Many Israelis my age are just finishing their service and are amazed that I have already graduated college and am a certified teacher. During our time there we were able to sit down with some of the members of the Magav who were our age. I was fortunate enough to hear stories about their lives and service duties. Even though we are currently living in the same country and are the same age, our lives are very different.
On the base we had a special Tu B'shevat celebration with the people on the base. First we learned a lot about what they do and they showed us some of their different tools they use. I was most impressed with their techniques to camouflage, or blend in, with the environment. They did a demonstration where an object that I thought was a rock turned out to be a person and started to move! We then had a ceremony where we sang and danced together to special songs for Tu B’shevat. It was so joyous to be there with all of these people celebrating. Finally, we had the chance to plant some trees ourselves to further enrich the land of Israel! This was the most special part of the day for me, as it is such a great tradition here in Israel and I was able to do it alongside friends and soldiers.
There are many reasons why Tu B'shevat is celebrated. First, in the past it served as the first day when farmers were allowed to profit from the trees they planted, using the fruits for growth. This could only happen once the trees turned four years old. Tu B'shevat is known as the “birthday of the trees.”
In more modern times, the meaning has shifted a little bit.
