This week we are celebrated Tu B'Shevat at school!

The Talmud teaches us that the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat is the "New Year of/for the Trees".  This specific date was decided because the trees in Israel were mature enough so that their fruit could be harvested, and the annual tithe on fruit trees could be collected.  (A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government.)  The tithe was based on the age of a tree, as was the ability to eat of its fruit.  According to Leviticus 19:23-25, no fruits are to be eaten in the first three years after a tree's planting.  So, Tu B'Shevat became the marker of a tree's "birthday".  By then the early winter rains were mostly over and the period of budding had begun. 

We had three different celebrations today at school.  In the afternoon, kindergarten through 2nd grade met with Ms. Shapiro on the grass behind ASA to taste samples from the three categories of fruits for the holiday and to experiment with changing colors of the season by using white and red grape juice.  In a seder led by Ms. Bat-Sarah, the 3rd through 5th grade students experienced the Seven Species - Shivat HaMinim - the seven types of fruits and grains named in the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:8).  Middle School walked over to Eaton Canyon to enjoy a student led seder and lunch amid the beauty of nature. 

Look out for more Holiday Happenings about our Purim celebrations here at Weizmann Day School!

Hag Sameah!