Tu BiShvat Fruits & Other Minhag Secrets

January, 2019

Tu B’Shevat
Sources, Secrets and Conundrums

I. Fruits & Trees
A Tale of Two Minhagim

The Magen Avraham introduces us to two famous minhagim.
The minhag of eating fruit on Tu B’Shevat (Tu B’Shevut?) is first
mentioned by Rav Yisachar Susan, a 16 th century contemporary of Rav Yosef Karo who moved from Morocco to Tzfas.
However, it was the Magen Avraham (siman 131:16)- about one
hundred years later- who taught it to the world. He writes, “The
custom among ashkanazim is to eat fruits of the trees [on Tu
B’shvat]”.
This, of course, is based on the mishnah (Rosh Hashana 1:1) that
teaches us that Tu B’Shevat is the rosh hashana (relating to
hilchos terumah and maaser) of the trees.
In fact, sefarim bring down that the pasuk ‘v’eitz hasadeh yitein
piryo-and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit’ is the exact
gematria of chamisha asar b’shevat!

Let’s compare this to another minhag that he also made well-
known.
On Shavuos, in addition to the minhag of spreading roses and/or
spices on the floor of shul for simchas hachag (Maharil), and to
spread out grass to remind us of the simcha of receiving the Torah on har sinai (Rema), the Magen Avaraham (494:5) says to bring
trees inside of our shuls (cf. Gra).
The reason for this, he explains, is because we are taught in a
mishnah (Rosh Hashana 1:2) that Shavuos is the yom hadin/day of judgement for the ‘peiros hailan-fruits of the trees’.

It’s a wonderful question!

After doing some digging, I found that Rav Avraham Yaakov Freidman, the first rebbe of Sadigur (d. 1883) asked this very question (Emes L’Yaakov, Tu B’Shevat 5627).
His answer reimagines how we are to view these days and these
minhagim.
As we know, a tzadik is compared to a tree (see, e.g. Bamidbar
13:20 with Rashi), and students of such tzadikim are called their
peiros/fruits.
On Shavuos we, the fruits/students of tzadikim are being judged as
to what type of leaders/trees we will have or accept upon
ourselves. We therefore bring in trees to shul to remind ourselves
that we must choose tzadikim and geonim as our leaders.
On Tu B’Shevat the tzadikim/trees are being judged as to what
type of talmidim/fruits they will have, so they eat special fruits and recite a shehechiynu.
We all eat fruits, for we are all rebbeim in some way to some people. And we must make sure that our teaching them of Torah be sweet and fruitful.
A whole new outlook on two celebrated minhagim!
On this note, the sefer Pri Yitzchak (21:9) brings a story from Rav
Yizchak Issac Eichentsein of Zichitchuv (d. 1873).
One Tu B’Shevat, by his tish, there was not enough fruits for the
many chasisim who gathered.
When he saw their frustration in not getting anything from their
rebbe, he cried out, “Is it fruit that you want? Do you know where
you can find fruits? (Shabbos 127) ‘These are the things whose
fruits are eaten in this world but whose principle is still maintained for the next….and talmud torah is equal to all of them’”!
In other words, the ikar of this minhag is a reminder to be a proper
student and teacher of Torah.
II.
When the New is Old
The Minhag of Shehechyanu on Tu B’Shevat

On Tu B’Shevat, many have the custom of not just eating fruits,
but to eat ‘new’ fruits so that they may make a shehechiyanu as
well.
While there is no clear source for this minhag, most explain that it
is based off a fascinating gemara (Yerushalmi, end of perek 4 in
Kiddushin). “Said Rebbe Bun in the name of Rav, man will one
day have to give an accounting on that he saw delicious items [of
Hashem’s creation] and did not eat them. Rav Elazar (ben Pedas)
was concerned for this teaching and would gather enough money
to be able to seek out all items once a year”.

The Chofetz Chaim even brings this chazal in the Mishnah Berrura (225:19) in hilchos berachos, although without tying it to Tu B’Shevat.
The Tashbeitz Katan (siman 320) explains that the purpose of this
teaching is so that one may pronounce extra berachos to Hashsem.
Indeed, the ‘Sefer Chasidim’ (from the Rosh’s nephew) teaches
based off this Yerushalmi that once a year a person should gather
the new fruits and make a shechiyanu. Since the new year for trees
begins on Tu B’Shevat, this would be the most appropriate day to
fulfill this inyan. (Yalkut Yosef; see also Meshech Chochma to
Bereishis 1:16).
Now, one may think that fulfilling this minhag today is far easier
than in earlier times.
For example, when I lived in Western New York, the big grocery
chain was called Wegmans. They are most famous for their fruits
and vegetables.
Not only are they known to carry the freshest and most delicious
options, but their variety was incomparable. From time to time,
they even carried ‘citrons’ (esrogim)!
Their peaches in January tasted better than those from other stores in August!
Their produce department alone is bigger than many other entire
grocery stores.
So, come Tu B’Shevat one could find any fruit in the world!
But in truth, this leads to a most serious halachic issue, one that
applies to stores of even lesser quality product.
True I can find such fruits on Tu B’Shevat, but these fruits are
available the whole year! There are no more ‘seasons’ for fruits!

Is it still possible to make a shehechiyanu on, say, a pomegranate
in its season (October-February in the US) when one can find them
in May shipped from another country?
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe oh’c 3:34) has a very lengthy
teshuvah on this matter, which is beyond the scope of this space.
While he comes out that one may still make a shehechiyanu on
fruits in their new season –even if available, of lesser quality,
throughout the year –he suggests that it may be better to avoid the
beracha, as anyway shechiyanu is not an obligation to begin with
(Magen Avraham siman 225).
The Satmar rebbe (Zemiros Divrei Yoel, p. 341) on the other hand
was adamant that one mustn’t ever say shehechiyanu in our day on
fruits available throughout the year.
This issue has ramifications beyond Tu B’Shevat (like the second
night of Rosh Hashana) and the reader is urged to speak to their
rav for guidance.

III.
Name, Please?
Lets conclude with something lighter.
Had the title of this article been ‘TU B’Shevut’ then no doubt it
would’ve confused a lot of readers.
However, that would have been the correct transliteration, it seems.
Although most often pronounced with a patach, this month is
referenced in tanach only once, and with an altogether different
vowelization.

The pasuk states in Zecharia 1:7, “On the twenty-fourth day of the
eleventh month-that is, the month of Shevut-in the second year of
Daryavush, the word of the Hashem came to Zechariah the son of
Berechiah, the son of Iddo the navi, saying.”
The beis has a kumutz and not a patach. It would seem that
nekudos matter, as these same three letters could also read
shevet/tribe if the vowels are off.
As I tell my congregants, just like the English words address,
contrast, present and project who’s meaning utterly changes upon
where one places the accent or where one stresses the syllable, we
should be mindful of dikduk as well.
However, because the names of the months were taken from bavel,
are of ostensibly non-Jewish origin and in the Acadian language
(Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashana, see Bavli Rosh Hashana in Tosfos
7a), perhaps their pronunciation is not as critical (see also Emes
L’Yaakov to Shmos 12:2 and Vayechi 49:7 for a discussion as to
why we chose non-Jewish names and a secular language as a
source for our month namings).
There are so many more issues relating to Tu B’Shevat to discuss,
like if eating of fruits should be done at night or by day, does one
first make the beracha on the fruit and then shehechiyanu or visa
versa, how many fruits should one eat, the history of the Tu
B’Shevat ‘Seder’, and on and on.
These will have to wait till next year, iy’H.
Let’s close this Tu B’Shevat column with a positive idea.
Although of Babylonian origin, sefarim still share secrets behind
these names.

When it comes to Shevat, many suggest that it stands for Shnas
Besuros Tovos.
And so it should be!