Tu B’Shevat has its origins in an ancient practice: farmers in Israel, grateful for the blessing of a good crop, would bring a portion of their trees’ fruit as an offering to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Since farmers were instructed to harvest fruit only from trees that had already grown for three full years, the rabbis established a uniform “birthday” or “new year” of the trees: the fifteenth of the month of Shevat (in Hebrew, Tu B’Shevat).
Since this humble beginning, the holiday has had its own exciting growth. About 500 years ago, kabbalists (Jewish mystics) created a symbolic fruit-filled Tu B’Shevat seder. inspired by the Passover ritual meal. About 100 years ago, pioneers in the land of Israel reimagined the holiday as a time to plant trees. More recently, Tu B’Shevat has become an occasion for raising awareness about the environment, similar to Earth Day. Happy birthday, trees!