One site describes it as “one of the most beloved minor Jewish holidays.” Yet many people know little about Tu B’Shevat — the “New Year for Trees.” If you want to learn more about the holiday, which is celebrated on Monday, there are dozens of good Web sites that can help.
A good place to start: Virtual Jerusalem’s nicely designed Tu B’Shevat page, brought to you by people who know a thing or two about trees: the Jewish National Fund.
An “All about Tu’ B’Shvat” section begins with the obvious question: “What’s all the fuss about a few trees?” The answers are interesting, as is the explanation about the special significance of the holiday in Israel.
“The Tu B’Shvat holiday is when we re-affirm the strong links between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel,” the site authors write. “This bond, symbolized by the deep roots of the tree, is a major theme of the day.”
There is a clear, concise description of the Tu B’Shevat seder — which originated with 16th century Kabbalists, we learn — and a lucid explanation of the symbolism of the meal.
A “Tu B’Shvat Around The World” section describes different customs for celebrating the holiday.
There’s also a nice educators’ guide to the holiday, a section for kids, suggestions for conservation projects you can do at home to reinforce your connection to the earth and a handful of Tu B’Shevat recipes.
Not surprisingly, you can plant a tree in Israel — what JNF is known for, after all — with just a click of the mouse and an electronic wave of the credit card.
This site is anything but comprehensive, but it serves as an excellent introduction to the subject. The presentation is attractive and low-key, an all-around nice site. You’ll find it at http://207.168.91.4/vjholidays/tubshvat/index.htm
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You can dig a little deeper into the meaning and practices of Tu B’Shevat at the Aish HaTorah holiday site.
Here you’ll find a more talmudic approach to understanding the holiday and its meaning, but you don’t have to be a yeshiva bocher to understand the content here, which is distilled for even Jewish ignoramuses.
A section on “Kabbalistic Insights into Shvat” brings visitors closer to the real origins of the celebration.
Pay attention; the last section is a quiz on “blessings on fruit.” Your scores will be sent to your parents.
There is also a small section — surprisingly small, actually — on Tu B’Shevat customs.
The problem with Aish.Com is that there’s so darned much here; finding what you want can be something of a chore when you go to the crowded home page, at www.aish.com
To get to the right section, click on the small Tu B’Shevat button near the top of the page — which brings you to www.aish.com/holidays/tu_bshvat/articles/man_is_a_tree.asp
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Jewish environmentalists call Tu B’Shevat the “Jewish Earth Day,” and you can get a taste of that perspective at the holiday page provided by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish life.
All the usual stuff here, including prayers, blessings and suggestions for the seder. What sets the site apart is the pleasant tree-hugging focus that includes lots of practical suggestions for living a more earth-conscious life and for ecology-minded social action — just the thing to make the holiday mean even more in this age of environmental angst. To find it, go to the COEJL home page at www.coejl.org By the way, the COEJL has a Bay Area affiliate. Write to [email protected]
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A new entry into the Tu B’Shevat Web lineup is an attractive holiday site put up by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Why a holiday site by a body known more for political brawls than an attachment to Mother Earth? Simple: The first Knesset convened on Feb. 14, 1949 –Tu B’ Shevat 5709. Ever since then, the Knesset has been celebrating its birthday on Tu B’Shevat.
So this site has a dual focus.
There are many of the Tu B’Shevat basics, including the origins of the holiday and suggested activities to give it meaning.
Clean Web design and a unique take on the holiday make this a worthwhile stop for Jewish cybernauts. Check it out at www.knesset.gov.il/tubishvat/eindex.html
The writer is a Washington-based correspondent who has been writing about Jewish Web sites since the early 1990s. His columns alternate with those of Mark Mietkiewicz. Besser can be reached at [email protected]