Family Activities for Tu B'Shevat

The Talmud teaches that in the future each of us will be held accountable for all of the wonderful foods we saw that we did not eat (Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12). Honor this teaching by going to the grocery store and choosing one or more fresh fruits or vegetables you have not eaten before. Serve your selection at a family meal on or near Tu B'Shevat.

As a reminder that the holiday is on the 15th day of Shevat, choose 15 different kinds of fruit to taste or to put into a fruit salad or 15 different vegetables to put into a soup or stew.

In the book of Deuteronomy 8:7-8, seven plants are listed. Jewish tradition calls them the Seven Species of the Land of Israel. These seven plants are wheat, barley, vine (grape), fig, pomegranate, olive and honey (dates). Gather these seven foods and enjoy them during Tu B'Shevat.

In honor of Tu B'Shevat, plant trees in Israel and in your own community. Or, simply spend time among trees by taking a family walk or hike out in the woods.

In Israel, one of the first flowers to bloom at this time of year is cyclamen. Visit a nursery and find pots of cyclamen to decorate your home. Get cyclamen in the range of colors from white to red that also are represented in the four cups of wine at a Tu B'Shevat seder. Learn about how to care for this special plant.

From the Union for Reform Judaism's Jewish Parent Page