fbpx
[additional-authors]
January 24, 2016

Are you like me? Do you constantly think up wacky ways to give over important Jewish values to your children, while staying sane in the process?

So I decided to make a Tu B’Shvat Seder this year.

You’ve probably all been to Passover Seders, but a Tu B’Shvat seder… What’s that? 

I was also wondering. But my mom gave me rave reviews of her shul’s Tu B’Shvat Seders these past few years, so I figured it’s about time I made one of my own!

So I began thinking- what do you need for a successful family gathering? It’s all in the planning.

First, we designed a family emblem. Isn’t that funny? Yes, a real coat of arms! With a crown on top, swords, eagles, unicorns, flowers, a Star of David and a ‘B’ for Belz. We got them printed on t-shirts for the whole family to wear during our Tu B’Shvat dinner.

Then we began working on the backdrop. I bought huge rolls of paper for my older children to cut out the shape of a brown tree trunk and a green leafy tree. The younger ones had spent the previous few weeks cutting out pictures of fruits from magazines and newspapers. Sticky little fingers lovingly pasted them onto the green background. When dry, this multi-fruit tree became the backdrop to our lovely Tu B’Shvat seder. The children felt empowered that we let them ‘design’ the background.

One of my oldest prepared a Tu B’Shvat jeopardy game, with age-appropriate questions for the younger ones. To the answer “fruits grow there”, little David asked “What grows in the ground!” We all enjoyed a good laugh and explained to him about seeds, roots, trees and fruits, and G-d’s contribution in these processes. Truly an educational opportunity utilized to the fullest.

Then came time for the meal itself. We decided to follow the minhag of reciting one of the 15 Shir HaMa’alot (Psalms chapters 120-134) before eating each one of the 15 types of fruit that I had laid out on the table! Being that we are Israeli and read Hebrew very quickly, we finished this part of the ceremony quite fast.

French chicken cooked in whipped cream with green grapes served on a bed of burgul (cracked wheat)- delicious! Home-made apple cake and strawberry freeze were served for dessert. The food was served on modern Kakadu servingware, which boasts colorful hand-painted Israeli-themed designs on polished wood.

We ended the evening with my second son reciting a poem he’d written about trees, and of course everyone thanked Ima for this memorable Tu B’Shvat evening- a family dinner to be remembered!

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: Got College? | Mar 29, 2024

With the alarming rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, choosing where to apply has become more complicated for Jewish high school seniors. Some are even looking at Israel.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.