Tu B'Shevat Seder of the Seasons

This year, Tu B'Shevat, the festival of the trees, falls on the evening of Feb. 12 and during the day on Feb. 13--just about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This festival occurs at the time of the rising of the sap in the northeast of the US, and when the blossoms begin in regions like Israel and California.

Opening song:

"To Everything There is a Season" (Pete Seeger)

Or, to any niggun or tune, chant:

To everything there is a season
and a purpose to every time.

(Place a branch in a vase in the center of the room.)

The four worlds of the mystics are body, heart, mind and spirit. They are also earth, water, air, and fire. And they are also doing, making, creating, and being, and also west, south, east, and north, and also roots, trunk, branches, and crown. The four worlds are also spring, summer, fall, and winter. This Tu B'Shevat seder will focus on the seasons of the trees and what we learn from them.

(Give everyone a pen and paper and a plastic cup. Ask them to write down one thing they learned last spring, one thing they learned last summer, one thing they learned this past autumn, and one thing they learned this winter.)

The Winter Cup:

Winter is a time of cold, of retreat, of sleep, of bareness and vulnerability. What are the gifts of winter for the world? What are winter's challenges? What are the gifts and challenges of winter for you? What stories do you think of at this season?

(Allow time for people to discuss and answer this question.)

Drink a cup of white grape juice to represent taking in the gifts and challenges of winter.

The Spring Cup:

Spring is a time of growth, of blossoming, of awakening. What are the gifts of spring for the world? What are its challenges? What are the gifts and challenges of spring for you? What stories do you think of at this season?

(Allow time for people to discuss and answer this question.)

Drink a cup of white grape juice with a little red to represent taking in the gifts and challenges of spring.

The Summer Cup:

Summer is a time of abundance, of fruition, of heat. What are the gifts of summer for the world? What are its challenges? What are the gifts and challenges of summer for you? What stories do you think of at this season?

(Allow time for people to discuss and answer this question.)

Drink a cup of red grape juice with a little white to represent taking in the gifts and challenges of summer.

The Autumn Cup:

Autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering, of ending. What are the gifts of autumn for the world? What are its challenges? What are the gifts and challenges of autumn for you? What stories do you think of at this season?

(Allow time for people to discuss and answer this question.)

Drink a cup of red grape juice to represent taking in the gifts and challenges of autumn.

Ending:

Ask people to share whether the things on their list of learning have anything to do with seasonal wisdom. How does the season influence them in their life experiences?

Using ribbon, ask people to hang their list of wisdom on the branch in the center, to create a tree of seasons. Sing: "Etz Chayim hi lemachazikim bah"--she is a tree of life to those who hold onto her.

Written by Rabbi Jill Hammer in collaboration with Shoshana Jedwab.

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