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Tu Bishvat (15th day of Shvat) is the Jewish new year for trees. It is often marked with joyous tunes, tree planting ceremonies (in Israel) and the consumption of fruit. Interestingly, Tu Bishvat is not a festival, as neither the Torah nor the Talmud make any mention of celebrating or observing this day. No commandments – a central component of any Jewish holiday – are recorded involving it. Nor are any special prayers in the liturgy. So if Tu Bishvat isn’t a festival, why do we celebrate it and what is its function? Looking exclusively at the Torah it would seem that the significance of Tu Bishvat is entirely limited to the realm of agriculture. “When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [from use]; it shall be blocked from you [from use] for three years, not to be eaten. In the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to God. In the fifth year, you may eat its fruit; [do this, in order] to increase its produce for you. I am God, your God” (Deuteronomy 19:23-25).