#Tu B' Shvat

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Jewish Pride Always

[eretzyisrael]

[bdkinz]

Audio - Lessons in Tanya 35

Part one of Chapter 24 This chapter explores how violating the 365 prohibitions of the Torah leads to a sense of separation from Gd. The previous chapters looked at how our actions lead to a closeness and a unification with the divine. This chapter shares the opposite, reflecting on different degrees of sin. We mess up because of our sense of self and we mess up because the animal soul influences…

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it's the new year for the trees! who wants to learn some incredibly niche Hebrew grammar great wonderful come on in and have a seat

so the name of this holiday is Tu biShvat, literally "the fifteenth [day] in [the Hebrew month of] Sh'vat". and you might wonder why the name of the month looks like it's "Shvat" in the full name of the holiday and "Sh'vat" in the translation i gave above, and that is what i'm here to explain

you see, Hebrew has this vowel called a sh'va, and it's kind of a placeholder vowel when there isn't another vowel attached to a consonant. under certain conditions, however, that little vowel becomes . . . not so silent. for example, if you're smack bang in the middle of a word and there are two sh'vas in a row, Hebrew doesn't like that, and the second one becomes a quick, unstressed, kind of indistinct vowel sound that's similar to the second E in the word celebrate. another time that this happens is when the very first letter of a word has a sh'va under it, as in the word sh'va itself. normally, i like to transliterate a sh'va with an IPA schwa (which looks like an upside down e), but my current keyboard doesn't have the shortcut installed that lets me type that quickly, so i'm using an apostrophe, which is another very common way of transcribing it in English. (some people also use just a regular E; the sh'va isn't an English vowel, so there's a fair bit of variation in how it gets carried over into English)

so that's one part of the puzzle. the second, believe it or not, is just the word "in". some Hebrew prepositions can't really exist as separate words, they just exist as prefixes that get tacked on to the front of words they apply to. "b", meaning "in" (or "with" or a number of similar things depending on context), is one of these! and by default, when it gets tacked on to the front of the word, it takes a sh'va for its vowel

but! in the case of Sh'vat, that causes problems. because when there are two sh'vas in a row, as mentioned above, it's the second one that gets pronounced, while the first remains silent. but when the first vowel of a word is a sh'va, that sh'va is pronounced. and Hebrew really hates having two audible sh'vas in a row, which is what the rules seem to say should happen here

so instead, Hebrew sort of smooshes the sh'vas together, and the first one becomes a different vowel so that the second one can become silent again. that new vowel is a long I like the I in zine, which is how you get "biShvat" with no audible sh'vas in sight. pretty neat, huh!

and now, if you're a prescriptivist pedant, You Too can be Vaguely Annoyed whenever you see someone ignore the sh'va rules and write b'Sh'vet, bShevet, or other variations on that theme :P

[breslovwomansays]

WATCH TU B'SHVAT VIDEO: Activate Your Soul Potential with the Teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Watch a special Breslov Tu B'Shvat video program from the Nishmat women's group with Chaya Rivka Zwolinski. Explore the Mazal of Shevat, the "bucket" (Aquarius), a parable of the 100 Year Tree, & Rebbe Nachman's story, The Sophisticate and The Simpleton.

Today’s video program from Nishmat Kol Chai women’s circle. This talk is about the power of the month of Shvat and Tu B’Shvat to help you renew yourself, spiritually, emotionally, and creatively. You CAN Start Over! Follow this link to view this 30 minute event on YouTube.

[eschultz72]

Tu BiShvat and the Kabbalistic Four Worlds

Join me tonight for a Zoom seder for #tubshvat.

(No, it’s not a new Harry Potter knockoff series, although couldn’t you just see that?) tl;dr It’s the New Year of the Trees, so join me tonight at 6pm CST / 7pm EST for a virtual Tu B’Shvat seder with the Tremont St. Shul. Email or PM me for the Zoom info. BYOF – Bring Your Own Fruit! Some 20 years ago, I was running the 20s&30s young adult group at my synagogue, Temple Beth Shalom of…

[starlightomatic]

There are three Jewish holidays whose names sound really similar — Tu Bishvat (the tree holiday), Tisha b’Av (the sad holiday), and Tu b’Av (the love holiday)

Ok so

B’ means in or of

And then Av is a month on the Jewish calendar in July/August

So when you combine b’ and Av you get b’Av (often people shorten this to sound like bahv or buv), meaning of Av

Tisha means the ninth

So Tisha b’Av is the ninth of Av, aka the ninth day of the month of Av

The other two holidays I mentioned are on the 15th of their respective months, but the word for 15th — chamesh esrei — is a bit of a mouthful

Soooooo here’s where it gets more complicated

Hebrew traditionally has a system of writing numbers with letters. It’s used in a few contexts, such as dates (on gravestones, wedding invitations, saying names of holidays...)

It’s base ten. So, for 1-10, you just use the first ten letters, alef through yud, like so

1 Alef א

2 Bet ב

3 Gimmel ג

4 Dalet ד

5 Hey ה

6 Vav ו

7 Zayin ז

8 Chet ח

9 Tet ט

10 Yud י

Bet is 2, gimmel is 3, etc. For the teens, you do yud and then the corresponding letter.

So 12 is yud bet יב

13 is yud gimmel יג

14 is yud dalet יד

Here’s the problem

To get 15 you’d have to do yud hey

יה

But yud hey spells Yah which is one of the sacred names of God and you’re not supposed to use it in a casual context

(It’s okay, I can do it here for educational purposes — and it would be ok to delete a reblog of this post because the rules are different for electronic writing)

So instead, we just... make 15 by going with 9+6 instead of 10+5! We use the letters of nine and six — tet and vav

טו

Tet and vav together spell Tu

So when a date is the fifteenth, we say Tu b’[whatever month]

Hence Tu b’Av (the 15th of Av)!

Now, Shvat is a month on the Jewish calendar in January/February

So to get the 15th of Shvat you would think it’s Tu b’Shvat

And, basically, it is! Except, because of a quirk of Hebrew grammar, there’s a slightly different vowel after the b — in Israeli Hebrew you’d pronounce it as an ee sound, so Tu Beeshvat, but in American/Ashkenazi pronunciation it’s a short i. To mark the difference, I spell it Tu Bishvat

Some notes:

Tisha b’Av is a fast day in July/August where we’re sad about the Temple being destroyed and the world being horrible. It’s pronounced TISH-uh-buhv/TISH-uh-bahv (American Ashkenazi) or teesh-AH-bih-AHV (Israeli)

Tu b’Av is the Jewish-valentines-day-ish-thing in July/August. It’s pronounced TOO-bih-ahv (American Ashkenazi) or too-bih-AHV (Israeli)

Tu Bishvat is the tree/fruit/environmentalism holiday in January/February! It’s pronounced TOO-bish-vaht (American Ashkenazi) or (too-beesh-VAHT (Israeli)

(I didn’t include info about Sepharadi pronunciations or spellings bc I knew I’d fuck it up but if you have something to add with these, please do!)

Also I’m sorry I don’t know IPA :P

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - January 18, 2022

Ot's time for the blossoming!

Isaiah 35:1-2 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

One thing I miss about Israel is the abundance of fruit everywhere! Delicious citrus fruit, mango, pomegranate, grapes, cactus fruit, avocado -- and much much more! It's common to see people people pick and eat it as they walk by. And it doesn't taste like your average western fruit either. It seems to be especially sweet. It must be because God has blessed the land it's grown upon!

Yesterday marked the Jewish holiday of Tu B' Shvat and the beginning of the new year for trees. It is customary to plant trees and partake of the fruits of the Land to commemorate the occasion. God has declared that fruit shall blossom from the desert!

I love this passage. It reminds me that even the dry desert areas in our lives can come to life! The Lord declares that He will restore the years the locusts have eaten! No matter how desolate we've been, this is the time to blossom!

Our lives are meant to flourish in the Lord! Let's ask Him to touch us in a special way this season. May we spring to life and blossom abundantly. May that which was once dead spring to life and may everyone around us may see the evidence of the glory of God!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Phoenix, Arizona

Editor's Note: Our preferred social media platform is Telegram [Follow us on Telegram -https://t.me/worthywatch].

[slimy]

not only was my housemate back home today, his evil mom was there too to pack up his stuff and i was SO SCARED to walk past them to leave the house BUT I DID ANYWAYS I RAN OUT SO FAST

so i GET TO GO TO THE MET ON TU B SHVAT B"H

[laurent-ofvere]

🥰my love🥰 you make me feel 🥰 😘 happy Tu B’ Shvat! 🌳🌴🌲🌱🌿🍃(I was told it’s like a new year for trees) 😍 love ya! 😘

you’re so sweeeet thank you :’)

[coffeeshoprabbi]

Tu B'Shevat is Coming!

Tu B’Shevat is Coming!

Image: A fruit tree in midwinter, with a few dried leaves clinging. (Pixabay)

Tu B’Shevat (TOO beh-SHVAT) is coming, starting at sundown on January 30, 2017.  Look around you: if you live in the Northern Hemisphere the trees have prepared for the New Year of the Trees by dropping their old leaves and playing dead.

If you look even more closely you may see that there are the tiniest beginnings of…

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Tu Bishvat Celebration at Bergen Belsen DP Camp, Germany 1946/47

© All Rights Reserved

Courtesy of Lea Lafer-Avidor, Israel

The Jew in You

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Tu B’Shvat begins at sunset on 5 February and ends at nightfall on 6 February. Raise an ecological awareness and celebrate it by planting a tree!

The Jew in You

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Carob tree and planting the seeds of success - Tu B'Shvat

Today marks the midway of the winter season and the new year for trees in the Jewish tradition. It is the holiday called Tu B’Shevat, named after the day it falls out, the 15th of Shevat. This days marks the starting point of seed growth, of seeing the results of the plantings we have done in the fall, preparing for the Spring/harvest season. In honor of Tu B’Shvat, I want to share a short…

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Raisins & Almonds: A Tu B'Shvat Celebration

Raisins & Almonds: A Tu B’Shvat Celebration

The next Fair I have scheduled is January 28, 2018.  I wish I had another Holiday Fair this year, but funding isn’t there right now.  But the Raisins & Almonds: A Tu B’Shvat Celebration is exciting for me.  Because its music!  The Colorado Hebrew Chorale will be singing.  And they’ve invited my friend, Megan Mcguire from PHAMALY, the theatre I helped to start which uses all disabled actors!  I’m…

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Nishmat Women's Power Week: Activate Your Soul Potential with the Teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Nishmat Women’s Power Week: Activate Your Soul Potential with the Teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

You’re Invited to Join the Nishmat Zoom Program this coming Monday for a talk about the power of the month of Shvat and Tu B’Shvat to help you renew yourself, spiritually, emotionally, and creatively. You CAN Start Over!https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76455231023…Meeting ID: 764 5523 1023Password: 0S2YLC