It's My Favorite Tree's Birthday

Shalom Girls & Boys:


Do you have a favorite tree? I do. It's this acacia tree standing in the middle of Israel's desert.

I love flying down south so I can sit on a branch and watch the sunset. It's just me and my tree, alone, away from every busy bee. In fact, I'm watching the sun set right now and thinking about Tu B'Shvat -- which is only a few days away. I bet you'd like to see what planting a tree in Israel is like on this holiday. You don't have to look far. I found some video clips for you, like this one.

Do trees add a lot to your life? What do your friends have to say about trees?  I went to Shalom Sesame  and asked some boys and girls.  And you know what? I also found this neat video with a song called I Wanna Be A Tree. Have a look and let's all wish the trees in Israel Happy Birthday and a Happy New Year!






Acacia tree photo credit

A Tu B'Shvat Hebrew Lesson

עצים or אילנות?  

Shalom Boys & Girls, Moms & Dads & Teachers. I have a question for you:

Why is Tu B'Shvat called חג האילנות -- the holiday of trees -- when the commonly used Hebrew word for tree is עץ? Even the biblical word for tree is עץ, so why use the plural of the word אילן  to name this holiday?

Don't you think that's good question? I searched and searched until I found the answer. Here it is: Long before Eliezer Ben-Yehudah revived the Hebrew language, Biblical Hebrew was followed by another linguistic stage -- Talmudic Hebrew -- which incorporated Aramaic into the daily conversation. Have a look at the pages of the Talmud and even portions of the Passover Hagaddah and you will find a Hebrew dialect that sounds like it comes from a different planet. 

Connect the dots and you'll find out why Tu B'Shvat is called חג האילנות. To begin with, it is not a biblically-based holiday. It is first mentioned in the Mishnah in Tractate Rosh Hashanah as one of the four New Years on the Jewish calendar. So there we are, smack in the Aramaic period when the word עץ referred to wood. Therefore, since עץ was a material good, the members comprising Chazal -- the Jewish sages of the time -- were not going to use such a "common" word to name a holiday commemorating trees. Instead, they creatively combined two Aramaic words (one for tree and the other for wood) and created a new term for fruit trees -- אילן. Pluralize that and you get חג האילנות. Pretty cool!!!

Is the word אילן commonly used today in Israel? Only as the name for a boy. For girls, there's the name אילנה.

The word עץ is the big winner in Israel and here are some awesome Hebrew connections. We all know that trees symbolize strength. The Hebrew root for the word עץ is עצה. From that root we get the words עצה (advice), יעץ (to advise, give counsel) and לעצב (to give form or shape). As the New Year of Trees, Tu B'Shvat sure shapes the Jewish mindset because it's our way of celebrating the environment. 

חג שמח!

Photo credit

We're Bringing Back the Shade of the Mighty Biblical Oak Tree

Shalom Girls & Boys:

Come fly with me to the Beit Keshet Forest in the Lower Galilee. Why? Because Israeli conservationists -- that means Israelis who want to restore and preserve our natural resources -- are replanting oak trees like this one.

Isn't it a beauty? It looks so Biblical.


It makes me think of the story of Abraham and the three strangers. The Bible says that he was sitting at his tent door near the mighty trees of Mamre when he saw them. Legend has it that the trees were oak and I believe it since oak trees are mentioned 60 times in the Bible!!!! That must be because they are one of the best sources of shade, which is something we definitely need over here in Israel during our long summer.

Oak trees also yield an oak nut called an acorn. I just found out that acorns are very important for forest ecology because they are a favorite food of wildlife living there. It's kinda like a cycle. You plant a little acorn seed and it grows into a massive oak tree with lots of acorns to eat. That's why Israel's forest friends are planting acorns over five acres of what was once a beautiful oak forest. I say once, because nearly 100 years ago almost all of the oak trees in the Beit Keshet forest were cut down, their wood used for construction, heating and steam engines. Sounds familiar I'm sure, since it's a sad story that's happened to many forests around the world.

Sooo, isn't the replanting of oak trees VERY good news? I'm so happy I'm reporting it to you for Tu B'Shvat. New trees for the New Year of Trees. Yippee!!!!

Chag Smaeach.  Happy Tu B'Shvat.

Psst...Almost forgot. Want another great way to celebrate Tu B'Shvat? Connect stories from the Bible with environmental protection by reading
Tami's new book Green Bible Stories for Children. It's a real eye opener and you'll love the matching activities.

Oak tree photo credit

Winter Watermelon for Tu B'Shvat

Shalom Girls & Boys:

Are you getting ready for Tu B'Shvat? I know I am and I'm excited because this year I'm going to say a special She'he'cheyanu blessing over a very new fruit Made in Israel. Instead of serving my friends nuts and dried apricots, raisins and apple slices, I'm going to give them yummy slices of Israel's new Winter Watermelon.

It's crispier and sweeter then regular watermelons, and its flesh is an orangey-yellow color. You won't believe it -- it's grown hanging in hothouses, which is also different! But I'm not surprised. Israeli farmers are among the most inventive in the world. We grow more than 40 types of different fruits in our little desert country. People forget that we are an agricultural miracle. Many of our tasty innovations were developed by Hishtil Nurseries, including this new Winter Watermelon created together with a farmer named Itay Gal from Moshav Ein Yahav.

O.K. It's not a dried fruit that once grew on a tree, but Tu B'Shvat is a celebration of the land and all that it has to offer. We've worked to make our desert bloom, so that today all our delish fruits and vegetables are mamash -- really -- facts on the ground.

Speaking of which, I want to eat!!!


Photo Credit

This Coming Thursday is Tu B’Shvat

Shalom Yeladim:
This coming Thursday is Tu B’Shvat – the Jewish Arbor Day – and tree planting is what I want to talk about. Remember the Carmel Forest fire? Remember I asked for your help? There’s no better day than Tu B’Shvat to help restore and reforest. Please ask your teachers how you and your class can help plant a tree in the Carmel Forest. I would really appreciate it.

I have to pack my suitcase. Tami and I are flying off tonight for a one month’s author tour in the United States. I am going to be buzzing around and talking to kids in schools located in New York, Providence and Miami. Tami asked me to tell you that we’re going to be a little bit tight for time so there won’t be any blog posts (mine or her Jewish holiday customs) until after we return to Israel in mid-February.

Do you want to meet me in person? Write to Tami. She says that we’re flying back to the States in November. Between now and mid February you can write to her at: tamilehmanwilzig@gmail.com Once we’re back in Israel, drop her line at tami@tlwkidsbooks.com
L’Hitraot…Zvuvi