Create Your Own Tu B’Shevat Seder
Your Tu B’Shevat seder can be a meal by itself or part of a full festive meal. Below you will find the special foods and prayers to include. These are just the basic elements of a Tu B’Shevat seder. Be creative
and add your own special touches!
Wine or Grape Juice. Give everyone at the table four cups of wine or grape juice — two cups of white wine or juice and two cups of red. Taste from each of the four cups of wine or juice in the following order:
- 1st cup — all white, symbolizing the cold weather of winter.
- 2nd cup — white with a little red mixed in, symbolizing the coming of spring.
- 3rd cup — red with a little white mixed in, symbolizing the warmth of spring.
- 4th cup — all red, symbolizing the heat of summer and the full blossoming of nature.
Before tasting from each cup of wine or juice, recite the following prayer:
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu melech ha'olam borei p’ri ha-gafen.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Ceremonial Foods. Give everyone at the table five kinds of foods:
- A food with an outer shell or peel that cannot be eaten; examples: nuts, pomegranates, kiwi fruit, or bananas
- A food that has pits or seeds inside; examples: apples, olives, peaches, pears, lums, prunes, or dates
- A food that has pits or seeds inside and an outer shell or peel that cannot be eaten; examples: oranges, tangerines or grapefruit
- A food made from wheat; examples: bread, cake or cookies
- A food that is completely edible; examples: raisins, figs, strawberries, or carob
Before eating each type of fruit, recite the following prayer:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam borei p’ri ha-etz.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Creator of the fruit of the tree.
Before eating the first fruit, recite the prayer above and the following prayer:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam,
she-he-he-yanu v'kiy-manu vehigiyanu laz-man hazeh.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Who has given us life, sustained us and helped us to reach this day.
Before eating bread, recite the following prayer:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Who brings forth bread from the earth.
Before eating cake, recite the following prayer:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha'olam borei minei m'zonot.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Creator of all kinds of foods.
Biblical Passages to Read and Discuss:
- Genesis 1:29–31. Why did God create so many types of plants?
- Leviticus 19:23–25. Why were the people forbidden to eat fruit until the fifth year?
- Deuteronomy 10:7–10. Why were the people commanded to thank God after they had eaten?
- Psalm 1. What do trees symbolize?
- Proverbs 3:17–110. This passage is often used to describe the Torah. Why is it so fitting?
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