Ashkenazi Communities | Salonica | Izmir | Syria and Iraq | Lithuania

Ashkenazi Communities (Central and Eastern Europe)
With the appearance of the booklet Pri Etz Hadar -"The Fruit of the Goodly Tree" - based on an 18th century work on homiletics and ethics, a revived interest in the festival occurred. In particular, there was revival of the Tu B'Shvat Seder based on the kabbalistic ideas of Tikkun Olam. The central notion is that eating ten specific fruits and drinking four cups of wine according to a specific order, that includes the recitation of appropriate verses, induces spiritual perfection in ourselves and in the world.

Salonica (Greece)
At their Tu B'Shvat seder, the Jews of Salonica decorated the fruits and dishes with flowers. The little children would stay up into the early hours of the morning to see the angel responsible for the plants hit the head of every plant and say: "grow!"

In 1800, one of the poets of Salonica wrote a song in Ladino in which he honored God who created the fruits, described the trees' plea with God for their own New Year (based on Jewish legend), and concluded with a song for redemption. Parts of this song were sung - especially by the children - when the different fruits were served.

Izmir (Turkey)
The Jewish Road (Salle) was full of fruits and everyone blessed a different fruit in order to bring peace into the home. The father blessed the seeds of the wheat, so that the family should have plenty of food; the mother blessed the grape vines, as it is said in Psalms: "Your wife should be as fruitful as the vine". The sons blessed the olives, since they are described as ". . .seedlings of olives around your table" (Psalms), and the daughters blessed the nuts and pomegranates ". . .as the dignity of the fruit is expressed in its peel or shell, so too is the dignity of the daughters inside the house."). The little children were left to bless the honey and apples, for "…honey and apples are under your tongue.

Syria and Iraq
In these communities, Tu B'Shvat was connected with the prophet Elijah. Poems about Elijah were read since, according to legend, "eternal greenness" was associated with this prophet. Elijah is revealed on Tu B'Shvat when the world of plants starts to come alive: he transforms the desert and wilderness into grasslands and forests.

On Tu B'Shvat, a bridegroom would buy a ring or bracelet, a fragrant wreath of flowers and a basket of fruit. The shamash (beadle) of the synagogue then brought the wreath to the bride's home, while the groom and his friends brought the fruits. A festive Tu B'Shvat meal was held during which the bridegroom would put the ring or bracelet on the hand of his bride . . . and only then would the basket of fruit be put on the table. The meal was accompanied by song and readings well into the night.

Lithuania (Adapted from a story by A.S. Sachs)
"Especially great was the happiness on that day in Heder (where children learned Torah) . At the Heder, every student would bring carob, raisins, almonds and other fruits, which the teacher would pile into one great heap and then begin to hand out to the children. Rich and poor, all received an equal share. With great devotion, the teacher would pronounce blessings upon each variety. Each boy would then repeat these benedictions in a singing, childish voice and then would taste the fruit. . . .

There was a great to-do in the school when Freide the Bean Woman would appear with her two huge baskets. On all other days, Freida would sell boiled beans, boiled peas, ginger candies and mondlach. On Tu B'Shvat, however, her chief merchandise was carob bread. 'May God help me! As I'm telling you the truth: they are Eretz Yisrael bokser. May I live to see the day when I'll come to the place where these grew!' Freide would repeat the same rigmarole year after year.

We would fall upon Freide's baskets like bees upon honey, and buy her St. John's Bread for pennies, kopeks and half-kopeks. We would buy and eat this fruit with great devotion and ecstasy. This was the fruit that was so plentiful in Eretz Yisrael that the goats munched it without hindrance. Oh! How we envied the goats of Palestine. . . ."