Tu B'Shevat: Happy Birthday Trees!

 

Tu B’Shevat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the trees’ birthday. Tu B’Shevat originated during the first Temple (586 BCE). Each year there was a tax of one tenth of a fruit tree’s yield. Consequently to carry out the taxes; trees needed a birthday to mark the beginning and end of a year for the tree. Early winter was chosen due to the time when most of the rain had fallen, and the sap rises in the trees.

Later in the sixteenth century, Kabbalists Tu B’Shevat added more spirituality by associating the tradition with the renewal of the Tree of Life. A special Seder meal was created for Tu B’Shevat, during which we eat 4 fruits, nuts and naturally, drink wine.

This year (2021) Tu B’Shevat falls on January 28^th.

Here is a list of items needed for a Tu B’Shevat Seder:

1.     Wind/Juice – Red and White for the 4 cups of wine. You will need two separate glasses.

2.     First Fruit - Fruit that is hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Example: walnuts, coconuts or almonds, pistachio.

3.     Second Fruit - Fruit that is soft with a pit in the center. Example: olives, dates, peaches, apricots.

4.      Third Fruit - Fruit that is soft throughout and is completely edible. Example: figs, grapes, and raisins.

5.     Forth Fruit – Fruit that has a tough skin on the outside but sweet fruit within. Example: mangos, bananas, avocados

Today in Israel, Tu B’Shevat is celebrated by picnics, hiking, bonfires, and planting trees. It is a common tradition to honor the memory of a dead friend or relative by planting a tree. 

Trees are a carbon sink and central in Judaism.

For more reading on Judaism and trees Go to My Jewish Learning : What the Talmud Teaches About Trees

 

A walk in the woods a day, keeps the doctor away.

 

We are in the middle of a pandemic and to insure safety we are wearing, masks, keeping socially distant from one another and washing our hands like crazy. It might be time to add a forest walk to reinforce your immune system. Trees produce antimicrobial chemicals called phytoncides which protects them from insects and germs. Phyton in Latin means ‘plant’ and cide means to ‘exterminate’.  That’s right germ, you will be exterminated by a plant.  So how does this help us?

In a landmark scientific study (Li Q, Morimoto K, Nakadai A, et al. Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. Int 1 Immunopathol Pharmacol 2007; 20(S):3-8.) phytoncides improved natural killer cell activity in human subjects. Our natural killer cells are lymphocytes that respond to virus-infected cells and tumors. Aside from the immune system boost, phyoncides have numerous other benefits, illustrated in Li Q.’s book, Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, such benefits includes lowering blood pressure, reducing stress levels, and enhancing your creativity to name a few improvements.

While you’re pining away about not being able to go out to a bar for a drink, why not exchange a bar for being near a tree bark? Visit your local forest. Most local parks allow for social distancing and you may consider a picnic rather than going to a restaurant. Arrive at your local well-maintained forest trail, put your phone down, away, or turn it off, and take a slow walk in silence if you can. At the end of the walk, don’t forget to thank the forest.

Welcome to my New Blog: Teva's Nature Blog

 Welcome to my first post. I am Teva. Author/Forest Bather/Master Naturalist/Minimalist/Science Educator/Re-wilder/Zoologist. 

I will be post musings about nature and life. I'll be blogging about critters, plants, and other thoughts about our delicate environment and other topics such as minimalism. I hope to discuss the importance of citizen science, wildlife, re-wilding, trees, forest bathing and other nature therapies for healing.  Here is a forest poster/poem I received and sharing from The Healing Forest website