| Dear fellow believers:
What is the importance of the Seven Species in reference to the health of mankind?
"A land of wheat, and barley, and vines (grapes), and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey." (Deuteronomy 8:8 KJV)
- The above Seven Species are good for the health of your body and helps prevent the common diseases of mankind (heart disease, cancer and diabetes). For more information (Video and PDF document) about how the Seven Species are related to healing, click the following: Tu B'Shevat and Healing
- The Jewish traditional holiday of Tu (Too) Bishvat (Bish vat) focuses on the Seven Species in Deuteronomy 8:8.
Tu Bishvat is the new year of trees. In Judaism, there are four New Years.
The four New Years (heads of the year) are:
1) On the first of Nisan (March-April), the new year for the kings and for the festivals
2) On the first of Elul (August-September), the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, in the first of Tishrei
3) On the first of Tishrei (September-October), the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables
4) On the first of Shevat (January-February), the new year for the tree, these are the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says on the fifteenth thereof(Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1)
Currently, Jews celebrate Tu Bishvat on the 15th of Shevat.
"Tu B'Shevat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for
tithing. See Lev. 19:23-25, which states that fruit from trees may not be eaten
during the first three years; the fourth year's fruit is for God, and after that, you can eat the fruit. Each
tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B'Shevat, so if you planted a
tree on Shevat 14, it begins its second year the next day, but if you plant a
tree two days later, on Shevat 16, it does not reach its second year until the
next Tu B'Shevat.
"There are few customs or observances related to this holiday. One custom is to
eat a new fruit on this day, or to eat from the Seven Species (shivat haminim)
described in the Bible as being abundant in the land of Israel . The Shivat Haminim are: wheat, barley,
grapes (vines), figs, pomegranates, olives and dates (honey) (Deut. 8:8). You
can make a nice vegetarian pilaf from the shivat haminim: a bed of cooked
bulgar wheat or wheat berries and barley, topped with figs, dates, raisins
(grapes), and pomegranate seeds, served with a dressing of olive oil, balsamic
vinegar (grapes) and pomegranate juice.
"Some people plant trees on this day. In my childhood, Jewish children commonly
went around collecting money to plant trees in Israel at this time of year." ( Judaism 101)
Biblically, trees are compared with the following ( Plant: Nurturing, Repairing, Providing, Giving - FirstFruits of Zion, pp. 12-13): - Mankind (Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Isaiah 65:22; Song of Songs 7:8, Jude 12 KJV)
- Torah (Proverbs 3:17-18 KJV)
Mankind must bear fruit (good behavior and deeds - Luke 3:7-14 KJV) and studying & meditating on the Torah (the instructions of Elohim) gives us the knowledge to righteously act and do good deeds (Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8 KJV). We must allow our light to shine before others (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV).
We should desire for tikkun olam (healing and repairing the world - Isaiah 58:8-12 KJV). Trees are a symbol of immortality and eternity (Genesis 3:22; Romans 2:7; Revelation 22:2, 14 KJV). Tu Bishvat takes us back to Gan-`Eden (the Garden of Eden). "On Tu Bishvat, we return to the place of our first encounter with trees-the Garden of Eden. We enter once again into harmony with nature as we were in the Garden. The antagonism between humans and nature is set aside . . . We were driven from the Garden, driven from a symbiotic relationship with nature into one of bitter struggle. However, on Tu Bishvat we reconnect to trees and to the Tree of Life. We grasp the eternity symbolized by the long-living trees. We glimpse what the Garden was and how life could be again-no thorns or thistles, no returning unto dust." (The Jewish Holidays by Michael Strassfeld, pp. 184-185)
How do we celebrate Tu Bishvat?
- Tu Bishvat is not a Torah commandment. Yet, it is a good tradition that helps us focus on Elohim and we should desire good traditions (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Philippians 4:8 KJV). On the Jewish Calendar, Tu Bishvat is the 26th of January for 2013 (on a Shabbat). On the Biblical Calendar, Tu Bishvat is estimated to be the 28th of January (on a Monday). Check Michael Rood's Biblical Calendar website for a current New Moon Calendar.
We can do the following to celebrate Tu Bishvat (Plant: Nurturing, Repairing, Providing, Giving by FirstFruits of Zion, pp. 27-30): - Plant - Plant trees in the land of Israel (http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/).
- Nurture - You can re-pot house plants that need it and to nurture the green and living things in your environment.
- Meditate - Read and meditate on the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134 KJV).
- Provide - Host a Tu Bishvat Sedar.
- Eat! - Take some time to eat from the Seven Species.
- Give - Remember to give to the poor (Galatians 2:10 KJV) and those in need. Tu Bishvat is a good time to review and/or renew any monthly giving commitments you made the previous year, or to make new monthly commitments.
- Repair - Make an attempt to repair any relationships that have been shattered, visit the sick, volunteer to help the elderly, volunteer at a soup kitchen (Matthew 25:31-46 KJV).
- Create (Fun Crafts For Kids) - Plant seeds for a garden in the spring. Draw pictures of trees and use colored tissue paper pieces for leaves. Have your kids clean their rooms and donate clothing and toys that are still in good condition to a local day care or collections facility. Visit Tu B'Shevat for Kids for more information on how kids can celebrate Tu Bishvat.
Ultimately, Tu Bishvat pictures the restoration of the world to the Gan-`Eden state before the fall of Adam (Mankind): "Next the angel showed me the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Between the main street and the river was the Tree of Life producing twelve kinds of fruit, a different kind every month; and the leaves of the tree were for healing the nations — no longer will there be any curses. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will no longer exist, so they will need neither the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because Adonai, God, will shine upon them. And they will reign as kings forever and ever." (Rev 22:1-5 KJV)
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:14 KJV), "Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities. To him winning the victory I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life which is in God's Gan-`Eden." (Revelation 2:7 CJB)
Warmest regards,
Kennard, Servant of Elohim (God) |
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"Give, and you
will receive gifts — the full measure, compacted, shaken together and
overflowing, will be put right in your lap. For the measure with which
you measure out will be used to measure back to you!" (Luke 6:38 - CJB)
"Here's the point: he who plants sparingly also harvests sparingly. Each should give according to what he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God has the power to provide you with every gracious gift in abundance, so that always in every way you will have all you need yourselves and be able to provide abundantly for every good cause — as the Tanakh says, "He gave generously to the poor; his tzedakah lasts forever." He who provides both seed for the planter and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your tzedakah." (2 Corinthians 9:6-10 CJB)
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