Tu B'Shevat

Shalom, and welcome to a special Tu B'Shevat Tikkun Tips!

This Shabbat is Tu B'Shevat! Tu B’Shevat is traditionally understood to be the birthday of the trees. Tu B'Shevat literally means the 15th day of the Hebrew lunar month of Shevat, which falls between mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar. While Tu B’Shevat always seems to fall too early for the cold climate of Northeast United States, in many regions of Israel, Tu B'Shevat is marked by the white flowering almond trees, the first fruit trees to blossom in Israel.

When the Temple stood and tithes were paid on the produce of the land, Tu B'Shevat was simply the cut-off date for the fiscal year on the tithing of fruit, "the new year of the trees." A ten percent tax (tithe) was paid on all fruits harvested between the 15th of Shevat of one year and the next. But after the Romans conquered Israel and destroyed the Temple - the heart of Jewish national sovereignty - the Jews of Israel scattered into the countries of the Diaspora and Tu B'Shevat remained an esoteric date, remembered only to Talmudic scholars. (Source: Neot Kedumim)

Today, Jews throughout the world celebrate Tu B’Shevat through songs, parties, and Tu B’Shevat seders, traditional meals in which there is a large sampling of different types of fruit.

Tikkun Tip for Tu B’Shevat: Make a brit ilanot, a commitment to the trees, to do your part to help ensure that we do not senselessly use up one of our most prized natural resources.

A brit ilanot consists of finding something in your life you can do differently to help reduce the amount of trees that are cut down. Here are some suggestions:

• Buy a reusable mug: Every time we buy a cup of coffee or tea and it is put into a paper cup, we needlessly cause trees to be cut down. By buying a reusable mug, we reduce the amount of paper we use. We also reduce the amount of garbage going into the landfills, thus delaying the need to open more landfills. Additionally, we reduce costs; to you, the consumer as most stores give a discount if you bring your own mug, and also to the stores, as they spend less on disposable cups.
• Read the paper online: Did you know that every week it takes 75,000 trees to make the Sunday New York Times? That’s 3,900,000 over the course of a year! Did you also know that every Sunday, the United States throws away nearly 90% of the recyclable newspapers? This wastes about 500,000 trees. And honestly, how much of the paper do you actually make it through? By reading the news online, you save an enormous amount of paper, and also cut out the resources used in delivering the paper to your door or newsstand. Additionally, most papers allow you to read them online for free, thus saving you money as well. While it does take a little getting used to, soon enough you will find many convenient features of reading the paper online. Online editions allow you to search for specific articles, offer video and audio newscasts, and up to the minute headlines. Check it out.
• Buy recycled paper: The final and most important suggestion is to buy recycled paper. If we all keep on recycling the paper we use, that’s great. But if we only buy new paper, we are still causing trees to be chopped down. In some cities, the local governments have been forced to cancel recycling programs because there is no market for recycled goods. We as consumers have the power to change this by demanding recycled products. As you look for recycled paper products, try to buy those with the highest “Post-Consumer Waste” content. Post-consumer means that someone bought paper, used it, recycled it, and now it has been turned back into useable paper. Paper labeled ‘recycled’ often times was never sold to a consumer. It simply was extra paper in the factory that was then added back to a new reel, thus allowing the company to call it ‘recycled.’ So be sure to look for the highest percentages of post-consumer content on the recycled paper you buy. Many stores such as Staples and Office Depot sell recycled paper, and the packages are clearly labeled with post-consumer content. Remember, buying recycled products saves trees and closes the loop in the recycling process.

Have a meaningful a celebratory Tu B’Shevat!!

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