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What is/are the reason(s) for not saying tachanun Tu b'Shvat?

msh210
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YDK
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  • More generally: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/68204 – msh210 Feb 11 '16 at 20:54
  • Interestingly, Minhag Ashkenaz is to not say tachanun at Shacharis of Tu Bishvat but to say tachanun at Mincha of the day before and Tu Bishvat itself. This applies also to Lag La'omer and Tu B'av. – Joshua Pearl Jan 28 '18 at 13:33

2 Answers2

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The Shulchan Aruch (OC 131:6) brings down the minhag not to say tachanun on Tu Beshvat. It is quoted earlier in the Beit Yosef in the name of the Rokeach (Siman 312 in the Rokeach according to the Beit Yosef but I don't see it there). The Beit Yosef (quoting the missing Rokeach) says the reason is because it is the Rosh Hashana for trees. The Gra on the Shulchan Aruch there (sk 13) explains that all four Roshei Shana are Yamim Tovim (וכמו כל ד' ר"ה שהן י"ט). The Magen Avraham there (sk 16) quoting the Tikkun Yissachar Daf 25 (bio) explains that the minhag in Ashkenaz is to celebrate Tu Beshvat by eating lots of tree-fruits.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Shimshon (brought in Mordochai Mo'ed 701) was asked about a community which had declared a set of fast days and one ended up falling on Tu Beshvat. The community wanted to know if they needed to push off the fast. He ruled that they should push off the fast, because the Mishna (Rosh haShana 1:1) lists all the Rashei Shanah together, which he understands to be implying that their status viz-a-viz fasting is equivalent. Perhaps this opinion is the original source.

T"u ViShvat Sameach!

Double AA
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  • @Vram The reason for the difference is that I always held that you shouldn't think about proper dikduk while 'learning' as it is unnecessary brain usage to focus on it but you should rather just say whatever is most natural and gets the point across. But when I am speaking I speak properly :) – Double AA Feb 08 '12 at 05:18
  • @Vram, now that I'm thinking about it, I guess it should also be vish'vat with a chirik and a dagesh chazak in the shin? – YDK Feb 08 '12 at 06:07
  • @YDK Yes to the chirik under the vet, but no dagesh chazak. Mem shin and hey hayedia give dagesh chazak, lamed bet kuf vav and hey hasheaila do not. – Double AA Feb 08 '12 at 06:11
  • @DoubleAA So wouldn't that make it tu vish-bat with a rafe in the beis? We're seriously going to ruin this holiday! – YDK Feb 08 '12 at 06:47
  • @YDK :) The bet remains rafeh (without a dagesh. dagush is with a dagesh) so it's veshvat. compare to Shemot 7:4 Bishphatim where the pey remains rafeh. i think technically since the sheva under the shin would have been na it downgrades to a sheva meracheif whereby it's pronounced like a nach but doesn't close the syllable. – Double AA Feb 08 '12 at 06:57
  • as @jake pointed out in his comment to his next answer, why is there no holiday on the first of elul? – ertert3terte Feb 08 '12 at 07:01
  • @ShmuelBrill Because we paskin that is not a Rosh Hashana :) See Rambam Bechorot 7:6 – Double AA Feb 08 '12 at 07:05
  • That might be as far as we can get. Do you understand what aspect of yom tov tu b?... shares with other yamim tovim that affects tachanun? – YDK Feb 08 '12 at 15:24
  • @YDK Potentially it represents the beginning of a new year of produce from the trees which we celebrate as part of the cycle of Chag HaAviv, Chag HaKatzir and Chag HaAsif. The Gra doesn't cite a source for his comment so there is no way to know for sure. – Double AA Feb 08 '12 at 18:49
  • see also gra OC 664 1 – rabbi Jan 15 '14 at 09:49
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    I think you misread the Beit Yosef's citation: the Rokeach's words stop partway and he adds his own explanation. The Rokeach can be found on the page after you linked, shortly before seder tefilla. – magicker72 Jan 14 '19 at 07:12
  • @magicker72 hmm I think you're probably right – Double AA Jan 14 '19 at 14:36
  • apparently it was a festive enough occasion to deserve poetry https://opensiddur.org/prayers/lunisolar/days-of-judgement-new-year-days/for-fruit-trees/qerovot-for-tu-bishvat-let-the-maple-sap-of-salvation/ – Double AA Feb 06 '23 at 14:43
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Tu b'shvat is one of the four Roshei Hashanah brought in the first mishna of maseches Rosh Hashanah. These days generally have a status of Yom tov, or at least a semi-moed, and therevore are days of some type of simcha, and we do not say tachanun.

NussenDuvid
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    This answer would be much improved if you cited a source for your claim. Also, since when are, say, 1 Elul and 1 Nissan "yomim tovim" more than any other Rosh Chodesh? I myself never see any celebrations going on then. – jake Feb 08 '12 at 03:53
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    NussenDuvid, welcome to the site. It would be helpful if you had a source that a rosh hashana, related to din, has a status of a yom tov since there is no korban and no command of simcha. For example , if Rosh Chodesh Nissan were not a Yom Tov for other reasons, why would it be a yom tov just because it is designated as reference point for a king's years? – YDK Feb 08 '12 at 03:58
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    @jake, yeah, what you said. – YDK Feb 08 '12 at 03:59
  • @Jake On the first of Elul we blow the shofar, and on the first of Nissan we give special status for the whole month. For most of Jewish history, until about 100 years ago, you would not see celebrations on Tu Veshvat either. – avi Feb 08 '12 at 07:25
  • @avi, blowing shofar on first of Elul has nothing to do with the fact that its the rosh hashana for maaser, nor does the month of Nissan get off of tachanun because it's the rosh hashana for kings. – jake Feb 08 '12 at 14:38
  • @jake: fact is that we don't say tachanun on those days anyway, because they're Rosh Chodesh. Tu B/Vishevat is the only one of the "four rashei shanim" that isn't Rosh Chodesh, so it's more noticeable that we skip tachanun on it. – Alex Feb 08 '12 at 20:41
  • @jake In case you didn't see my comment to the other answer http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/13998/why-is-there-no-tachanun-on-tu-bshvat/14001#comment25189_14002 – Double AA Aug 14 '12 at 22:03