Tu Bishvat

Tu B'Shevat signals renewed vitalization in nature. Some Halachic ramifications of the New Year for the trees, the parallel to the spiritual renewal of man on our New Year, and how our daily, monthly and yearly "timetable" is intimately connected with the Land of Israel.

We all know that Tu Bi'Shvat is the "Rosh Hashanah" for trees, but what does that mean? Halachot of "ARLAH".

Do I recite this bracha when smelling a delicious cup of coffee or a freshly-baked pastry? After all, the coffee bean is a fruit, and the flour of the pastry is a grain, which is also halachically a fruit.

What Bracha do we make on fruit? What is fruit? What is a tree and what is not? More questions for Tu Bishvat and for everyday... and answers.

The custom is to eat fruits on both the evening and day of Tu Bishvat, and people try to give preference to those fruits for which the land of Israel is famous. Furthermore, it is preferable to eat fruits that were grown in the land of Israel.

The food we consume also influences our spiritual composition. The excellence of the fruits of the land of Israel does not stem from their flavor, size, and beauty alone. Beyond these virtues they enjoy a spiritual distinction: they possess sanctity.