Habonim Dror Ken Na aleh

1 Habonim Dror Ken Na aleh A Habonim Dror Seder For Tu B Shvat סדר לטו בשבט

2 We re having a Seder today, for Tu B Shvat, the Jewish New Year for the trees. It s modeled after the Haggadah of Passover Seder; the book that we use to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Just like the Haggadah, the participants of the Seder will read this text. Guidelines for readers: 1. Some people get nervous when they read aloud and end up reading quickly. Try to read loudly and slowly. 2. Try to add a little bit of life to what you re reading. Relax. Have fun. 3. Please don t read ahead. The Haggadah works better when we re all on the same page. 4. Occasionally there will be instructions to reader directions, don t be alarmed and enjoy it. 5. Each tree reads their part as it appears: Eucalyptus, elm, poplar, birth, cedar, beech, oak, pine, willow, olive, plum, carob, cherry, mahogany, fir, palm, lemon So let s get this Seder started

3 ALL SING: Eretz zavat chalav Chalav u dvash ארץ זבת חלב חלב ודבש A land flowing with milk, milk and honey. EUCALYPTUS: Many years ago when all the Jews lived in Israel, they loved their trees very much. The special regard of the Jews for trees may have developed because they lived in a hot climate. There, trees were particularly precious. In the wilderness a tree meant water, food, and shade. All of these also mean life. ELM: The people of Israel loved trees so much, they even had special laws to remind themselves to take care of them. POPLAR: In the Torah (Leviticus 19: 23-25), the law says When you enter the land of Israel and plant any tree for food, its fruits will be forbidden for you. For three years it should not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be set aside and taken to Jerusalem. Only when the tree is five years old may you eat its fruit. BIRCH: Okay, but how did they know how old a tree was? CEDAR: Well on Tu B Shvat all the trees in Israel had a birthday. Even if they had been planted only two month before, on Tu B Shvat, they became a year old. BEECH: What does Tu B Shvat mean? OAK: Shevat is a month in the Hebrew calendar, and B means in or of. So B Shvat mean of Shvat. OK?

4 ALL SAY: SEE THE TREES IN THE BREEZE, TOWARD EACH OTHER SWAYING LEAFY TREES, GIANT TREES, WONDER WHAT THEY RE SAYING. HEAR THE TREES IN THE BREEZE, TO EACH OTHER HUMMING. TU B SHVAT TU B SHVAT, TU B SHVAT IS COMING PINE: But why is Tu B Shvat at this time of the year? WILLOW: Tu B Shvat in Israel comes just at the beginning of the spring. Israel does not have a cold winter right now, though we do. In Israel it is not really warm yet, but the trees can feel spring beginning. Their roots re-awaken and begin to drink the water hidden deep down in the earth. PINE: When we celebrate Tu B Shvat, we remember the winter in Israel The white flowers, and the snow that covers the mountains like a warm, cozy blanket.

5 The First Cup EUCALYPTUS: The first cup of juice (wine) is White. This is to remind us of the winter, when nature is asleep, the earth is barren, and sometimes covered with snow. Pour the drink. We eat fruits with hard outer covering and a soft inside are eaten (shelled nuts, pomegranates, coconuts), one again reminding us that the winter makes the ground hard, but life is underneath waiting to be reborn. All say the blessing: ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך האלוהם בורא פרי הגפן Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam Borei pri ha- gafen. Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of vine. ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, Borei pri ha-etz Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.

OLIVE: The story is told that once there was a very old man planting a tree in his garden. A young man passing by stopped and asked, What kind of tree are you planting, old man? The old man replied, It is a Carob tree. But, old man, said the stranger, A carob tree takes seventy years to bear fruit. Surely you can t expect to live seventy years more. The old man smiled, and answered, As I enjoy fruit of trees planted many years ago by my father, and my grandfather, and my grandfather s father, so my children, and the children of my children, and even their children s children will be able to eat fruit from this tree I m planting today. And the stranger understood. 6

7 The second cup הידקש PLUM: one of the very first trees to bloom every year in Israel is the (Sh-ke-di-yah), the Almond tree. To remind us of its beautiful pink blossoms, let us drink the second cup of White juice (wine) with a bit of red mixed in. The snow melts, winter fades away, and the earth starts to come alive again with spring. We eat fruit with a softer outer covering and a hard inner core (olives, dates, peaches), recognizing that the ground is slowly thawing out. All say the blessing: ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך האלוהם בורא פרי הגפן Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam Borei pri ha- gafen. Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of vine. ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, Borei pri ha-etz Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree. CAROB: Trees were so special to the Jews that even during wars, people were forbidden to hurt fruit trees.

When you are in war with another city, you must not destroy its trees. You may eat from them, but you must not cut them down. Only trees which you know do not bear fruit may be cut sown for wood. (Deuteronomy 20:19-20) CHERRY: Some people planted tree each time they had a new baby, so the tree could grow just as a child did. Then, when the child grew up and was married, branches from those special trees were used to make the wedding canopy (chupa). Some people still do this today. 8

9 The Third Cup EUCALYPTUS: Let us now drink the third cup of Juice (wine), but this time it is red. Darker, like the deeply colored flowers of the summer when vegetables and fruits are abundant, we are reminded of the richness of life. We eat soft fruits (raisins, seedless grapes, figs) recognizing that earth has come alive once again. All say the blessing: ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך האלוהם בורא פרי הגפן Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam Borei pri ha- gafen. Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of vine. ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, Borei pri ha-etz Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree. MAHOGANY: Trees were especially important to the early pioneers in Palestine. They were faced with huge areas of desert. The sand was dry and nothing would grow on it.

FIR: these settlers watered the land, changed the topsoil and began planting anything that would grow. Soon, after much hard work, the land began to support life. You could see green everywhere! Today, Israel is full of trees, but still, they are always valued. Paper is very expensive in Israel because trees are so scarce, as compared to here in the United States where we have huge forests. PALM: Each year many Israelis, especially children, plant trees on the sand dunes, in the marshes, or wherever they are needed. They are fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, They shall build up the old ruins, they shall rise up what was destroyed, and they shall make the destroyed cities new, and rebuild the ruins of many generations. LEMON: All over the world, too, Jews pay for the planting of trees in Israel. The Jewish National Fund makes it possible to give money to Israel and know that your tree will be planted where it is needed. 10

11 The Fourth Cup EUCALYPTUS: The fourth cup of Juice (wine) is red with a little bit of white mixed in. In Autumn, plants prepare seeds for the next cycle, and the leaves of the trees turn colors and fall to the ground as the cycle continues. We have partaken of fruits with a hard outer and soft inner; a soft outer with a hard inside; now let us enjoy the lingering essence of the fruit. All say the blessing: ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך האלוהם בורא פרי הגפן Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam Borei pri ha- gafen. Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of vine. ברוך אתה אדוני אלוהינו מלך העולם בורא פרי העץ Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, Borei pri ha-etz Blessed are You, our G-d, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of the tree. EUCALYPTUS: As Jews long ago planted trees in Israel, we, too, will plant. Our money will help plant trees in Israel in the Habonim Dror forest, and our care for the land will continue to nourish generations of trees to come.

12 Let s plant our Chia seeds! Materials: Soil Nylon Grass seed String Procedure: 1. Take some Nylon and cut out the desired amount. (10 Knee-High s should allow for 100 Chia Pets) 2. Place some soil in the center of the Nylon. 3. Place some grass seed in a desired place in the soil. 4. Close up the Nylon and tie it off. 5. If you want, draw a face or something else on the outside of the Nylon. 6. Water your CHIA Pet with a solution of 1 teaspoon Clorox to 1-gallon water to kill any mold.