Leora Mallach, executive director and co-founder of Beantown Jewish Gardens, wants people to “hug a tree” as part of their Tu BiShvat celebration. Mallach is an environmental educator with an impressive track record of introducing Jewish communities to environmental issues and food justice practices. Among her Jewish bona fides has been a stint at the Teva Learning Center—an environmental educational center—that Mallach described as a “beautiful synthesis of teaching and practicing.” She has gone on to work for the national Jewish environmental movement, supporting environmental and food justice initiatives around North America.
Chocolate industry sourcing is among the food justice issues on which Mallach has worked. “We talk a lot about the chocolate-making process and where it comes from during Hanukkah and Passover,” she said. “Conventional chocolate is a slave labor and child industry. We look at fair-trade certification. What does certification mean and what is the difference when looking at labels in general? What do we know about our food; what can we know about our food?”
Mallach is a consummate educator, and early in our conversation she pointed out that Tu BiShvat is one of the four New Year holidays on the Jewish calendar. While Rosh Hashanah and Passover are the more obvious entries into another year, the First of Elul begins a new year of animal tithing, and Tu BiShvat establishes a date for the tithing of fruit trees. Mallach noted that Jewish law forbids the consumption of fruits from trees that are less than three years old. “Tu BiShvat is essentially the birthday of the trees, and the idea of being able to eat fruit from trees after three years indicates that you’re reaching a higher spiritual level,” she said.
Another relatively modern Tu BiShvat tradition is the Tu BiShvat seder. The seder highlights the introduction of seven species that, according to a verse in Deuteronomy, distinguish ancient Israel’s agriculture. There is also symbolism attached to each species. According to an article on My Jewish Learning, the species and their distinct imagery are:
- Wheat, which represents chesed, or kindness, because it’s so basic and nourishing
- Barley, which has a thick casing and is the embodiment of gevura, or restraint
- Grapes, which signify tiferet, or beauty
- Figs, which represent netzch, or endurance, for their long ripening
- Pomegranates, which have a distinctive crown shape that symbolizes hod, or majesty and glory
- Olive oil, which signifies yesod, or foundation, for the principal role it has in many foods
- Dates, which denote malchut, or kingdom, for their digestive benefits