dense
and material.
It finds an allusion to these different levels of reality, and their names, in the verse in
Isaiah 43:7:
Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I
have formed him; yea, I have made him
‫יתיו‬
ִׂ ‫ע ֲִׂש‬-‫ ַאף‬,‫ יְ צַ ְר ִׂתיו‬:‫אתיו‬
ִׂ ‫ וְ לִׂ כְ בו ִֹׂדי בְ ָר‬,‫כֹל הַ נ ְִׂק ָרא בִׂ ְש ִׂמי‬.
Kabbalah explains that these four stages were also used in the creation of the world
Source: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/361902/jewish/The-Four-Worlds.htm
3
Chemdat Yamim, 1732
If it be Your will,
O Lord our G-d and G-d of our ancestors,
by virtue of the fruits which we shall now eat
and over which we will make blessings,
that You abundantly bestow on the fruit trees
Your grace, blessing, and favor.
May the angels appointed to rule over the
fruit trees be strengthened by Your glorious
grace, causing the trees to sprout and grow
once again, from the beginning to the end of
the year, for good and for blessing, for
good life and for peace.
And let us say: Amen.
Leonard Cohen, 1984
If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well
And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will
"[And as a meal offering, there shall be a tenth of an ’eyfah of choice flour with a
quarter of a hin of] beaten oil mixed in... " (Num. 28:5). "With oil " means with that oil
that descends and emerges from above.
R. Shimon said, you said well. But what is "beaten ?" It is
an allusion to making love to the female, to bring down
beaten oil to her, as befits her. The [oil] has to be beaten
out of the olives, which are the limbs of the body. [It has to
be beaten] in order to draw out that effluence from above to
each and every limb.
It is the tzadik that does the pounding. From all of those
supernal limbs, which are holy olives, he brings out
annointing oil in perfect desire to the female. If he does not
pound, the oil comes out without the desire of the limbs and
the female does not enjoy the effluence, it won't be as it
should be until it is mixed with all of the limbs. Thus it is
written, "with beaten oil mixed in ," so one may enjoy and
be nourished by it.
- Pri Etz Hadar, 1753 (The original Tu Bishvat Seder)
4
The Seder Begins
The leader asks:
Why do we celebrate the New Year for fruit trees on Tu B'Shvat?
A participant says:
Since the Holy Temple was destroyed, the Jewish people could no longer bring the
First Fruits(Bikkurim) to Jerusalem. On Tu B'Shvat we offer instead the "fruit of our
lips," to praise G-d for all the fruit trees in the world.
Tu Bishvat marks a new period for taking tithes, a portion of which is given to the
poor. Therefore:"When a person is privileged to eat in the presence of G-d, he must
show his appreciation by giving charity to the poor and feeding them, just as G-d in
His bounty feeds him." ("Zohar" - Parshat Trumah)
At this point it is appropriate to pass around a 'pushka' to collect tzedakah. After the
seder, the money should be donated to a worthy cause.
‫ ראש השנה למעשר‬,‫ באחד באלול‬.‫ ראש השנה למלכים ולרגלים‬,‫ באחד בניסן‬:‫ארבעה ראשי שנים הם‬
‫ ראש השנה לשנים לשמיטים‬,‫ באחד בתשרי‬.‫ באחד בתשרי‬,‫בהמה; רבי אלעזר ורבי שמעון אומרין‬
,‫ כדברי בית שמאי; בית הלל אומרין‬,‫ ראש השנה לאילן‬,‫ באחד בשבט‬.‫ ולנטיעה ולירקות‬,‫וליובלות‬
)‫בחמישה עשר בו (מסכת ראש השנה פרק א‬
The Mishnah in Tractate Rosh Hashana says that Tu B'Shvat is New Year for the
TREE (singular). This reference to a singular tree alludes to "The Tree" -- the Tree of
Knowledge in the Garden of Eden.
Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote: "My teacher [the holy Arizal] used to say that one must
intend while eating the fruits [at the Tu B'Shvat Seder] to repair the sin of Adam who
erred by eating fruit from the tree."
Partaking in the physical world inappropriately, for its own sake, lowers us spiritually
and diminishes our enjoyment. The solution is to engage in the physical world as a
means to a worthy end -- i.e. appreciating the greatness of G-d who created all.
5
First World – ‫ עשיה‬Making
First Cup (White wine)
The first cup of wine is completely white. It symbolizes the white of winter, the
sleeping earth. The growth of the past year is completed; the potential for next year’s
growth lies dormant until the time is ripe.
The realm of assiya is the furthest from perfection in the Kabbalistic scheme.
Symbolically, this realm requires the most protection, and therefore we eat fruits that
have a shell on the outside – to protect them from the external
elements. With this fruit and cup, then, we have a rooted awareness of
the tangible world around us, in both its natural and human
dimensions. We concentrate on our proper place in that world.
First Fruit (hard on the outside)
Fruits from the realm of assiya include pomegranates, almonds,
walnuts, bananas, peanuts, etc.
Some fruits that come from this realm are considered to come from the ground and
not from trees (even though we may think of them as “tree-fruit”). Such fruits and
nuts include bananas, and peanuts. For these fruits say the following blessing:
‫ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם בורא פרי האדמה‬
Ani Ve’ata – Arik Einstein
‫אני ואתה נשנה את העולם‬,
‫אני ואתה אז יבואו כבר כולם‬,
‫אמרו את זה קודם לפני‬,
‫ אני ואתה נשנה את העולם‬- ‫לא משנה‬.
Blowin in the wind – Bob Dylan
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
‫אני ואתה ננסה מהתחלה‬,
‫ אין דבר זה לא נורא‬,‫יהיה לנו רע‬,
‫אמרו את זה קודם לפני‬,
‫ אני ואתה נשנה את העולם‬- ‫זה לא משנה‬. Yes, 'n' how many years can a mountain exist
You and I we'll change the world
you and I by then all will follow
Others have said it before me but
doesn't matter you and I
we'll change the world.
You and I we'll try from the beginning
it will be tough for us, no matter, it's
not too bad!
Others have said it before me but it
doesn't matter you and I
we'll change the world.
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, 'n' how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
6
Human qualities in nature
Babylonian Talmud, Brachot 57a
Rabbi Chiya bar Abba says, one who sees wheat in one’s dream –
has seen peace, as it says “He endows your realm with well-being,
and satisfies you with choice wheat” (Psalms 147:14).
One who sees barley in one’s dream – his sins depart from him, as
it says, “your guilt shall depart and your sin be purged away” (Isaiah
6:7). Rabbi Zeirah says “I did not leave from Babylon to the Land of
Israel until I saw barley in my dreams.”
One who sees a grape vine in one’s dream. If it is abundant – his wife will not
miscarry, as it says, “You wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house” (Psalms
128:3). If it is choice vine, he should await the Messiah, as it says, “He tethers his
ass to a vine, his ass’s foal to a choice vine” (Genesis 49:11).
One who sees a fig in one’s dream -- the Torah he has learned will be preserved
within him, as it says, “He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 27:18).
If one sees pomegranates in one’s dream. If they are a few, his business shall be
fruitful like pomegranates. If they are many, his business shall be plentiful like
pomegranates. If they are spilt in half: If he is a sage, he should anticipate Torah,
and if he is an ignoramous he should anticipate mitzvot, as it says “Your brow behind
our veil gleams like a pomegranate split open” (Song of Songs 6:7). What does the
word “brow” (“rakateich” in Hebrew) mean? Even the “empty ones” (reikanim) among
you are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate.
If one sees olives in one’s dreams – his business will be fruitful and plentiful like
olives. This is true only if he sees fruit, but if he sees an olive tree, he will have many
children, as it says, “Your sons like olive saplings around your table” (Psalms 128:3).
Some say that if one sees olives in one’s dreams, he will have a good
name/reputation, as it says, “The Lord names you ‘Verdant olive tree,’” (Jeremiah
11:16). If one sees olive oil in one’s dream, one should await the light of Torah, as it
says, “they shall bring you clear oil of beaten olives” (Exodus 27:20).
If one sees dates in one’s dreams – his sins have expired, as it says, “Your iniquity,
Fair Zion, is expiated (TaM the first two letters for the Hebrew word TaMaR--date)”
(Lamentations 4:22)…
If one sees myrtle in one’s dream, his business dealings will be successful. If he
doesn’t have business dealings, he will receive inheritance from a different source.
R.Ula says the following while others some say it comes from a Mishnah, that this
is true only if he sees it in bunches.
If one sees one date palm, a lulav, in one’s dream, he has one heart for his Father
in heaven.
Which fruit most resembles you?
7
Second World – ‫ יצירה‬Formation
Second Cup (White wine, with a drop of red)
The second cup of wine symbolizes spring, the time of rebirth.
It is white just touched with red, the color of the swelling
blossoms on the tree which will eventually become the fruit.
Second Fruit (hard on the inside, soft on the outside):
Now we turn toward inner, spiritual development. The fruit for this world has no outer
shell but has an inner pit that we don’t eat. The pit or seed is a means of regrowth. It
symbolizes the earth’s reawakening and with it we can cause a transformation of raw
materials.
Take one of the fruits from the realm of formation. Fruits include olives, dates,
cherries, plums, apricots
;‫יִּפ ָּרח‬
ְ ‫ ַכ ָּת ָּמר‬,‫ַצ ִּדיק‬
‫עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה ותומכיה מאושר‬
‫ְכ ֶא ֶרז ַב ְל ָּבנֹון יִּ ְשגֶ ה‬
‫דרביה דרכי נואם‬
;‫ ְב ֵבית ה‬,‫תּולים‬
ִּ ‫ְש‬
‫וכל נתיבותיה שלום‬
‫יַפ ִּריחּו‬
ְ ‫ֹלהינּו‬
ֵ ‫ְב ַח ְצרֹות ֱא‬
‫השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם‬
Tehilim 92:13-14
Mishlei 3:18, Eicha 5:21
The righteous will flourish like a palm
tree, they will grow like a cedar of
Lebanon;
Planted in the house of the LORD, they
shall flourish in the courts of our God
A tree of life to those who hold fast to it,
and all who cling to it find happiness.
Its ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all its paths are peace.
Help us and guide us, inspire and provide us
with the wisdom Your Torah can show.
Cause us to learn, renew and return,
Just as in days of old.
8
Planting Our Seeds
With this cup we focus on the pit of the fruit, which we normally throw away and don’t
pay any attention to. We recognize that the pit is a means for re-growth and it is
through the pit that there is fruit and produce for the next generation. Rabbinic
literature talks of the importance of planting trees.
When you enter the land and plant any tree for food…(Lev. 19:23) God said to Israel,
“Even though you will find [the land] full of good, you shouldn’t say ‘we will sit and not
plant.’ Rather, be careful to plant.” As it says, you shall plant any tree for food. Just
as you entered the land and found trees that others had planted, so too you should
plant for your children. A person shouldn’t say, ‘I am old; how much longer will I live?
Why should I toil for others when I may die tomorrow? (Midrash Tanchumah,
Kedoshim 8)
Name something on which you have worked but not enjoyed fruit?
Trees: The Ultimate Zionist Ideal
A common Tu B’Shevat activity is to have a tree drive for Israel. Trees can be
purchased to be planted in one of the JNF (Jewish National Fund) Forests in Israel.
Tree planting was an integral part to the Zionist cause in settling the land of Israel
from the late 19th Century. Planting trees was seen as a necessary ritual in order to
connect to the land. Trees were an essential symbol for the Zionist mission of
“striking roots” in the Jewish homeland. In keeping with the notion of planting trees
as a means to establishing a legacy expressed in the Midrash, it became a common
practice to plant trees in memory of loved ones. Forests planted in memory of those
who have died establish their legacy and serve as an effective continuity between
the past and the future.
The powerful and explicit example of this can be seen in the announcement of the
Holocaust Martyrs’ Forest in Jerusalem:
The memory of our six million holy ones will be eternalized in the trees which will be
planted in the earth closest to the heart of each and every Jew [i.e., Jerusalem].
Their names will be sanctified for eternity by the tree which is renewed time after
time with the passing of the year. ‘The Forest of the Holy Ones’ will rise in the
Judean Hills at the entrance of the capital of Israel and thus will serves as a practical
contribution to the resuscitation of this important area.
Planting trees remains a
vital part of Israel’s
development and
sustenance. Through the
efforts of JNF, which has
planted over 210 million
trees, Israel is the only
country in the world that has
more trees at the end of the
20th Century than it did at
the beginning.
9
Third Wold – ‫ בריאה‬Creation
Third Cup (half white wine, half red wine)
This .balance of powers. gives it the brightest hue of red, as it shines with more light
than red wine alone. It blazes like the moon in its fullness or the sun at its zenith. It
symbolizes summer: the time of luxuriant growth, of nature in full bloom
Third Fruit (Soft on the outside, soft on the inside)
Have you ever searched high and low for something, only to find it in the most
obvious place?
In the third realm, Creation, the tree has grown into a full being and is blooming. No
protective shells are needed within or without. The fruit of the realm of Creation has
no shell or pit, and may be eaten as is. This realm is the realm of intellect. Fruits
from this realm include: grapes, figs, apples, citrons, lemons, pears, quinces, and
carob.
‫ עץ השדה‬- ‫נתן זך‬
FOR THE HUMAN IS THE TREE IN A
FIELD
For the human is like the tree in a field,
like the human, the tree grows too;
like the tree, the human is chopped down,
and I don't know
where I've been and where I'll be,
like the tree in a field!
For the human is like the tree in a field,
like the tree he strives upwards;
like the human, it burns in fire,
and I don't know
where I've been and where I'll be,
like the tree in a field!
I loved, and I hated too,
I tasted this and that;
I was buried in a plot of dust,
and I feel sour - sour in my mouth,
like the tree in a field! (x2)
‫כי האדם עץ השדה‬
‫כמו האדם גם העץ צומח‬
‫כמו העץ האדם נגדע‬
‫ואני לא יודע‬
‫איפה הייתי ואיפה אהיה‬
‫כמו עץ השדה‬
‫כי האדם עץ השדה‬
‫כמו העץ הוא שואף למעלה‬
‫כמו האדם הוא נשרף באש‬
‫ואני לא יודע‬
‫איפה הייתי ואיפה אהיה‬
‫כמו עץ השדה‬
‫אהבתי וגם שנאתי‬
‫טעמתי מזה ומזה‬
‫קברו אותי בחלקה של עפר‬
‫ מר לי בפה‬,‫ומר לי‬
‫כמו עץ השדה‬
10
Trees, Life & War
“When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to
capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the axe against them. You may
eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to
withdraw before you into the besieged city?” – Devarim 20:19
Commentaries on ‫כי האדם עץ השדה‬
Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (11th Century)
The word “for” here indicates a question. [That is to say]: “are trees of the field
human beings able to come against you in a siege?” To be tormented with hunger
and thirst like the people of the city. Why should you destroy them?
Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (12th Century)
This is its meaning: Because you eat from [trees], you shall not cut them down. For a
human being is the tree of the field – This means the life of humans is the tree of a
field…You shall not destroy a fruit tree which brings life to humans, you are only
allowed to eat from it and it is forbidden for you to destroy it in order to besiege a
city.
Rambam, The Laws of Kings and their Wars (13th Century)
It is forbidden to chop down fruit trees and to deny them water so they will dry, as it
says in the Torah “do not destroy its trees.” This applies not only during a siege, but
in all instances that one chops down a fruit tree in a destructive manner…
This is true not only of trees, but whoever breaks vessels or rips clothing or destroys
a building, or blocks up a water source, or destroys foodstuffs, in a destructive
manner has violated the prohibition of bal tashchit –do not be wasteful…
Rabbi Jacob Zevi Meklenburg, Haketav ve-haKaballah (18th Century)
Even if the intention in cutting the tree is not to be destructive, but for constructive
purposes such as building a ladder or capturing a city, it is still forbidden to cut the
tree. The reason for this prohibition is that it is not proper to use any of God’s
creations for the opposite of that which it was intended. A fruit tree, which is
intended to feed and sustain people, should not be used in a siege, which is
intended to defeat one’s enemies by starving them… It seems more fitting to me to
translate the word "ki" as “like.” So the meaning of the verse is “Just like man, so is
the tree of the field” concerning the enemy coming in siege. Just as you are
forbidden to destroy people who are besieged if they offer you peace and agree to
pay a tax to you, so too are you warned
against destroying fruit trees, for you have
benefit in eating its fruits... Trees are just
like besieged people. Just as you are
forbidden to destroy people because of the
benefit of the tax, so too you shall not
destroy fruit trees because you have
benefit in enjoying their fruit.
< Does this picture make you think of
tragedy or progress?
11
Fourth World - ‫ אצילות‬Nobility
Fourth Cup (all red with a drop of white)
The fourth and last cup of wine, symbolizing autumn, is the deepest shade of red. It
is the color of life’s blood spilled, of leaves at their most brilliant before they fall to the
ground. It is the color of fruits fully ripened which are now ready for harvest, ready to
pass on their life essence to nourish and sustain. It is the last color of the setting of
the sun.and also, the first color of its rising.
There is no fruit associated with this cup. The world of nobility represents pure
spirituality and it cannot be embodied in anything physical. You may want to have
fragrant spices or fruits to smell. This allows us to be aware of our senses beyond
that of test and feeling.
Fourth Fruit Smell (An item from nature that can’t be eaten)
There is a blessing recited over smelling spices and fruits that are particularly
fragrant.
‫ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם בורא מיני בסמים‬
Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchel
They paved paradise and
put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique and a
swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what
you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise and
put up a parking lot
(Choo bop bop bop bop,
choo bop bop bop bop)
They took all the trees,
put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and
a half just to see 'em
Hey farmer farmer,
put away that D.D.T. now
Give me spots on my apples but leave
me the birds and the bees, please
Adama Veshamayim - Sagol
‫אדמה ושמים‬
‫חום האש צליל המים‬
‫אני מרגיש זאת בגופי‬
‫ברוחי בנשמתי‬
Dry earth - warm fire
cold wind - deep water
I can feel it in my body,
I can feel it in my soul…”
“I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip
to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and
when I woke up the next morning, I threw
back the curtains and saw these beautiful
green mountains in the distance. Then, I
looked down and there was a parking lot
as far as the eye could see, and it broke
my heart... this blight on paradise. That's
when I sat down and wrote the song.” Joni Mitchell 1970
Late last night I heard
the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
took away my old man
12
I and Thou: A Tree
By Martin Buber
I contemplate a tree.
I can accept it as a picture: a rigid pillar in a flood of light, or splashes
of green traversed by the gentleness of the blue silver ground.
I can feel it as movement: the flowing veins around the sturdy, striving
core, the sucking of the roots, the breathing of the leaves, the infinite
commerce with earth and air--and the growing itself in its darkness.
I can assign it to a species and observe it as an instance, with an eye
to its construction and its way of life.
I can overcome its uniqueness and form so rigorously that I recognize
it only as an expression of the law--those laws according to which a
constant opposition of forces is continually adjusted, or those laws
according to which the elements mix and separate.
I can dissolve it into a number, into a pure relation between numbers,
and eternalize it.
Throughout all of this the tree remains my object and has its place
and its time span, its kind and condition.
But it can also happen, if will and grace are joined, that
as I contemplate the tree I am drawn into a relation, and
the tree ceases to be an It. The power of exclusiveness
has seized me.
This does not require me to forego any of the modes of
contemplation. There is nothing that I must not see in
order to see, and there is no knowledge that I must
forget. Rather is everything, picture and movement,
species and instance, law and number included and
inseparably fused.
Whatever belongs to the tree is included: its form and its mechanics, its colors and its
chemistry, its conversation with the elements and its conversation with the stars--all this in
its entirety.
The tree is no impression, no play of my imagination, no aspect of a mood; it confronts me
bodily and has to deal with me as I must deal with it--only differently.
One should not try to dilute the meaning of the relation: relation is reciprocity.
Does the tree then have consciousness, similar to our own? I have no experience of that.
But thinking that you have brought this off in your own case, must you again divide the
indivisible? What I encounter is neither the soul of a tree nor a dryad, but the tree itself.
.‫הריני מסתכל באילן‬
...‫ עמוד קפוא ואפוף אורה‬:)‫יכולני לראותו בחינת מראה (בצירי‬
...‫ עם האוויר‬,‫ מגע ומשא בלתי פוסק עם האדמה‬,‫ נשימת העלים‬,‫יכולני לחוש יניקתם של השורשים‬
.‫ לראות מהו מבנהו ומה אורחות חייו‬,‫יכולני לשייך אותו למינו ולסוגו ולהתבונן בו בחינת טופס יחד‬
‫ והוא שוב‬,‫ שעם הסתכלותי באילן אהיה משובץ בזיקה אליו‬,‫ מתוך רצון וחסד כאחד‬,‫אולם יכול גם שיתרחש‬
...‫ שאהיה מוותר על שום דרך מדרכי הסתכלותי שלי‬,‫ עצמתה של הבלעדיות תפסתני ואין צורך כל עיקר‬.‫אינו לז‬
‫ אלא ממש הוא השרוי ועומד‬,‫ לא יקרת חליפות רוחי‬,‫ אינו משחק לכח המדמה שלי‬,‫אין אילן רושם מן הרשמים‬
‫ אלא באופן אחר‬,‫ הוא לי כשם שאני לו‬,‫נכחי‬
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Conclusion
Tu B’Shevat allows us to think about our relationship to trees and the physical world
around us. It also allows us to think about our social responsibility to the
environment, to the world, and to the future. Tu B’Shevat introduces us to the
Kabbalisitic understanding of the world and of God. Tu B’Shevat also allows us to
concentrate on the land of Israel and its fruits.
Somewhere over the rainbow – Wizard of Oz
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high,
There's a land that I dreamed of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.
Oh somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?
I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me
and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the
rainbow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is
between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no
more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
- Genesis 9:13-14
When you travel throughout the bush and you see a full rainbow in the sky you know
that it is the rainbow serpent travelling from one waterhole to another. If he is happy
with what he sees, he will go back into his waterhole, and we will have the most
beautiful of days. But if the rainbow serpent isn’t happy, he will go back into his
waterhole and we will have the worst storms you could ever imagine. Whenever you
see a full rainbow in the bush, know that it is the rainbow serpent travelling
throughout the land. - Dreamtime Story, Western NSW
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