Tu Bishvat Feb 13th Eve - 14th 2025

This year KKSY celebrates Tu Bishvat, the New Year for the trees on February 13th, 2025. Setting a New Year for trees is one step Jewish law took to implement the seven year tithing system for agricultural produce which the Bible mandates. As this system prescribes different tithes in different years, to comply farmers need to know when a given agricultural year starts. They need to know in which year they planted each tree so that, for example they understand if they have to pay the second tithe on a given crop when that tithe is only due in the first, second, fourth and fifth years of the seven year cycle.  Tu Bishvat serves as a demarcation point so that farmers can count produce from trees planted before the celebration in one year and those planted after the festivity in the next year.

Many Jewish communities have a Tu Bishvat custom to eat on that day from the seven agricultural products praised in the Bible as bountiful in the land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates and olives. In Israel, this day is a time when many Jews plant trees for their sustenance, shade and landscape beauty. As a community with many farmers, KKSY has a particular affinity for the Tu Bishvat celebration. Members of the community beautify their landscape by planting and look forward to an abundant harvest. 

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